Ultimate California Wine Blog

This one can be a bit confusing. Cliff Lede purchased this estate from what was S. Anderson. Apparently John Anderson , son of Dr. Stanley Anderson, instead of following in the family tradition, went the alternate route of starting a confectionery, Woodhouse Chocolates in St. Helena. (I’ve had the chocolates, they are fabulous…) When you approach the winery, there are a number of signs out front; Cliff Lede, Poetry, and S. Anderson (although the S. Anderson sign is a small stand-up, just outside the shot of my picture). 

But it is what lies inside (and in the bottle) that counts, right? Therein lies the three names. While S. Anderson produced sparkling as well as still wine, Cliff Lede, the man, retains the S. Anderson label for the sparkling wine alone. The Cliff Lede label is for most of the rest, and Poetry is the signature reserve Cabernet. One must give Mr. Lede a great amount of credit. Behind the tasting room building is a great deal of construction — in caves which never existed when it was S. Anderson as well as an inn, which will be known as Poetry Inn. I realize so many labels can get confusing, but in the long run, it is the product that counts.

Before I mention the tastings I had on my visit, I’d like to mention a bit more about the grounds. I am a sucker for artwork. I especially love wineries that promote the arts with a large variety of artwork, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. Part of my blogging exercises will be to look at and discuss the artwork as well and I greatly applaud those wineries which combine the two. Here at Cliff Lede, there are a number of statues which bedeck the grounds. I’m just ashamed that I didn’t get the artist’s names or the titles to the two works I photographed. I really liked the Two Hearts sculpture — and it stands over six feet tall. Close up, one can see it was very well crafted. But on to the wines…

When you enter the tasting room, you are immediately served some form a sparkler. In my case, it was the S. Anderson 1998 Brut Rosé. Many rosé tend towards the sweet and fortunately, this one did not. It had delicate florals and brighter fruits like dried orange peel and ripe melon. I would not have minded drinking this wine with salmon. But I was more interested in red wines and asked to forego the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Even though the winery itself lies in the Stag’s Leap District, the 2002 Cliff Lede Pinot Noir comes from Carneros. It was a tad cloudy and I neglected to asked if it was filtered or not. There was definite lush berry on the nose and had a warm, opulent finish of cherry.

Next poured was a 2002 Cliff Lede Claret which was comprised of 70% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc. On the nose, I immediately was hit with mint and tobacco and that quintessential Stag’s Leap earthiness. Funny, I used to like valley floor fruit a lot better but am getting jaded towards mountain vineyards.

I am just getting into Syrah and asked for a small taste of the 2002 Cliff Lede Syrah. There is some meat to this syrah, but not quite enough for me. I perceived some wonderful spice on the nose but the finish was a bit too metallic and thin.

Unfortunately, both the Cliff Lede and Poetry cabernets were sold out upon my visit. I guess this is a winery I will have to return to as I think a full tasting of their sparkling would be great fun and I’m dying to try the Cabernet.