2015 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (7) Avg Score: 97.3 points

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  12/29/2022 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Still a big, dense, dark wine that demands 4+ hour decant to soften and allow some fruit to balance out all the dark earthy elements. When hitting its stride, it becomes smooth with great minerality and a long finish. I'm seeing a trend in these Lede BTK bottling that I may enjoy them more at a younger age before they dive into beast mode and the fruit is still front and center.

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  8/28/2020 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 98 Points

  This is seriously good. Needs at least an hour to open up, otherwise there is a bitter/astringent situation happening on the finish, but I found that blew off after some air and the fruit really came through. Smooth as silk, super precise, ripe without being overdone, drinking well now with air but has many years ahead to continue to evolve.

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  6/10/2020 - MADV Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Oh my!! I have several bottles of 15, 16 and, 17. I busted out the the 15 with a long time friend . It was in a word , Awesome! This has to be the most under appreciated bottle out there. Inky dark and just incredible depth with a nose that left me wondering what could be better. Pure excellence !!! After we drank it I actually wished I had not shared it. Can’t imagine how good it will be in a couple of years !!

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  4/22/2020 - Marietta Walsh Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Our favorite from Cliff Lede!!

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  11/29/2018 - csimm wrote: 96 Points

  From a comparative side-by-side BTK tasting with this Cliff Lede, a ‘16 MACDONALD, and a ‘15 Purlieu BTK (which ended up being an off-bottle it seemed).
  
  Black currant, asphalt, bitter blackberry, unsmoked cigar, and graphite notes made their place keenly in the palate. Linear and overtly direct on its attack on initial PnP, like it was holding its breath and being held underwater. A bit of a suffocating, clenching presentation at first, but backing off on its frame-first delivery once it was able to come up for air.
  
  It didn’t take long before it started to open up, never breaking stride once it got going, but never fully blossoming either at this stage. Still maintained quite a bit of grip, but did so in a purposeful way, studiously releasing some its handle as it worked its way along the palate, allowing the fruit to open up some more, bit by bit. Finished slow, but fairly long, continuing to latch on to the back end with its mindful clenching of the core.
  
  There were indeed some similarities between the MACDONALD and the Cliff Lede, primarily in the overall profiles related to scaffolding. However, the MACDONALD was no joke when it came to its next-level flavor complexity and perfect structure intensity. The MACDONALD showed a bit more pick-me-up, especially on the tail.
  
  Ideally, hold the CL for another 3-5+ years.

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