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!

 

 

 

Each week I pick out one wine to highlight as my wine of the week.  This wine may be an outstanding wine, a great value or just something very interesting.

 

 

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

Jon Bonne – “A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind A Revolution in Taste”

Ledge Vineyards is a winery that appeared on my radar over a year ago.  I “met” the owner/winemaker, Mark Adams, via Twitter and after exchanging tweets about wine, he sent me a bottle of his 2009 vintage of this wine to sample.  It was a stunning bottle of wine, I needed more.  Unfortunately, that vintage was sold out.  I quickly joined their mailing list and waited for the upcoming release of the next vintage.  I also let my Twitter followers know this was a winery to check out before it was too late. I know at several of my “friends” signed up.  When the wine was released, I quickly ordered a nice stash of wine.  This vintage is now sold out.  Hopefully I helped play a part in the wine’s popularity.  I’m sure the praise and high scores the wine received from Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator helped, but I found them first.

 

The owner/winemaker is Mark Adams.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for another outstanding Paso Robles winery, Saxum.  The San Francisco Chronicle and Jon Bonné in particular recently named Mark in column called “Winemakers to Watch 2014”.  Click here to read the story.

 

 

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 SantaLuciaMountains 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. We 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.

 

 

 

2010 Ledge Syrah Adams Ranch Vineyard – SRP $55

Ledge Vineyards is the winery owned by the One Time Spaceman, Mark Adams.  I was lucky enough to secure a sample of the 2009 vintage of this wine from Mark.  After two sips of the wine, I immediately joined the mailing list.  After securing my spot on the list, I started telling everyone who would listen to get on the list.  If you didn’t hear or heed my earlier advice, you still have time; the 2011 vintage is still available.

 

For more information, order wine, or to join the mailing list, click here.

 

This wine has 14.5% abv and is sealed with a natural cork and wax coating.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The very inviting nose has blackberries, minerals, smoke, raspberries, eucalyptus, black pepper, violets, roasted herbs, and a touch of dark bittersweet chocolate.  This has medium to full body, moderate ripe tannins and good acidity.  On the palate this is rich and plush with nice layers of fruit, spice and minerals.  The finish is very long with rich fruit, spice, minerals and a floral note seeming to hand on forever.  This is on the young side but already a stunning wine.  This will be a nice one to follow over the next decade, maybe even longer.  (94 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:

 

 

 

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 a sample supplied to me by the winery

 

 

This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of what may be the next big thing to come out of Paso Robles.  I’ve been a big fan of Mark Adams’ wines for a couple years and they are getting better every vintage.  Between this label, One Time Spaceman, and his other label (with his wife) Ledge, he is just one big score from one of the major wine publications from being a rock star.  Well, his music is very good, but in this case, I’m talking about a wine making rock star.  Jump aboard before this is another one of those wines that is unobtainable, ala Saxum, Carlisle, SQN…etc.

 

The One Time Spaceman wines are available mainly via the retail chain, but I highly recommend checking out Ledge and getting in on the mailing list.

 

Check out Ledge at:

http://ledgevineyards.com/index.php

 

 

More information on the One Time Spaceman wines is available at:

http://spacemanvineyards.com

 

 

 

2009 One Time Spaceman Moon Duck – SRP $28.99

 

My comments

The illustrious winemaker/rocker for this is Mark Adams.  This is just one of the many hats worn by Mark.  For those in Paso Robles, he is equally well know for his music.

 

The Moon duck is a blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache blend with a splash of Tempranillo, all from small vineyards in the Paso Robles area.  The wine was aged in 100% oak, 50% new French oak, the remainder in neutral oak barriques.  The alcohol is a very well hidden 15.5%, which surprised me, it doesn’t show any heat nor does it show any overly ripe notes.

 

If you’re into scores, Steve Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar gave the previous vintage 90 points.  The current release of Mark’s 2010 Ledge Syrah Adams Ranch Vineyard just received a stellar 92 score from IWC.  It is my understanding, the 2010 Ledge is in short supply and I’d recommend checking them out at http://ledgevineyards.com/index.php.  I can say this since I put my money where my mouth is by grabbing a 6 pack when it was released.

 

 

Winery Tasting Note (Gotta love it)

This wine is a complex, fruit forward GSM Rhone blend crafted in the style that has made Paso Robles famous.  Aged in both new and neutral French oak this wine is out of this world.  The color of this wine is reminiscent of a Red Giant Star in its last phase.  On the nose it shows explosive Astro Berry, Plasma Spice and Cosmic Flower.  On the palate the bright arrogant fruit is held together perfectly by complex Interstellar Dust and a rich Nebula Core.  One Time Spaceman wines are unique, dramatic and boutique blends from some of the best sites in Paso Robles.  Each one is different, produced in small lots and represents an opportunity to try cult wines without the cult wine price.  Get it now before it is gone!  Appellation: Paso Robles  Production: 644 cases

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very inviting nose features blackberries, dark chocolate, fresh ground espresso, earthy underbrush, baking spices, cherries and dried herbs.  This has medium to full body, solid, ripe tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate the wine shows spicy, earthy fruit up front with dried herbs, chocolate, and espresso in the background adding considerable depth.  The finish is fairly long with dark chocolate and espresso melding nicely with the spicy berries.  This is still very young and some cellar time will be greatly rewarded.  (92 pts)

 

 

You have to love the fact the wine is 100% Dolphin Safe:

 

 

 

It may not be Rosé weather right now in a lot of the country, but I have had several bottles of the 2011 One Time Spaceman MCA Rosé and it was a very nice fruity wine.  There are a couple reviews of the wine in other postings here.

