Cliff Lede ‘Poetry’ Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

100 Points, Decanter
This wine, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, spent 21 months ageing in 74% new oak. The grapes were sourced from the steep Poetry estate hillside vineyard in the Stags Leap District AVA. I had previously rated the 2021 release 99 points in my Napa Cabernet vintage report, but rarely do I have the opportunity to revisit wines of this calibre, let alone enjoy them over an entire meal. A few remarkable qualities stood out to me on this occasion. The wine’s texture was remarkably smooth and silky, complemented by upfront cedar-spice notes that evolved into sage and rich tobacco aromas with time in the glass, alongside a symphony of perfumed nuances. It was supremely polished on the palate, with superfine tannins creating an elegant structure. And in the glass, it shows such a luminous ruby you can read the first lines of The Great Gatsby straight through it (I like to carry a copy in my jacket pocket just in case the moment calls for a public reading of a line or two). Most striking was the wine’s balance at 13.8% alcohol, a feature I wish I had weighed more heavily in my original scoring. Over 90 minutes of tasting alongside various dishes, I felt invigorated and refreshed—an experience that is not always the case with more potent Napa Cabernets. This is precisely the tension-filled, youthful Napa Cabernet that restaurants should showcase to demonstrate the versatility and elegance of the region’s best wines in pairing with food. Ultimately, the 2021 Poetry is perfectly pure, precise, and balanced—a wine of striking honesty and grace and an absolute standout in the 2021 vintage.

100 Points, The Wine Independent
The medium-bodied palate is so tightly wound at this youthful stage, slowly revealing layer upon layer of fragrant black and red fruits with loads of mineral sparks, supported by beautifully fine-grained yet firm tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of mineral and floral notes. This is gorgeous.