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Coat of Many Colors
And we're off!
In viticulture, veraison is the onset of the ripening of the grapes. The official definition of veraison is "change of color of the grape berries".
Adams Ranch Vineyard, Lake Block Grenache in Veraison. 
Aug 4, 2021 at 11:11 AM
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Hey Nineteen Revisited
Hello Readers,
It's been a minute since the last update, but that is not due to a lack of activity up here on the ranch or in the cellar. The remaining 2019 Ledge wines are in bottle and we couldn't be happier with them. These 3 new wines are complex, elegant, inky and unique from one another, representing the magical terroir where they were farmed. The 2019 Bien Nacido is 100% Estrella Clone Syrah, The Adams Ranch is Syrah, Grenache and Roussanne and the MCA Cuvée is a blend Syrah, Grenache, Mourvédre and Roussanne from the Adams Ranch, Bien Nacido and the magnificent James Berry Vineyard.
In farming news at the Adams Ranch, we are adding to our holdings of Cinsaut, a grape that seems to rival Grenache for it's happiness here, with fluffy, vibrant canopy and gorgeous fruit sets. We have also added to our blocks of Syrah, Counoise and Roussanne, while the Grenache continues to flourish. Finally, we are adding fresh blocks of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Clairette Blanche, intended for our first Estate white wine. More updates and photos to come.
The online shop is open, and as always, feel free to call, text or email with any questions.
We hope you are enjoying your summer!
Jul 28, 2021 at 11:11 AM
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Set, Hut!
Hello Folks,
Well, the vines have finished flowering and the baby clusters seem to have set nicely. We are looking forward to watching the fruit mature. We are in the process of prepping a new block for planting. Stay tuned for those photos.
-Mark
Grenache from "The Fin" - Adams Ranch Vineyard
Cinsaut - Adams Ranch Vineyard
Syrah from "Lower Ledge" - Adams Ranch Vineyard
Roussanne - from "The Lake" - Adams Ranch Vineyard
Jun 23, 2021 at 11:11 PM
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Tell it to the Trees
Salutations,
Ciera and I aren't sure when it happened, and these photos really don't do them justice, but the Grenache in "The Fin" are more like trees than vines. Blink your eyes and they're all grown up.
Welcome to the Adams Ranch. The entrance to our family estate.
I should have shown a banana for scale, but this trunk is a whole bunch of bananas wide.
Next week we will show you the fruit sets. Lots of goodness under these canopies. Grateful!
Live music is coming back. Our band played the Sensorio art installation last week here in Paso Robles. It was a blast. Thanks for being vigilant out there. We all want to be together again.
More next week.
The wine shop is open. Click the menu tab up in the right hand corner.
My cell number is on the bottle.
Reach out.
Talk to ya later.
MCA
Jun 16, 2021 at 11:11 PM
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Nursery Rhymes
The Adams Ranch Nursery - Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut and Roussanne.
Greetings,
June has been pretty gloomy thus far, with lots of fog and chilly temperatures, especially in the mornings and evenings. As we ease into the summer months we are preparing to plant Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsaut, Counoise and Roussanne into our "Upper Ledge" block, which you can see to the left of the nursery above. While one of our oldest blocks, it was also a prime candidate for replanting due to the fact that it had lost a great many vines to sprawling weeds, a lack of water and the dreaded gophers over the last 16 years. When we planted this vineyard in 2005 I did not have the luxury of farming full time. Ciera and I both were making regular sojourns back to Los Angeles to work jobs that allowed us to keep the vineyard dream alive. When we were back on the ranch during the week I found myself at my day job here, working in the cellar at Saxum at the James Berry Vineyard. As a result of this struggle we lost a great many vines. Now that we are on the ranch full-time, our vineyard is rapidly transformong into the farm we had envisioned in the beginning. The nursery vines you see above will be transported into vacant vine spots that we call "missing teeth" throughout the vineyard. The nursery vines on the outside edge are 2 years old and are quite robust. They will bear fruit in the 2022 season. As for the Upper Ledge, those will be certified nursery vines that will be delivered this summer and given a healthy dose of TLC so that they will produce fruit in the 2023 season.
Thanks for reading.
Bye for now.
