I concur that it drinks better with age, but I also thinks it drinks great young.
Hoping Morgan might stop by and give us his unedited preview of the release letter, that always helps with the buying strategy (i.e. it makes me buy more)
The release letter this time around will be a bit more focused on photography than usual. However, here are the wine notes:
2015 Oakville Farmhouse Wine, Oakville
Each time I set foot in this vineyard it brings me joy. Walking the gnarled, old, dry-farmed and head-trained Negrette, Mondeuse, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Chenin Blanc and others, one gets a feel for how vineyards in Napa once were. Planted in the 1930s, this is the oldest vineyard left in Oakville. Surrounded by Futo and Promontory, and catty-corner to To-Kalon, the two-acre vineyard occupies some of the most lusted over soils in the wine world. It is a great honor to farm these vines and make the utterly unique wine that comes from them. Perfumed, taut and age-worthy, the 2015 will reward some time in the cellar. $60
2015 North Coast Syrah
When we put together the North Coast Syrah blend, I am always channeling my favorite producers of St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. I want a wine that is perfumed, spicy, peppery and delicious, something long on flavor and low on pretense. The lots that went into this wine saw between 0 and 100% whole-cluster inclusion, and some saw some co-fermented Viognier. Barrels of Hudson Ranch, Weill and Alder Springs that did not go into the vineyard designates, along with a few barrels from two other small vineyards in Sonoma, make up the final wine. Though we take great pride in the QPR of our Old Vine Zinfandel, this wine might be even better in that respect. Back up the truck, get your Syrah on! $19
2015 Nervo Ranch Heritage Wine, Alexander Valley
The 1896 plantings at Nervo Ranch are among the most extreme I have ever seen for an old vineyard. Planted on 30% slopes of decomposed shale, the mixed vines produce a wine that is aromatic, weighty, and elegant. It is the balance that this area of Geyserville is famous for—be it the wines from Ridge, Turley’s Vineyard 101 or Scherrer’s wonderful wines. The 2015 is no exception. This wine, a field blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Negrette, Carignan, Grenache, Trousseau Noir and many more, is dark and lovely stuff. Definitely give it some time- either in the cellar or the decanter as time and/or air will help it to unfold. $39
2015 Ode to Lucien, California
In years where all the elements seem to be there, we make Ode to Lucien: our love letter to the wines of Bandol and to the patriarch of Domaine Tempier, Lucien Peyraud, who helped sculpt the appellation. The wine is composed of ancient Mourvedre (or Mataro as it has been known in California since the 1880s) and Grenache. The former comes from vines grown in the sands of Oakley—an area that creates a fine-grained, elegant version of the grape. The Grenache comes from the wild, enormous vines at Gibson Ranch in McDowell Valley—which, despite being light in color and enormously perfumed, is quite structured. The wine was blended early on and aged in a single, neutral, 600-gallon foudre. We hope Lucien would be proud. $38
2015 Pagani Ranch Heritage Wine, Sonoma Valley
There is a reason this ranch is well-known, as the wines are wonderful and distinct. Pagani Ranch always seems to be the largest-scale and darkest Heritage Wine we make. It could be the ashy soils, or the hot days and cold nights of Kenwood, or the high percentage of Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and other teinturiers varieties, but the 2015 is no exception to the rule. Deep, opaque purple in color, the wine possesses many mysteries that time will reveal. Despite its weight, the wine is nicely balanced by fresh acidity. If you have this alongside the Monte Rosso (also on this release) you would be hard-pressed to guess that the vineyards are only a few miles from each other—as Monte Rosso is all about perfume and mountain fruit elegance and this is about density and power. The Taft to Monte’s Teddy. $39
2015 Monte Rosso Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley
What is there to say about Monte Rosso that has not already been said. Wines of recognition have come from the vineyard for over a century and the vineyard signature can be seen on any variety that is grown on the site. This is mountain Zinfandel at its finest, perfumed and elegant but carries the promise of a long-life due to the line of fine tannin that runs through its core. A perennial favorite and a wine that I know I will be enjoying long into my lifetime. $46
*I realize this is a bit of a price bump over the last few years. Unfortunately, Gallo keeps raising the prices of the fruit so even at $46 we are taking a lower margin than we typically would.