 

 

An example of some of Mark’s music:

http://www.markadamsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/1.-Bus-Argument-final1.mp3

 

 

More music selections and additional information available at:

http://www.markadamsusa.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!

 

 

2008 One Time Spaceman Moon Duck – $22.79

This is a personal favorite.  This is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10% Tempranillo from Paso Robles.  The winemaker is Mark Adams, also the winemaker at Ledge and assistant winemaker at Saxum.

 

This was pretty much pop and pour.  The wine is a deep, dark, ruby to purple color.  This has an outstanding and expressive nose full of blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, licorice, cherries, underbrush, dark chocolate, and some nice earthiness.  The wine is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity.  There is nice fruit and spice up front on the palate with layers of additional fruit and savory notes adding tons of depth.  There is a very nice, long, lingering finish full of fruit, spice, and earthy notes.  This is still very young and will reward additional cellar time.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Core Hard Core – $19.15

Core has been a favorite winery in my house for several years.  I used to be able to stock up on trips to Sam’s or Binny’s when I went to Chicago.  I no longer make that trip, so I get by on a few bottles here and there since it doesn’t make it to Wisconsin.

 

This is a blend of 37% Mourvedre, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah, 4% Grenache from Santa BarbaraCounty on California’s CentralCoast.  I’ve been wanting to try this wine for a while, Jeb Dunnuck from The Rhone Report loved the wine (92+ pts) and JL from WS trashed it (82 pts), my palate generally more closely aligns with Jeb’s, so I have no fear in opening this bottle.

 

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby color.  The captivating nose has black cherry, smoked meat, black pepper, cassis, vanilla, dark chocolate, fresh ground espresso, dried herbs, and a touch of earthiness and cedar.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine is rich and spicy on the palate with layers of flavors popping in, including nice dark chocolate and espresso grounds elements.  A fairly long finish full of fruit and dark chocolate with some nice, spicy oak and earthiness adding to the enjoyment.  An outstanding effort that will reward additional cellar time.  (93 pts)

 

 

One oddity was that the label says 2007, but the cork is branded with 2008.

 

 

 

 

 2011 One Time Spaceman MCA Rosé – $15.21

Since it was only a couple weeks ago, I’m copying my post from my August 13 – August 16 blog which is still 100% applicable.

 

I’ve had this a couple times and it’s a very nice, easy drinking, fruity Rosé.  It is a bit softer and shows a touch of sweetness.  This is a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend from Paso Robles.  The winemaker, Mark Adams, is a rising star in my opinion.  Besides the One Time Spaceman label, he has another label called Ledge.  I recommend doing a Google search for them and joining the mailing list.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for a small Paso Robles winery you may have heard of, Saxum.  In his spare time, he is also a musician.  Check out his latest offering, Panjanatan, I know it’s available on Amazon, probably other places as well.

 

The wine is a bright salmon color.  This has watermelon, strawberries, white peaches, white pepper, and a touch of earthiness on the soft and pleasing nose.  This is light to medium body with nice acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  On the palate the wine is full of sweet, juicy red fruit with some citrus kicking in on the backend.  This is a nice, easy drinking Rosé, perfect for a casual dinner on the deck or patio or to sip on a hot day.  (89pts)

 

 

 

2007 Turley Zinfandel Tofanelli Vineyard – $34.00

Smoking up some ribs and hot links for dinner, so a big zinfandel was in order.  I had a hard time selecting between a Turley and one from Carlisle.  It’s been a while since I had a Turley, so it won.  As you can see from the bottle, the Turley fought getting plucked from the wine cellar, but I won.  Actually the scrape comes from the slightly too tight a fit in my wine cellar racking system.  It’s not a big deal to me since I buy my wine to drink, not to resell.

 

I generally like the Turley zins from Tofanelli Vineyard.  They usually show nice minerality and loads of pepper and spice.  The Tofanelli Vineyard is in about 26 acres on Dunaweal Lane, 1 mile south of Calistoga, in the NapaValley.

 

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  There are brambly berries, cherries, minerals, fresh ground black pepper, dark chocolate, ground dark espresso coffee beans, and a touch of earthiness on the very inviting nose.  This is medium to full body with nice, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice spicy, peppery, fruit on the palate with some dark chocolate and minerals coming in on the back end.  A fairly long finish which highlights the dark chocolate and briary fruit.  This is in a prime drinking window right now, but should hold for a couple of years.  Delicious!  (93 pts)

 

I smoked some ribs for our Sunday dinner.  Dinner was glorious with the ribs, hot links, and my wife’s macaroni salad.

 

Here’s the rack of ribs with the dry rub:

 

I wrapped these in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator over night.  This allows the seasoning to be absorbed into the meat.

 

Here’s a picture of the meat platter for dinner:

 

The wine was a perfect pairing with the meat.  Both had nice spice and the tannins had softened in the wine enough to cut through the juicy meat but not clash with the spicy rub I use.

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic NapaValley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

Villa Creek Vineyards

Ordering a case from Villa Creek is always a no-brainer decision for me.  Generally, the hard part is trying to keep my order between a case and a case and a half.  This release had two of my favorite wines from Villa Creek, The Avenger and Mas de Maha.  These are both nice blends from Paso Robles.

 

The Avenger is a blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, and the Mas de Maha is a blend of 50% Tempranillo, 25% Grenache, 25% Carignan.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

Nice Wine Stuff

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

 

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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!