2005 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District

Toasty oak dominates this young, very firm wine. Bittersweet chocolate, creamy vanillin and understated black cherry and cassis, with shadings of cedar and forest floor. Good complexity, though shy on fruit. (LM) $50

Good deep ruby-red. Roasted plum, tobacco, earth and licorice on the nose, complicated by dried flowers, underbrush and brown spices. Broad, supple and rich; began dry and a tad warm but turned sweeter with air. Ultimately suave and nutty, with subtle notes of plum, flowers and smoky herbs. Finishes with dusty tannins and very good length.

There are 5,800+ cases of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and the rest a dash of Malbec and Petit Verdot, it is a beauty. It shows the elegance and finesse of the cooler southern end of Napa with beautiful floral, black raspberry, and currant notes mixed with some cedar, a whiff of tobacco leaf, spring flowers, and well-integrated wood. The wine is medium to full-bodied and cuts a nice, deep, rich, but delicate feel in the mouth. This is a stunner that should drink gracefully for 15 or more years. Canadian businessman Cliff Lede has Michelle Edwards as his winemaker, David Abreu as his viticulturalist, and of course none other than Michel Rolland as his winemaking consultant, so big things are expected. If 2005 is any indication, they are already well on their way to making world-class wines. This 60-acre property with the vineyards and winery in the Stags Leap area and the winery right on the Yountville cross (across the road from another up-and-coming superstar, Kapcsandy) made their first vintages in 2002, but I think the 2005s move this winery to higher ground. Tel. (800) 428-2259; Fax (707) 944-8020