2006 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Good full ruby-red. Cassis, minerals, mocha, brown spices and a hint of nutty oak on the rather reticent nose. Then supple, rich and sweet, with a lush texture and insidious intensity to the dark fruit and mineral flavors. The suave finish features fine-grained tannins and nice lift. (ST)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap (75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc) is everything that one expects in a wine from this sector that is known for elegance, harmony, and Margaux-like finesse. A perfectly balanced Cabernet, it exhibits a dense purple color along with a big, sweet nose of spring flowers, black and red currants as well as graphite. It is deep, rich, young, and promising with plenty of tannin, but an unmistakable, profound minerality. Although accessible, 2-3 years of bottle age will be beneficial, and the wine should age for two decades. Drink through 2031. (RP)
Bright red-ruby. Currant, tobacco, mocha and a whiff of tarry oak on the nose. Supple, broad and sweet but with good shape and structure to the flavors of dark berries, mocha and spicy oak. A bit chunky but satisfying. Finishes with big, chewy tannins and a chocolatey quality.
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap is a nearly 9,000-case cuvee that is one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons one can buy at this price point, particularly given the Shangri-La prices of Napa. Deep ruby/purple with lots of red and black currants as well as hints of spring flowers and bay leaf, the wine is medium-bodied, with nothing out of place - acidity, wood, tannin, or alcohol. It is a supple, stylish wine that doesn't cheat the consumer on flavor or complexity. It should evolve for at least 15 or so years. One of the new up-and-coming wineries in Stags Leap is Cliff Lede, run by the proprietor of the same name and his winemaker Michelle Edwards. (None other than superstar David Abreu is the viticulturalist, and this is another place where Michel Rolland makes his semi-annual stop for consulting purposes.) 2006 turned out to be very successful for the wines of Cliff Lede, all displaying the elegance one expects from the Stags Leap region, but with substantial flavors as well as intensity. Tel. (800) 428-2259; Fax (707) 944-8020 -T. Edward Wines, New York, NY; Brian Pilliod- Bpilliod@tedwardwines.com; cell. 917-974-5583, tel. 212-796-8006