Cliff Lede grew up around his mother's home winemaking in Alberta and built Ledcor Construction, the family business, into one of Canada's largest construction firms before a Napa business trip redirected him entirely. An avid Bordeaux collector, he'd considered buying in France, but in 2002 he instead bought 60 acres in the Stags Leap District — the former S. Anderson sparkling wine estate — and hired viticulturist David Abreu to replant it. Tracking dozens of distinct soil types and clones by clipboard proved unworkable, so Lede named every vineyard block after a favorite rock song or album instead, creating the "Rock Blocks" system still used today; the tasting room plays classic rock rather than the genteel background music typical of the valley, and original art from musicians like Bernie Taupin and Grace Slick hangs in the "Back Stage" lounge. The estate has since grown to roughly 160 acres across Stags Leap, Calistoga and Carneros, with the flagship Poetry Cabernet earning multiple 100-point scores, including from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate across three vintages.