Lede Family Wines showcases two wine brands: Cliff Lede Vineyards and FEL Wines. Cliff Lede is based in Napa Valley in the Stags Leap district, where as FEL Wines is located in Anderson Valley. I had the pleasure of having lunch with Remi Cohen, Chief Opperating Officer of Lede Family Wines. We enjoyed a selection of wines from both wineries and paired them with delicious seafood dishes at Aquagrill in NYC!

Cliff Lede is the driving force of the company that holds true to old world winemaking traditions, while also bringing spark and youth from the new world. He founded the winery in 2002 and has a talent for recognizing talent. He believes bringing in experts to do what they do best is how the best wines are produced, and this creates an incredible team. The wines absolutely showcase the care and craft that goes into them, and I really enjoyed each and every one in the tasting.

We started with a massive seafood tower piled high with shrimp, clams, oysters, lobster, and crab! This made it a very easy pairing with the 2017 Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc. This is a wine with a lot of citrus aromas, key lime, and floral notes. On the palate its vibrant with hints of coconut, honeyed fruit, and basil. This is a refreshing wine that is great for a warm spring day and or an outdoor barbecue. Alongside the Sauvignon Blanc was the 2016 FEL Chardonnay which is a blend of heritage and Dijon clones. It’s a fresh wine with lemon, pineapple, and new oak notes that make it a very playful wine. It’s bright and fruit forward with nice mouthwatering acidity which makes it a great seafood and or fried fish wine!

After the massive seafood tower, it was time for lunch entrees and some reds! I love California wines, and how versatile they pair with foods. I decided to try the Crab Cake Sandwich on housemade Ciabatta. It paired nicely with the 2016 FEL Pinot Noir which is 100% Pinot Noir and has a rich aromatic nose. It’s loaded with black cherry and pomegranate with fresh acidity, and flavors of strawberry, plum, and spice. It’s a great example of a cool climate Pinot noir, and is one you can bring to a gathering!

Alongside the Pinot Noir were a few other wines including the 2016 FEL Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2015 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2015 Moon Fantasy. The 2016 FEL is bold and darker compared to the other FEL PN from Anderson Valley. This wine from Savoy Vinyard is located in the ”deep end” of the valley and contributes to the elegant flavors and silky tannins in the wine.

The 2015 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from their famed Poetry Vineyard as well as a few neighboring vineyards. The wine is made from the best blocks, and represents the wide range of diversity of the vineyards. This vintage shows concentration and depth in the wine with nice black slate, jasmine, and warm fruit aromas. The palate is long lasting and luxurious with black fruit flavors and nice spice. Overall this is a great wine!

The 2015 Moon Fantasy is a wine that the estate vineyards are named after Cliff’s favorite rock songs and albums. This wine was inspired by Cliff’s dream to produce a Bordeaux style wine in Napa Valley and this wine just that. The blocks add in diversity, luxurious flavors, and different notes including perfume, plum, spice, and dark fruits. The finish is nice and long on this wine, which is great for a nice occasion, with a price at $110.

The wines from Lede Family Vineyards are all very approachable and range from $25-85.00. If you happen to find yourself in Napa Valley, you can stay at their sister property, Poetry Inn which is a five room, small luxury hotel perched above their Poetry Vineyard! Sounds like a dream come true right? Well, luckily you can take a trip to wine country and find yourself world-class hospitality and amazing views at the Poetry Inn!