2004 Ledson Alexander Valley Merlot

Ledson Winery & Vineyards in Kenwood, Sonoma Valley, was founded in 1989 when Steve Ledson bought property and planted 17 acres of Merlot. Ledson is the founder of a successful construction company, but his family roots are in California agriculture. He spent his youth working on the family’s Sonoma and Napa Valley dairy and orchard properties, and learned to enjoy wine made by neighboring winemakers. Ledson’s first commercial vintage was the 1994 Ledson Estate Merlot. Today the estate also grows grapes on 21 acres on Denmark Road in Sonoma, and on property in Mendocino County and Russian River Valley. Ledson produces some 70 wines annually from as many as 20 appellations. Besides making well-reviewed wines, Ledson Winery is known for the 16,000 square foot “castle” Steve Ledson built on the property. Designed to resemble the Norman gothic castles of northern France, it is a special events location for the winery.

Alexander Valley is an American Viticultural Area just north of Healdsburg, in Sonoma County. It was granted AVA status in 1984, with amendments made in subsequent years. The Russian River flows through the valley, and the region was named for Cyrus Alexander, a 19th century landowner and grape grower. The AVA includes 15,000 vineyard acres, much of it rich, alluvial soil layered on a bed of gravel, somewhat similar to many vineyards in Bordeaux. Alexander Valley is sheltered from marine weather by the low hills northeast of Healdsburg, though it is often shrouded in the morning fog coming off the Russian River. Some of the earliest commercial winemaking in the area started in the 1880s, when immigrants formed the Italian Swiss Colony cooperative at Asti. The region made jug wines until the 1960s and 1970s, when a new wave of quality-minded producers started estates. Today Alexander Valley is home to some of California’s most admired wineries, including Simi, Stonestreet and the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Silver Oak Cellars, though based in Napa Valley, has a second winery in Alexander Valley where it makes Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Many grapes do well in the Alexander Valley, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel.

The Merlot grape is such a deep blue that it is named for the blackbird. It’s an early ripening grape and one of the primary varietals used In Bordeaux. Merlot is also grown in the "International style," which is harvested later to bring out more tannins and body.