This is based on samples provided by the winery or organization acting on their behalf.

 

 

2012 Ledge California Soul (Mother Hips) White

2012 Ledge Catacombs White

 

 

 

About the winery:

The Adams Ranch is in the Willow Creek region on the west side of Paso Robles and rests on a plateau with the Santa Lucia Mountains as a backdrop, with a steep drop to Vineyard Drive in the foreground.  The vineyard is almost entirely Syrah, with some Grenache and Mourvedre peppered in.  They expand every year at a snail’s pace, with 25 dry farmed acres as the ultimate goal.  The vines are own rooted and reared in the home nursery after pruning each year.  Once established, the vines are dry farmed, field-blended and co-fermented using only native yeasts and are aged in neutral oak barrels.

 

The winery’s site and mailing list sign up is available by clicking here.

 

If desired, you can order wine directly from the winery or just check out their current releases by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

About the winemaker:

Mark Adams – Paso Robles musician and Winemaker

Mark is mister do-it-all, farmer, winemaker, musician, husband, father and formerly a sound effects editor for Sony.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for the renowned Saxum Winery with his childhood pal, Justin Smith.

 

“Adams offers a bridge between Paso’s lavish ways and a more cerebral effort”

Jon Bonné – THE NEW CALIFORNIA WINE – A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind A Revolution in Taste

 

 

Much more information about Mark, both wine/beer and music related is available here.  I highly recommend giving a listen to some of Mark’s music available on this site.

 

There is an outstanding over view of Mark on the San Francisco Chronicle’s site in a story titled “Winemakers to Watch 2014: Mixing tradition and pioneering spirit by Jon Bonné.  The story is available here.

 

 

 

About the wines:

I received several bottles of wines to sample.  There were three different “labels”, California Soul (Mother Hips), Catacombs and Kazoo.  The first two labels included a white, red and rosé each.  Instead of trying to sample all seven wines at once I had to choose between sampling based on label or style.  I opted to sample the wines by style.  This post will cover the white wines.  I had previously posted about the red and rosé wines.

 

These wines may be available at your local wine store; I know my local store carries both of these wines.  If not these wines are available on the Ledge website by clicking here.

 

Here is the line up for this tasting:

 

 

 

2012 Ledge California Soul (Mother Hips) White – SRP $20

The Mother Hips is a rock band that is known for a style of west coast music that came to be referred to as California Soul.  Upon their 20^th anniversary, Ledge paid tribute to them by blending 60 cases of wine, which to our surprise sold out in a few weeks.  This was never intended to be a “lasting” label, but the brand and the wines continue to attract new fans every day.  They expanded the line to include white and rose wines in addition to the red blends.

 

This is a blend of Viognier and Marsanne.  This vintage uses grapes sourced from west Paso Robles, but is designed to eventually be sourced from all over California.

 

This wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright golden straw color.  The open and inviting nose has honeysuckle, green apples, stony minerals, pineapple, orange blossoms and lime zest.  This has medium body with decent acidity and a touch of residual sweetness.  On the palate ripe, juicy apples and minerals pop out first with pineapple and a floral note coming in later.  The finish has decent length with tart lime zest entering the picture.  The lingering sweetness would make this a hit at a friendly gathering.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Ledge Catacombs White – SRP $25

The concept of Ledge Catacombs is simply that it is farmed in close proximity to the family estate. The vines are sustainably farmed and offer us some insight with regard to our planting decisions at the Adams Ranch.  This wine is a blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

 

The wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright straw to yellow color.  The inviting nose has apples, white peaches, flinty minerals, lime zest and orange blossoms.  This has medium body with an oily texture and good acidity.  On the palate apples, minerals and peach hit up front with citrus and a floral note coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with just a hint of sweetness ading a touch or richness.  This is very easy to sip on its own but would also pair nicely with food.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

This is based on samples provided by the winery or organization acting on their behalf.

 

 

2011 Kazoo Wine Company

2011 Ledge California Soul (Mother Hips)

2011 Ledge Catacombs

 

 

 

About the winery:

The Adams Ranch is in the Willow Creek region on the west side of Paso Robles and rests on a plateau with the Santa Lucia Mountains as a backdrop, with a steep drop to Vineyard Drive in the foreground.  The vineyard is almost entirely Syrah, with some Grenache and Mourvedre peppered in.  They expand every year at a snail’s pace, with 25 dry farmed acres as the ultimate goal.  The vines are own rooted and reared in the home nursery after pruning each year.  Once established, the vines are dry farmed, field-blended and co-fermented using only native yeasts and are aged in neutral oak barrels.

