Jay Kline

9.4

Opened and decanted hours prior to dinner; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 1989 appears a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of tart, ripe, and dried fruits: cassis, blackberries, black cherry, black plum, tobacco, Poblano pepper, mixed dried flowers, some cocoa, pencil shavings, dried green herbs, a touch of leather, some organic and gravelly earth and fine warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Fabulous stuff with plenty of fuel left in the tank. Drink now through 2039. — 7 months ago

Atticus Honore

9.4

This is bizarre but excellent, very dry, traditional out of a unique varietal — 3 years ago

with Hallie

Severn G

9.2

Incredibly consistent, 2018 notes fully apply. We love this wine, so fresh, so fun, so inexpensive via the Wine Club.

Nose has warmed green apple, lemon-lime seltzer, stainless steel and dry sandstone.

Palate has dried apple chips, frozen peach, tart green apple flesh with light sweetness and a dry finish.

Manually carbonated via soapstone bubbler in a pressure tank. — 4 years ago

Cathy Levy

9.3

Very nice — 9 months ago

Dave Schneider

9.2

Beautiful wine I had last night. Still has a few more years left in the tank. Seamless with no hard edges. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Deep Violet color with aromas of dark fruit, licorice, floral and earthy herbs, non-oaked aged from dry-farmed vineyard planted entirely to Tempranillo at high elevation, tank fermented and bottled without fining, filtration or SO2. On the palate flavors of ripe blackberry, licorice, earthy herbs and tobacco notes. Drying fine tannins, medium finish ending with earthy notes. Drink now! — 3 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.7

On my fourth experiment with this winery for 2019-20. This is my favorite so far, other vineyards were good but a little sweet. This has perfect balance at this early stage
Parker 96 review as follows.

The 2020 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec is clear, pure, subtle, deep and fresh, with highly refined chalky/sandy lemon aromas. Rich and intense yet silky textured and refined on the concentrated palate, this is a juicy, highly elegant, perfectly balanced, persistently salty and mouth-salivating Haut-Lieu with very fine tannins and a long, firm and pretty powerful but elegant and complex finish. Still more stringent than the Le Mont Demi-Sec in the beginning, but after aeration, this is not just a greatly finessed Chenin but one of the finest Haut-Lieu's I have tasted from Huet. Tasted as a tank sample in April 2021. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Birthed the year we were married and one of the more stunning producers we learned to embraced.

Love you endlessly Sofia! ❤️

Just picked when we were married & likely still in tank.

I can’t tell you enough how much you need to find a well aged & stored bottle. — a year ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Annual Cliff Lede valentine's dinner in their tank room.  Always a great time with wine, food, live music (plenty of pours on the wine)

WINES:
2015 FEL Brut sparkling
2021 Cliff Lede Marla Blanc(semillon)
2020 FEL Pinot Noir
2019 Cliff Lede High Fidelity cab
2009 Cliff Lede Songbook cab
2019 Cliff Lede Songbook cab

DINNER:
Appetizers of Kumamoto oysters, Maine lobster arancini, goat cheese coquette.
Beet Salad
Potato gnocchi with truffle
Prime beef tenderloin with truffles
Chocolate framboise and red velvet cake — 3 years ago

with Karin and Brenda

Shefali Upton

9.5

Bold and smooth. Just how I like em. — 5 years ago