Winemaker Notes
The 2023 Rhythm gushes from the glass with aromas of violets, rich black currants, and blackberries, giving way to nuances of truffle-like loamy soil notes. Those same flavors echo seamlessly across the palate with energetic black fruits, Ancho chile, smoked cardamom, and rose petal notes flitting on the long and sumptuous finish. Lively acids and a fine sense of precision linger long after tasting, making another sip irresistible.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Wow. This offers enticing, rich flavors with firm texture and great balance from fresh acidity and super-fine-grained tannins. For a big, full-bodied wine, it is remarkably elegant, agile and approachable yet needs time to show its full potential. Black cherries, cocoa, minerals, graphite, blackcurrants and spearmint expand on the palate and linger in the finish.
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Vinous
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Rhythm is a gorgeous wine from estate vineyards in Stags Leap. Crème de cassis, pencil shavings, violet, plum, chocolate, menthol, licorice and cloves fill out the layers. This is another dense, full-bodied offering from Cliff Lede and longtime winemaker Chris Tynan. This is very Stags Leap.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Cliff Lede's 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Rhythm shows the remarkable consistency the winery is able to obtain off this section of estate vineyard near the winery. Black cherries and cassis are joined by vaguely herbal elements in this medium- to full-bodied wine. Expansive on the palate without being high in alcohol (it's labeled at 13.6%), it boasts a richly silky texture, ample concentration and plenty of length on the finish.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris.
When a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.
The vineyards in this one-of-a-kind wine growing region receive hot afternoon air reflecting off of its eastern palisade formation. In combination with the cool evening breezes from the San Pablo Bay just south, this becomes an optimal environment for grape growing. While many varieties could thrive here, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate with virtually no others, save for a spot or two of Syrah.
Stags Leap soils—eroded volcanic and old river sediments—encourage well established root systems and result in complex, terroir-driven wines. Stags Leap District reds have a distinct sour cherry and black berry character with baking spice and dried earth aromas, and supple tannins.