 

The winery’s site and mailing list sign up is available by clicking here.

 

If desired, you can order wine directly from the winery or just check out their current releases by clicking here.

 

 

 

About the winemaker:

Mark Adams – Paso Robles musician and Winemaker

Mark is mister do-it-all, farmer, winemaker, musician, husband, father and formerly a sound effects editor for Sony.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for the renowned Saxum Winery with his childhood pal, Justin Smith.

 

“Adams offers a bridge between Paso’s lavish ways and a more cerebral effort”

Jon Bonné – THE NEW CALIFORNIA WINE – A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind A Revolution in Taste

 

 

Much more information about Mark, both wine/beer and music related is available here.  I highly recommend giving a listen to some of Mark’s music available on this site.

 

There is an outstanding over view of Mark on the San Francisco Chronicle’s site in a story titled “Winemakers to Watch 2014: Mixing tradition and pioneering spirit by Jon Bonné.  The story is available here.

 

About the wines:

I received several bottles of wines to sample.  There were three different “labels”, California Soul (Mother Hips), Catacombs and Kazoo.  The first two labels included a white, a red and a rosé each.  Instead of trying to sample all seven wines at once I had to choose between sampling based on label or style.  I opted to sample the wines by style.  A couple weeks ago, I posted my write up of rosé wines.  This post will cover the Red wines.  A later post will cover the whites.

 

These wines may be available at your local wine store; I know my local store carries both of these wines.

 

Here is the line up for this tasting:

 

 

 

2011 Kazoo Wine Company – SRP $25

We created this label as a fun, gentle poke at pretentious wine labels. It features the Historical Paso Robles Inn (pre fire) as a French chateau, with our dogs (Sid Vicious and Lucinda Williams) as gargoyles next to a coat of arms. The wine is proudly labeled “PRODUCT OF CALIFORNIA” and features a golden Kazoo at the center of the coat of arms. We are experimenting with style here, producing first a blend of Syrah and Merlot, and followed up by a 100% Carignane, neither of which are common blends.

 

This wine is a blend of Merlot 50% and Syrah 50%.

 

The sometimes vegetal Bordeaux characteristics of the Merlot are present in the nose of this wine but are softened and lifted by the Syrah. They play really nicely together and at only 14.2% alcohol, this wine shows great weight and complexity without the flab. This was aged 20 months in new and neutral French oak.

 

This has 14.2% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark ruby to maroon color.  The very inviting nose has blackberries, white pepper, roasted herbs, dusty minerals, black cherries, licorice and baking spices.  This has medium body, soft to moderate ripe tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the juicy ripe berries, cherries and white pepper jump out first with a nice roasted herb element and minerals coming through later.  The finish has nice length with the fruit and roasted herbs carrying the load.  This is an easy drinking and tasty unusual blend from Paso Robles.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Ledge California Soul (Mother Hips) Red – SRP $25

The Mother Hips is a rock band that is known for a style of west coast music that came to be referred to as California Soul.  Upon their 20^th anniversary, Ledge paid tribute to them by blending 60 cases of wine, which to our surprise sold out in a few weeks.  This was never intended to be a “lasting” label, but the brand and the wines continue to attract new fans every day.  They expanded the line to include white and rose wines in addition to the red blends.

 

This has 15% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

This wine is a blend of Tempranillo 45%, Zinfandel 30%, Syrah 20% and Cinsault 5%.

 

This was aged 18 months in new and neutral French oak.  Tempranillo performs remarkably well in Paso Robles, it reaches optimum ripeness and is extremely fruit forward compared to most Spanish Tempranillo wines.  This was blended at the same time we blended Catacombs, only this wine was never intended to contain Syrah.  The syrah added some tannin and spice that cut through the lusciousness of the Zin and gives the wine extra length and complexity.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The very nice nose has cherries, brambly berries, dusty minerals, black pepper, bittersweet chocolate and roasted herbs.  This has a full body, moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the berries, cherries and pepper grab hold first, slowly allowing some roasted herbs and minerals to slip into the picture.  The finish has nice length with spices and dark chocolate adding additional depth.  A very unusual and unique blend that works.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Ledge Catacombs Red – SRP $35

The concept of Ledge Catacombs is simply that it is farmed in close proximity to the family estate. The vines are sustainably farmed and offer us some insight with regard to our planting decisions at the Adams Ranch.

