13.60

*Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc *Vintage production: 2,125 cases *Cliff Lede's Poetry Vineyard sits in the foothills of the Vaca Mountains in Napa's... Stags Leap District AVA, and this iconic cuvée has been described by Robert Parker as "The quintessential Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon that is Napa Valley’s version of Château Margaux." Having averaged a breath-taking 99 points with Dunnuck and The Wine Advocate since head winemaker Christopher Tynan joined in 2012, it more than deserves this comparison. Poetry draws its uniqueness from shallow, volcanic soils atop fractured shale. Due to the stressful nature of the site, planted with high vine density and farmed to very low yields, the vines develop slowly and produce small flavourful berries. The vineyard is planted to legendary, proprietary heritage selections of Cabernet Sauvignon. In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five-pound (11.3kg) bins to minimise crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection through a three-tiered sorting process, including an innovative optical sorter and a slow, individual berry hand sort. Whole berries were then gently delivered by gravity to tank using a unique crane system, helping to keep the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, while fermentations were managed through a combination of pump-overs and délestage. Extended maceration of up to four weeks ensured exceptional extraction and allowed for fine-tuning of tannin profiles. Following twenty-one months of élevage in French oak barrels, 83% of which were new, the final blend was selected from the finest lots of the Poetry Vineyard.