Two Rosé Wines from Ledge Vineyards
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:
Ledge Rose Line up
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 20th 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 California Soul (Mother Hips) Rosé
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)
2012 Ledge Catacombs Rosé
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Cheers!
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Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:
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http://www.snooth.com/articles/what-ys-a-great-grenache-5209/
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http://www.snooth.com/articles/spring-time-is-for-pairing/
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Balzac Communications & Marketing – News & Views
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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
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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
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Sample Boutique Wines at Affordable Prices with Tastingroom.com
Remember to support your local wine store!
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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!
March 25, 2014
Cliff
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