 

This wine is a blend of Grenache 40%, Syrah 30%, Mourvedre 20%, Counoise 7% and Zinfandel 3%.

 

This wine was aged 18 months in new and neutral French oak.  This is primarily Grenache, and weighs in at 15.5% alcohol.  This was initially drawn up as a Rhone-only blend, but test blends finally led to the inclusion of a small percentage of Zinfandel, which ties the whole room together.  This one drinks well into day three of being opened.

 

This has 15.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The stunning nose has black cherries, licorice, warm baking spices, blackberries, dried herbs, earthy underbrush, dried flowers and dark bittersweet chocolate.  This has a full body with solid tannins and decent acidity.  The juicy, ripe fruit and chocolate coat the palate with spices and dried herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with an earthy edge and spices carrying the load.  This is a touch over bearing and could use a jolt of acidity to help keep it from getting too plodding.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2013 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Snooth

WINES THAT RANG OUR BELL IN MARCH 2014 – Our Favorite Wine Writers Share Their Picks – White wines for spring.

http://www.snooth.com/articles/wines-that-rang-our-bell-in-february-2014-5296/?viewall=1#ixzz2z411esZO

 

Snooth

WINES WE’VE LOVED!  Our Favorite Wine Writers Share Their Picks

http://www.snooth.com/articles/wines-we-yve-loved/?viewall=1#ixzz2yOsinkhN

 

Snooth

OUR FAVORITE REDS FOR SPRING – The Wine Cognoscenti Recommend

http://www.snooth.com/articles/our-favorite-reds-for-spring/?viewall=1#ixzz2xkH0dfSj

 

Snooth

WHAT’S A GREAT GRENACHE? – Our Friendly Wine Experts Share Their Favorites!

http://www.snooth.com/articles/what-ys-a-great-grenache-5209/

 

Snooth

SPRING TIME IS FOR PAIRING – Our Favorite Wine Writers Share Their Picks

http://www.snooth.com/articles/spring-time-is-for-pairing/

 

Balzac

Balzac Communications & Marketing – News & Views

http://balzaccommunications.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/y/948F113D27729D90/DF475947E7F379DE2A1BF84ACBDD178B

 

Snooth

WHAT WE’VE BEEN DRINKING – News and Reviews from Around the Blogosphere

http://www.snooth.com/articles/what-we-yve-been-drinking/?viewall=1#ixzz2vy4idw7a

 

Snooth

WINES THAT RANG OUR BELL IN FEBRUARY 2014 – Our Favorite Wine Writers Share Their Picks

http://www.snooth.com/articles/wines-that-rang-our-bell-in-february-2014/?viewall=1#ixzz2vy4DCh5L

 

Crave Local

California Wine Reviews: Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyard

http://www.cravelocal.com/all-favorites/california-wine-reviews-cline-cellars-and-jacuzzi-family-vineyard/

 

Crave Local

Sample Boutique Wines at Affordable Prices with Tastingroom.com

http://www.cravelocal.com/all-favorites/sample-boutique-wines-at-affordable-prices-with-tastingroom-com/

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

This is based on samples provided by the winery or organization acting on their behalf.

 

 

2012 Ledge California Soul (Mother Hips) Rosé

2012 Ledge Catacombs Rosé

 

 

 

About the winery:

The Adams Ranch is in the Willow Creek region on the west side of Paso Robles and rests on a plateau with the Santa Lucia Mountains as a backdrop, with a steep drop to Vineyard Drive in the foreground.  The vineyard is almost entirely Syrah, with some Grenache and Mourvedre peppered in.  They expand every year at a snail’s pace, with 25 dry farmed acres as the ultimate goal.  The vines are own rooted and reared in the home nursery after pruning each year.  Once established, the vines are dry farmed, field-blended and co-fermented using only native yeasts and are aged in neutral oak barrels.

 

The winery’s site and mailing list sign up is available by clicking here.

 

If desired, you can order wine directly from the winery or just check out their current releases by clicking here.

 

 

 

About the winemaker:

Mark Adams – Paso Robles musician and Winemaker

Mark is mister do-it-all, farmer, winemaker, musician, husband, father and formerly a sound effects editor for Sony.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for the renowned Saxum Winery with his childhood pal, Justin Smith.

