Cliff Lede Vineyard
The Liquid Arts

The comparison between winemaking and art surely took hold the first time it was realized that two people could make two different tasting wines from the same grapes. It became clear at that point that wine could be a personal expression, just like a painting, sculpture or building. So it seems entirely appropriate to bring visual arts to a place when wine lovers gather to appreciate the liquid arts.

The first important fine art wineries in Napa Valley were Clos Pegase in Calistoga and the Hess Collection up on Mt. Veeder. These were the places that art and wine lovers would go for a sure overdose of artistic stimulation. However, the latest addition to this fusing of wine and art is seen at Cliff Lede Vineyard (pronounced Lay-dee) in the Stag’s Leap District. One of the most exciting new properties in Napa Valley cranking out beautiful Cabernet, Cliff Lede Vineyard was also turned into an art lover’s venue in 2005 when “The Gallery at Cliff Lede Vineyards” was opened.

As it is in nearly every other case of fusing art with wine, the owner of the eponymously named winery has had a long interest in art and art collecting. Cliff Lede, a Canadian, began collecting art in his 20’s before having the success under his belt to open a winery in Napa Valley. The Gallery at Cliff Lede focuses on contemporary art. The same can be said, generally, for the art on display at Clos Pegase Winery and the Hess Collection Winery.

The gallery at Cliff Lede resides in the property’s original winery building. The concrete flooring, plain white walls, natural light and unadorned features makes the setting perfectly compatible with the somewhat unromantic and abstract nature of contemporary art.

Apart from the display of art, the wines of Cliff Lede are among the most exciting produced by the (dare I say) contemporary crop of Napa Valley wineries. The wines are produced in a robust, rich, elegant style with fruit forward and dense fruit characteristics, a style that the Valley’s most celebrated bottlings have been following now for at least a decade. The headliner at Cliff Lede is Cabernet Sauvignon, produced from grapes grown on the property’s estate vineyards that extend from the valley floor up onto the side of the terraced hill. The winery has also embarked on an ambitious appellation-based series of Cabernets produced from the Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Stag’s Leap District and Diamond Mountain appellations.

The new Cliff Lede Vineyards, along with the other art-oriented wineries in Napa Valley, all have one other thing in common: their owners have spent every nickel necessary to create world class wines. There must be a motivation taken from the fine art that hangs on their wineries’ walls.

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