2013 Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, 1.5L in Wood Box
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"The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry reveals a rather inky, bluish/purple color. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, this wine is super-youthful and still tastes somewhat like a barrel sample. It’s bursting with upside potential. Inky purple to the rim, with notes of crème de cassis, black cherry liqueur, licorice, spice and a touch of vanilla, this is a full-bodied, concentrated and an utterly profound wine that may represent the greatest wine that Cliff Lede has made to date. Forget it for another 5-6 years and drink it over the following 30 years." 100 points. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Dec 2015
Wine Specs
Vintage
2013
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Stags Leap District
Bottling Date
July 2015
Alcohol %
14.9
Robert Parker
100
Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
The Poetry Vineyard, carved into a steep west-facing hillside, reaches from the highest elevations of the Stags Leap District 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 with high vine density and farmed to very low yields, the vines develop slowly and produce small flavorful berries.
Production Notes
In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five pound bins to minimize crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which includes our cutting edge optical sorter and a slow, individual berry, hand sort. The fruit was gently gravity-delivered to small tanks and wooden cuves by our unique crane system, which kept the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, and fermentations were managed through a combination of pumpovers and délestage. Extended maceration of up to six weeks ensured exceptional extraction and fine-tuning of tannin profiles. Following eighteen months of élevage in new French oak, the blend was selected from our best lots of the Poetry Vineyard. Final blend is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot.
Winemaker Notes
This luxurious, exacting wine is the epitome of finesse, purity, and distinction. Intricate aromas abound, with refined layers of black and red currants, dark cocoa powder, warm black cherry, Kadota fig, and cedar forest floor enveloping the glass. The complex perfume unfolds further with a seamless integration of spring violets, slate, cardamom, and graphite. Structurally, the wine shows a nimble sophisticated restraint, with precise tannins that cradle the palate and carry the flavors to a long finish. The culmination of flavors and aromas persist joyfully with the savour of warm stone and weathered rocks reflecting the terroir of the Poetry Vineyard.
Production
822 cases