 

“Adams offers a bridge between Paso’s lavish ways and a more cerebral effort”

Jon Bonné – THE NEW CALIFORNIA WINE – A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind A Revolution in Taste

 

 

Much more information about Mark, both wine/beer and music related is available here.  I highly recommend giving a listen to some of Mark’s music available on this site.

 

There is an outstanding over view of Mark on the San Francisco Chronicle’s site in a story titled “Winemakers to Watch 2014: Mixing tradition and pioneering spirit by Jon Bonné.  The story is available here.

 

 

 

About the wines:

I received several bottles of wines to sample.  There were three different “labels”, California Soul (Mother Hips), Catacombs and Kazoo.  The first two labels included a white, a red and a rosé each.  Instead of trying to sample all seven wines at once I had to choose between sampling based on label or style.  I opted to sample the wines by style.  This post will cover the Rosé wines.  A later post will cover the whites and another will be coming for the red wines.

 

These wines may be available at your local wine store; I know my local store carries both of these wines.

 

Here is the line up for this evening’s online tasting:

 

 

 

2012 Ledge California Soul (Mother Hips) Rosé – SRP $15

The Mother Hips is a rock band that is known for a style of west coast music that came to be referred to as California Soul.  Upon their 20^th anniversary, Ledge paid tribute to them by blending 60 cases of wine, which to our surprise sold out in a few weeks.  This was never intended to be a “lasting” label, but the brand and the wines continue to attract new fans every day.  They expanded the line to include white and rose wines in addition to the red blends.

 

This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from the James Berry Vineyard, but eventually the grapes will be sourced from select vineyards throughout the state.

 

This wine has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Even though this wine may be listed as sold out, Mark told me he still has a few cases available.  If the website shows sold out, send him an e-mail at wine@ledgevineyards.com and tell him I sent you.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright pink to light red color.  The nose forces you into a spring time mood with bright cherries, strawberries, minerals, spice and some subtle earthiness.  This has a light body with very crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness.  On the palate the red fruits and minerals grab hold, slowly allowing some spice to slip into the picture.  The crisp and clean finish adds a touch of earthiness to the fruit and minerals.  This would rock on a sunny deck or patio.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Ledge Catacombs Rosé – SRP $20

The concept of Ledge Catacombs is simply that it is farmed in close proximity to the family estate. The vines are sustainably farmed and offer us some insight with regard to our planting decisions at the Adams Ranch.

 

This wine is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre.  This comes from the James Berry Vineyard and was pulled from a co-fermented lot that spent 24 hours in a concrete tank. It was slowly fermented in a stainless steel tank over the course of three weeks.

 

This wine has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a pink to salmon color.  The soft and enjoyable nose has cherries, watermelon, spice, white pepper, minerals and strawberries.  This has light to medium body with decent acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  On the palate this is soft and fruity up front with white pepper and minerals.  The finish has nice length with some spice joining the party.  This would be easy to sip on a warm, sunny day with or without a platter of cured meats and cheese.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2013 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Snooth

WHAT’S A GREAT GRENACHE? – Our Friendly Wine Experts Share Their Favorites!

http://www.snooth.com/articles/what-ys-a-great-grenache-5209/

 

Snooth

SPRING TIME IS FOR PAIRING – Our Favorite Wine Writers Share Their Picks

http://www.snooth.com/articles/spring-time-is-for-pairing/

 

Balzac

Balzac Communications & Marketing – News & Views

http://balzaccommunications.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/y/948F113D27729D90/DF475947E7F379DE2A1BF84ACBDD178B

 

Snooth

WHAT WE’VE BEEN DRINKING – News and Reviews from Around the Blogosphere

http://www.snooth.com/articles/what-we-yve-been-drinking/?viewall=1#ixzz2vy4idw7a

 

Snooth

WINES THAT RANG OUR BELL IN FEBRUARY 2014 – Our Favorite Wine Writers Share Their Picks

http://www.snooth.com/articles/wines-that-rang-our-bell-in-february-2014/?viewall=1#ixzz2vy4DCh5L

 

Crave Local

California Wine Reviews: Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyard

http://www.cravelocal.com/all-favorites/california-wine-reviews-cline-cellars-and-jacuzzi-family-vineyard/

 

Crave Local

Sample Boutique Wines at Affordable Prices with Tastingroom.com

http://www.cravelocal.com/all-favorites/sample-boutique-wines-at-affordable-prices-with-tastingroom-com/

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!