2021 Cliff Lede "Poetry" Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, spent 21 months ageing in 74% new oak. The grapes were sourced from the steep Poetry estate hillside vineyard in the Stags Leap District AVA. I had previously rated the 2021 release 99 points in my Napa Cabernet vintage report, but rarely do I have the opportunity to revisit wines of this calibre, let alone enjoy them over an entire meal. A few remarkable qualities stood out to me on this occasion. The wine's texture was remarkably smooth and silky, complemented by upfront cedar-spice notes that evolved into sage and rich tobacco aromas with time in the glass, alongside a symphony of perfumed nuances. It was supremely polished on the palate, with superfine tannins creating an elegant structure. And in the glass, it shows such a luminous ruby you can read the first lines of The Great Gatsby straight through it (I like to carry a copy in my jacket pocket just in case the moment calls for a public reading of a line or two). Most striking was the wine's balance at 13.8% alcohol, a feature I wish I had weighed more heavily in my original scoring. Over 90 minutes of tasting alongside various dishes, I felt invigorated and refreshed—an experience that is not always the case with more potent Napa Cabernets. (JC)