Cliff Lede Vineyards

Cliff Lede Vineyards is the epitome of modern Napa, combining music, art, and ultra-high quality wines to perfection. From the individual vineyard blocks being named after Cliff’s favourite songs and albums, to the paintings from legends like Bernie Taupin and Grace Slick on display in the ‘Back Stage’ tasting lounge, to a growing tally of 100-point scores, this is the ultimate experience!

Story

Cliff Lede Vineyards was established in 2002 by Canadian born Bordeaux enthusiast, Cliff Lede, following the acquisition of a sixty acre estate in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley.  He hires David Abreu, considered the best viticulturist in Napa Valley, to replant the vineyards. Cliff then decided to name each vineyard block after some of his favourite rock songs and albums creating what is known today as the “Rock Blocks.” In 2005, a state of the art winery and cave system was carved into a hillside overlooking the Estate.

​The winemaking philosophy at Lede Family Wines has always been one of minimal intervention that allows the wines to demonstrate a sense of place. Cliff Lede Vineyards’ wines form a complementary portfolio that are consistently exceptional in quality and true to their source and vintage.

Vineyards

The Estate Poetry Vineyard, carved into a steep west-facing hillside, reaches from the highest elevations of the Stags Leap District sub-appellation to the valley floor. This vineyard draws its uniqueness from shallow, volcanic soils atop fractured shale. Due to the stressful nature of the site, planted by David Abreu with high vine density, proprietary clonal selection, and farmed to very low yields, the vines develop slowly and produce small flavourful berries.

Surrounding the winery and tasting room is the Twin Peaks Vineyard. In contrast to the steep rocky blocks of the hillside Poetry Vineyard, the Twin Peaks vineyard soil is composed of gravelly loam of varying depths and rock content.

Winemaking

Christopher Tynan began his journey with a harvest at Cain Vineyard & Winery in 2004. He was then given an opportunity to work the 2005 harvest with the legendary winemaking and viticulture team of Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer at Blankiet Estate in Yountville.

​In 2006, Christopher became the assistant winemaker at the prestigious Colgin Cellars on Pritchard Hill. At Colgin, Christopher worked closely with owner Ann Colgin, Winemaker Allison Tauziet and Vineyard Manager David Abreu for the next five years. It was here where he learned and embodied the standard for excellence in all aspects of winemaking and viticulture. Wines made during Christopher’s tenure at Colgin were awarded seven 100-point scores from wine critic Robert Parker.

​In 2012, Christopher was introduced to Cliff Lede by David Abreu and joined the Cliff Lede Vineyards team shortly thereafter. Christopher brings an unmatched passion and attention for detail to the Lede Family Wines team. His exacting philosophy of only employing low-yield vines from select sites and minimal intervention in the winery ensures that each bottle expresses the distinct nuances of each site, block and vintage.

Latest arrivals from Cliff Lede Vineyards

2019 Cliff Lede, Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District 6x75cl

RP100
Blend: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot Vintage production: 1,471 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. The 2019 stands as one of the finest vintages to date with a perfect 100 points from Lisa Perrotti-Brown (TWA) who describes it as "Finishing epically long and staggeringly gorgeous. WOW!"
£1,485 / Case£247.50 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £1,801.22 / Case, £300.20 / BottleAvailability: Future ArrivalPlease contact us to know more

2018 Cliff Lede, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District 1x75cl

RP93VM93WE95
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc Vintage production: 9,408 cases Cliff Lede's iconic Cabernet is the essence of the Estate's Stags Leap... District terroir in a glass. The fruit is sourced from the hillside terraces of the 'Grand Cru' Poetry Vineyard, the Twin Peaks Vineyard estate surrounding the winery, and a few neighbouring vineyards in the Stags Leap District. The wine is composed of small lots from the best blocks, representing a diverse range of carefully selected clones and rootstocks. From Poetry’s exposed, rocky terraces boasting volcanic origins, to the ancient riverbed alluvial soils of Twin Peaks, the breadth of contributing sites translates into a wine of impressive complexity and longevity.
£67 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £84.24 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days

NV Cliff Lede, Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical (2015-2017) 6x75cl

JD100/100/96
Contains 2x75cl of each vintage
£1,300 / Case£216.67 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £1,583.04 / Case, £263.84 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days

2012 Cliff Lede, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 1x75cl

RP96
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage production: 456 cases There are few names as evocative as Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. It is considered one of the very best vineyards in the world - the... ultimate expression of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This site has produced some of the most revered wines in Napa’s history at the hands of the few elite winemakers granted access to these most precious of vines. One of the greatest Cabernets is produced by Chris Tynan at Cliff Lede Vineyard who has consistently achieved some of the highest scores from the vineyard in each vintage. He has at his disposal one of the most diverse selections of vineyard blocks of any Estate, allowing him to create a unique and extraordinary wine from this critically praised site.
£210 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £255.79 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days