2011 Cliff Lede Moondance Dream Cabernet Sauvignon, Rock Block Series, Stags Leap District, 3L
available
The Moondance Dream is a vibrant young wine still in its infancy. It’s gorgeously laden with ethereal dark cherry, cigar box, and plum aromas that harmonize with melted dark chocolate and rich kirsch flavors. After a silky entry, the volume is turned up by bright acidity, highlighting the darker fruit notes of blueberry and cassis and giving the wine a rocking attitude. The suede-like tannins and rocky minerality crescendo along the lengthy finish. Tasted February 2024 – Chris Tynan, Director of Winemaking
Wine Specs
Vintage
2011
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Stags Leap District
Aging
eighteen months of élevage in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new.
Bottling Date
July 2013
Alcohol %
14.6
Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
This blend is primarily sourced from two distinctive blocks named after the classic rock songs “Moondance” and “Dream On,” located on our Poetry estate vineyard. The steep terraced hillside vines of Cabernet Sauvignon in “Dream On” offer intense structure and concentration, while the rolling hills of “Moondance” add opulence and polish. Small percentages of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot from our Twin Peaks estate harmonize with the Cabernet to add nuance and aromatic lift.
Production Notes
Our estate vineyard was harvested at night under lights into small lug bins. The fruit was delivered directly to the winery by tractor and immediately subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting system, including our cutting edge optical sorter. The berries were gently gravity-delivered to truncated tanks custom-designed to ferment each block of our estate vineyard individually. Following a five to eight day whole berry cold soak, fermentations were managed with cool temperatures and long pumpovers. An extended maceration period of four to five weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles.
Winemaker Notes
The Moondance Dream is a vibrant young wine still in its infancy. It’s gorgeously laden with ethereal dark cherry, cigar box, and plum aromas that harmonize with melted dark chocolate and rich kirsch flavors. After a silky entry, the volume is turned up by bright acidity, highlighting the darker fruit notes of blueberry and cassis and giving the wine a rocking attitude. The suede-like tannins and rocky minerality crescendo along the lengthy finish. Tasted February 2024 – Chris Tynan, Director of Winemaking