Ledson Winery & Vineyards
2021 Ledson Winery & Vineyards Cabernet Franc – One of the Best Ever Tasted!
Photo from Ledson Winery
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo from Sonoma County Tourism
The wine comes from one of the smaller districts in Sonoma County AVA, Moon Mountain. Here is a map showing the area which has elevations from 200 feet to 2200 feet. From this vineyard you can see San Francisco some 50 miles away!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2021 Ledson Cabernet Franc, Moon Mountain District, won the 2025 International Cabernet Franc Wine Competition Best of Category ($86- $105) by the People’s Choice Judges and Double Gold medals. They also won Double Gold Medals from the Professional Judges. A rare feat!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine on the eyes was a cavernous deep purple coloring with medium heavy viscosity. The aromas were intensely vivid with blackberries. On the palate, this wine simply “broke out from the herd” with flavors so distinct and desirous of blackberry, raspberry with dark chocolate. The wine was so well balanced with fresh dark fruits and counterbalanced with just a tinge of pyrazines (bell pepper) and vanilla. The finish provided enormous soft and silky tannins. An enormously dense and complex wine. As a wine connoisseur of Cabernet Franc for over 40 years, this is one of the top 20 Cabernet Franc I have experienced! If you want to understand the enormity and essence of Cabernet Franc, this is one of the best to try.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
It was aged 28 months in French oak barrels, with 50% being new. The wine sells for $98/bottle with the alcohol level being 14.9%. A truly special bottle of wine from Ledson Winery & Vineyards with just 231 cases produced. Obviously this wine just made my annual “Best Wines Tasted This Year” for 2025 (comes out each December).
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Dinner with this wine was a tri-tip steak, marinated for ten hours in Chaka sauce and slices of pickled jalapeño peppers. Grilled with the peppers on the top surface. Sliced and served medium rare and garnished with parsley. Accompanied by a Yukon potato with fresh chives with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls in Italian dressing, basil and salt/pepper. First time trying the pickled jalapeño peppers and next time will add the juice to the marinade. A wonderful food and wine pairing with the fruit of the wine surrounding each bite of the meat.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Cabernet Franc works so well with this meat as the wine with its medium body, velvety tannins and acidity standing up to the fattiness of the tri-tip steak. The fruit flavors of the wine along with its earthiness and peppery/herbal notes, synchronize with the savory and smoky flavors of the BBQ’ed meat.
The Winery
Photo from Ledson Winery Website
The story begins in England in 1896 and is detailed on the website https://ledson.com/discover-ledson/history/ . It is a tale of hard work, family ties and a desire to do more for the community. Steve Ledson’s history is both unique and common—unique with background and successful venture and common with family ties. His demeanor and casual manner speak volumes.
The Castle is the official tasting room of Ledson Winery and the architecture and construction alone are worth the visit! Ledson Winery offers the largest premium wine portfolio of any family owned winery in the United States. Today they offer more than 70 wines annually! More information on Ledson Winery can be found at:
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly