I could not get over this winery facility. Apparently the owner originally intended it to be his home….wow….but so many people pulled up looking for a winery that he instead decided to make it the home of the tasting room for Ledson Winery. This one was worth a visit just to see the place….I believe our host told us the house is 26,000 square feet….I can’t imagine furnishing a place like that!
Our host at Ledson rocked. He was SO friendly, answered all our questions, and pretty much let us taste everything he had open, including a bunch of wines not on the menu. We stopped in with Russ after our hike to taste a little wine and spend some time sitting at one of the many picnic tables on the gorgeous grounds. While a family owned winery, Ledson produces about 40K cases of wine per year, owns 60 vineyards in 10 counties, and has 20 acres onsite. With over 70 wines, the selection at Ledson is dizzying. We tried 13 wines, just the tip of the iceberg.
Our friendly host.
2007 Gewurztraminer: $18. Orange blossom, honey, lychee, spice, lime, melon, pear, nice finish, crisp. I really enjoyed this one and we took home a bottle.
2007 Carneros Chardonnay Reserve: $48. Toasty smoke, oak, lemon, popcorn, vanilla, apple, pear, smoke on the finish, oak. NMS.
2005 Mes Trois Amour: $36. Blend of Mourvedre/Grenache. Flowers, chocolate, perfume, smoke, cherry, red currants, red fruit, tobacco, tannic, nice. We took home a bottle.
2005 Russian River Valley “Old Vine” Zinfandel Amy’s Vineyard: $40. Brown sugar, black fruit, candy, spice, pepper, smoke, herbs, red berries, pepper, tannic.
2006 Mourvedre: Funky, smoke, flowers, dusty chocolate, red fruit, tart fruit, acidic, cherry, nice structure.
2007 Mourvedre Barrel Sample: Licorice, bright red fruit, cherry, coconut, dusty chocolate, cream, red cherries, darker than the ’06, earth, big wine, great finish. Loved this one, but sadly, it’s not bottled yet!
2005 Knight’s Valley Bellisimo: $60. Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. Funk, cherry, red fruit, mint, leather, plum, cherry, milk chocolate, blackberries, raspberries, earth, tannic.
2004 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon: $54. Cherry, spice, clove, funk, eucalyptus, dusty, cherry, red berries, chocolate, tobacco, big structure, very tannic.
2005 Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: $75. Floral, licorice, blackberry, chocolate,herbs, plums, blackberries, tannic.
2005 Sonoma County Cépage: $85. Bordeaux style blend. Funky, blackberries, plums, oak, spice, cherry, raspberries, chocolate, pepper, pepper, herbs.
2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: $90. Funk, mint, chocolate, blackberries, herbs, sage, cherries, leather, bright cherry, plum.
2005 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Reserve: $52. Chocolate syrup, pepper, cedar, blackberry ,red fruit, chocolate, earth, spice, smooth, really well done, red berries, violets, floral, pomegrante, brown sugar. One of the best Zins I’ve tasted in a while. We bought two, one for us and one for Russ!
2007 Orange Muscat: $18. Orange, spice, apricot, honey, white pepper, tangerines, sweet oranges, fairly dry, light. Matt really like this so we took home a bottle.
Overall, I thought some of the wines were extremely pricey…some were worth it, some I thought were just too high. However, they had a good range of prices and wines and it was definitely a fun visit. I could have gawked at the grounds and the house for quite some time. We had fun in the shop too, purchasing some tasty olive oils, chocolate sauces, and vinegars. If you want to eat on the grounds, they sell all kinds of foods, cheeses, breads, spreads, salads, etc., and will prep a lunch box for you to have a picnic with, including wine.
Filed under: California, Ledson Winery, Vineyards, Wine, Winehiker, Wineries | 6 Comments »
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