Jun 9, 2021 at 11:11 AM
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In the Summertime
Hello Gang,
It's been about a month and a half since this blog was updated and I've been hearing it from friends and family alike. Thanks for caring and please enjoy the brand new photos below. We have been very busy in the vineyard, and my wife Ciera has been absolutely slammed on the administrative side. Her maintenance of the wine club and Ledge business in general can not be overlooked and I am grateful.
Tomorrow I will be headed to the cellar to finalize blends of the 2019 Adams Ranch Vineyard, the 2019 Bien Nacido Estate, the 2019 MCA Cuvèe and the 2020 James Berry Vineyard wines which are all still in barrel. We will bottle the 19s mid-July and the JBV early next year. I willl have our trusty assistant Kacee Fox along for the adventure, a bright young talent currently studying Enology at Cal Poly who not only helps me with all things grapes, but she also assists Ciera with administrative tasks.
Enough jibber-jabber. Please enjoy the sights below.
Thanks for checking in!
MCA
The Fin and Orchard blocks of Grenache, looking east towards Paso Robles.
The Fin (Grenache) looking north towards the Ledge Block (Syrah) and the Lake Block (Grenache and Roussanne).
The Meter by Meter block (Syrah, Counoise and Cinsaut) looking north.
The original Ledge Block (Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre) looking west.
The Lake Block (Grenache and Roussanne) looking north.
Our fallow land currently inhabited by massive swaths of white Lupine, looking south toward our new Cinsaut block and York Mountain.
Our "Ball Field" currently overtaken by Mustard, Vetch, wild grains, white Lupine and several golf balls, looking southwest toward the Ledge.
Some pretty native Sage.
Jun 1, 2021 at 11:11 AM
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Pop Goes the World
Spring time is in swing at the Adams Ranch. While the grasses and clovers are getting thick, we have yet to see the "super bloom" that we are used to, so we are going to hold off on mowing for a few more weeks and will continue to pray for rain.
Here are few photos from today.
Fresh bottling news coming soon!
Apr 14, 2021 at 11:11 AM
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Right About Now
Greetings from the Adams Ranch!
Spring has sprang and while the temperatures are still pretty frigid at night, the days have been almost too nice. We could use some more rain, that's for sure. We are on track to prune the vineyard and collect fresh cuttings this week and will be transplanting last year's nursery vines into our meter-by-meter block.
In wine news, a general heads up. Wine club has been released and now is the time to log into your account and customize your orders.
Now on to fresh flowers!
These purple flowers are called Storkbill Filaree (Erodium botrys) and are native to southern Europe. As adorable as these little fellers are, when they go to seed they make little brown corkscrews that readily cling to flip flops, socks and shoelaces. These and other wildlowers have started popping up and our cover crop is coming in nicely. In the coming weeks we will see all sorts of native and non-native, annual and perennial grasses, flowers, clovers and lugumes carpeted throughout the vineyard.
Mar 22, 2021 at 11:11 AM
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Winterlude
Quick announcement:
Wine allocation emails will be going out soon. Check your inbox (and spam folders, please) for the details.
For those of you in the club, you may start assembling and ordering any time in the wine shop.
Ping us with any questions.
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And now, the news.
In 10 days it will be Spring.
The vines remain asleep but other things are waking up. All of the photos below were taken today, a day that went from a frosty morning to golden sunshine, a hail storm, light rain and back to sunshine.
The pullets desperately wish to stay in their coop, but we are still experiencing freezing temperatures at night and as you will see below, in the daytime too.
Next week we will have a full wine release update. We have an exciting batch of wines to share.
Our sweet doggie Lulu says, "Enjoy the photos!"
Lucinda Williams, aka "Lulu" in her element.
A view of the Adams Ranch Vineyard looking North.
A storm is a'brewing in "The Fin", our Grenache block.
Batten down the hatches! Hail today at the Adams Ranch Vineyard.
Hail in the Fin.
A lovely wild fern.
Fragrant wild mint.
Wild white Yarrow beginning to pop.
Gorgeous wild Peonies on the back 40.
Our pullets are feathering out but they are still peepish.
"Don't bring us back inside, we like it out here!"
An icy "reverse sunset" looking East towards Denner and James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles, California.
Whelp, that's all for now.
Stay tuned for wine club release information.
As always, we appreciate you.
Mark & Ciera Adams
Ledge Vineyards
Mar 11, 2021 at 11:11 AM
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