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March 27, 2008
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2008-03-27
Winemaker Profile: Cliffe Lede Vineyards
MICHELLE EDWARDS
by Charles Neave
The setting is bucolic, just a few miles from the pristine Wine Country town of Yountville and close to the Silverado Trail, in the famed Stags Leap District. That is where you will find Cliff Lede Vineyards and their talented winemaker, Michelle Edwards. She is a Washington state native who left a path of premed studies at the University of Washington to go into the world of making fine wine.
“I’ve been here since 2004, which was before this new facility was even built,” she says. “So I had the privilege of being part of its design and construction.”
“Michelle was a natural choice for us,” says the proprietor Cliff Lede. “She has terrific energy and a true passion for wine. She provided valuable insights during construction of our new state-of-the-art winery. We couldn’t be happier to have her.”
Today, that ultramodern facility produces, at most, 18,000 cases a year, including their Sauvignon Blanc. The remaining wines all come from the classic Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
As Edwards says, “Being the winemaker at Cliff Lede Vineyards is a dream job on so many levels. It’s a superb property that can be the source of truly world-class wines, and everyone here is dedicated to achieving that. But they’re also casual and relaxed in the midst of it all. There’s no pretension.”
Prior to joining Cliff Lede, Edwards earned a degree in enology and viticulture at UC Davis and worked in Washington State and Australia before settling in Northern California, where she worked at such famed producers as J Vineyards & Winery, Peter Michael and Colgin Cellars.
And what about last year’s harvest? “In 2007 the weather promoted rapid berry growth and development with superb flavors. It was, I hope, a lesson in ‘less is more,’ because it was a very light harvest. But I am hopeful that the impressive quality will make up for the lack of quantity.”
So how does she feel about the switch when she went from medicine to the grape? “I loved discovering the endless complexity of variables involved in making wine. I loved that at any given moment it could be about the vineyard, the soil, the rocks, the birds in the sky, or the barrel and where it came from. And I loved knowing that I’d never know it all and I’d never get bored.”
The Cliff Lede Vineyards tasting room is located at 1473 Yountville Crossroad in Yountville. They are open every day from
10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, their number is 1-800-428-2259 or go to www.cliffledevineyards.com.
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