This Napa Winery Offers an Unique Rock Experience

Cliff Lede Vineyards

The Summer of Love extends well into autumn in Napa. You can sip your wine and rock and roll, too, at Cliff Lede Vineyards, where a distinctive music theme runs through the vineyards (literally). The 60-acre estate in the Stags Leap District of Napa is home to Canadian-born Cliff Lede, who purchased the property in 2002 and has since established a renowned winery producing his bottlings from estate vineyards. An admitted Bordeaux enthusiast, Lede is also a classic-rock aficionado, so he replanted the vineyards to keep track of soil and exposure differences by organizing them into “rock blocks,” named after his favorite songs such as “Stairway to Heaven” and “Dark Side of the Moon.” The music motif spills into the tasting rooms, where tunes from the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Beatles waft through the bar and out onto the veranda. Sip winemaker Christopher Tynan’s crafted cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc and the flagship Poetry cabernet sauvignon on the veranda, or go all out and host a private party in the glam Backstage Tasting Lounge, where portraits of rock icons such as Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and Jim Morrison adorn the walls.

This article originally appeared in Marin Magazine’s print edition with the headline: “Rock Vines”.


Lynda Balslev

Lynda Balslev is an award-winning food writer, editor and recipe developer based in the San Francisco Bay area. She authors the nationally syndicated column and blog TasteFood, and co-authored the cookbook Almonds: Recipes, History, Culture (2015 Silver Medal Winner Independent Publisher Awards). She is the 2011 recipient of the Chronicle Books Award (Recipe Writing) to the Symposium for Professional Food Writers, and a 2018 Fellowship Award recipient to the Symposium for Wine Writers at Meadowood, Napa Valley. Lynda’s writing and photography have been recognized by the New York Times Diners Journal, the Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post and more.