Cliff Lede’s 2023 Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon is an estate, single-vineyard wine from the Poetry Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District. The site is repeatedly described as dramatic: a “steep west-facing hillside” with “shallow volcanic soils atop fractured shale,” planted to “legendary, proprietary heritage selections of Cabernet Sauvignon,” as Decanter notes. Fruit is handled with an exacting house approach—night harvesting, intensive sorting, long macerations, and about 21 months in French oak—aimed at building structure without losing freshness.

Critical reception is notably strong, led by an excellent 99-point review from Lisa Perrotti-Brown at The Wine Palate, who calls the wine “fantastically bright and shimmery,” with “super-intense black fruit and mineral layers… finishing with great freshness and length.” Her note also provides the blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc.

Decanter’s 98-point review also stands out, describing a “super refined and polished” profile with “unsmoked tobacco, ripe cassis, and black cherry,” plus “cool wet slate minerality.” Decanter highlights a “spine of blood orange acidity” and “mineral-laced, superfine” tannins that “build with a crescendo through the long finish,” even pointing to unusual finish accents of “guava and dried mango.”

Other critics reinforce the wine’s combination of power and poise. Vinous (97) emphasizes that “bright acids cut through a core of cool blue-toned fruit,” concluding that it’s “a big wine, but it does not feel at all heavy.” Jeb Dunnuck (97) praises its “pure, focused texture” and longevity, projecting evolution over “25–30 years,” while noting it’s a touch less dense than some older vintages. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rates it 96+ and cites a “lovely suede-like texture” and a “long, mouthwatering” close. James Suckling (96) sums it up as “beautifully polished,” with “rounded and silky” tannins and lingering dark-fruit and spice notes.