Lone Madrone Tasting Room
Winemaker Neil Collins, strongly-and rightly believes that to
produce rare wines, one must start with exceptional grapes. Exercising
meticulous care to plot and mould his vineyard from 1996, with the help of his
sister, Jackie Meisinger, what they have accomplished is nothing short of
remarkable. The Lone Madrone started with a vision to make wines that showed
the "incomparable terroir of west Paso Robles". In the twelve years
that followed, they have done just that and a whole lot more.
His wines are made from grapes either sourced from carefully
selected vineyards or their own. He steadfastly believes in letting the
outrageous soils and his unique style that includes fermenting with native
yeasts and malolactic bacteria lead the way. All Lone Madrone wines are then
carefully watched over as they age in neutral oak barrels.
The winery is perched on a hill flanked by mountains and the
west side sea. Limestone rich soils offer good drainage for the head trained
vines. You can experience his touch on the rare limited release single varietal
wines and appreciate the wisdom he has gained from years spent tasting and
blending.
Each wine, like the Lone Madrone Grenache 2016 (we put in our Wine Club) is
carefully balanced with good structure and not shy about its elegance. Here, in
the Californian sun, Italian, Bordeaux and Rhône varietals have found a new
home. Expertly trained in the vineyard in traditional European methods to show
off a craft that Neil took 21 years to learn.
Trained as a French chef in Bristol, he has worked for
vineyards owned by Château Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-pape, France and Paso
Robles (Tablas Creek). He cut his teeth as a winemaker at the Wild Horse Winery
before moving to Adeliada.
Your tour with the WineWrangler will see you sample his wine creations and quite surprisingly, Cider.
Enjoy on-the-tap Black Beard, Green Fairy and Brigstock lead by knowledgeable
staff.
Comments
Post a Comment