2015 Carlisle Zinfandel, Russian River Valley
What a couple, what a vineyard, what a wine! Mike and Kendall Officer are two of my favorite people in the world and it is pleasure to work with a small amount of fruit from their revered Russian River Valley vineyard. Tonally blue and luxuriously fruited this is balanced perfectly by lovely cool-climate brightness. The vineyard, though nearly 90% Zinfandel, is also home to a remarkable number of other varieties—at last count there were over 40 non-Zin varieties planted on the ranch. It is a bit hard to speculate what this might add, what we do know is that this is addictively drinkable! This will age nicely but can certainly be enjoyed on the earlier side for its gorgeous fruit and personality. $39
2015 Compagni Portis Heritage Wine, Sonoma Valley
One of our most distinct wines year-in and year-out comes from this 1954 planted vineyard. Composed of aromatic Germanic varieties such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Trousseau Gris and Roter Veltliner, this wine is defined by spice, lychee and general exoticness. Vinified in neutral and stainless steel barrels, the wine was fermented using native yeasts but was not allowed to go through malolactic in order to retain the acidity necessary to balance the natural weight of the wine. This is the only old vineyard in California that I know of like this. $26
2016 Nouveau, California
Yes, a Bedrock wine meant to be consumed early! This wine was made like Beaujolais Nouveau, but I might suggest it comes from more interesting vineyard material than your typical stuff. The wine is a blend of Zinfandel from Esola Vineyard, planted on granitic schist at 1600’ in the Amador foothills along with the oldest Cinsault in the country, own-rooted and planted in the 1880s, from Bechthold Vineyard in Lodi. Both lots were fermented using carbonic maceration in our small concrete tank. The resulting wine is aromatic, juicy and slurpable. Nouveau is traditionally a fete of the most recent harvest, and 2016 was a great vintage in California deserving some early celebration. Drink up! $17.50
2015 Drummond’s Cuvee Petite Sirah, California
Our first Petite Sirah! Having been raised on great, long-lived wines like 1970s Freemark Abbey and Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah, the grape has always been near and dear to my heart. And though I always wanted to make one, the right vineyards never really surfaced to make my dream a reality. However, in 2015 we had the opportunity to work with two of the greatest Petite Sirah vineyards in the state and it seemed silly not to swing for the fences and make on of those “wines for the ages.” The wine is centered around the old vine Petite Sirah at Eaglepoint Ranch in Mendocino which for years was the source for Sean Thackrey’s epic Sirius bottlings. Somehow the site combines power with great perfume and stays away from the sometimes monolithic character than can dominate certain examples of the grape. To tame some of the wildness of the Eaglepoint lots we blended in some wine from the aristocratic site of Palisades Vineyard north of Calistoga—a vineyard that seems to make refined Pets with fine, almost Claret-like (in the old school sense of the word) tannins. We are exceedingly happy with the wine and confident that like Edelweiss, it will bloom and grow forever (well, forever is relative). $45
2010 Bedrock Vineyard Cab, Sonoma Valley
A library release, this wine is starting to enter its drinking window and is showing beautifully with some time in decanter right now. Sourced from my family’s Bedrock Vineyard, this wine was co-fermented with small amount of Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The blustery nature of this rather wild Cabernet has started to chill a bit and has become a more welcome dinner guest. $55
See, no trigger warning and now I need a safe space.
With credit cards.
Cab!!!
Ok, totally doing that buying freeze right after this one…
Just when I thought I was done buying wine for 2016… then Bedrock does it again. I already drank through my first case from last November. Luckily my purchase this year have been weather delayed.
Holy smokes and epic release! Hardly any room for restraint on this one.
So what are people most excited about with this release? Ok, you can only pick 3.
In no particular order…
- Compagni Portis - Kind of highlights why I love Bedrock so much…people never see this one coming.
- North Coast Syrah - Stupid price for silly good quality.
- Monte Rosso - No explanation needed.
Copy those choices, but in this order:
- Monte Rosso
- North Coast Syrah
- Compagni Portis
I failed to pull the trigger on the last vintage because I was confident I already had enough mourvedre in the form of Tempier, Dirty & Rowdy and a handful of other producers. I have to since then come to realize the folly of my ignorance.
Monte Rosso
Cab
Carlisle/Pagani tied
Picking only three is a tough one but:
North Coast Syrah (it is always a QPR but if Morgan makes special mention of QPR, oh my)
Monte Rosso (so sad to see this go away)
Petite Sirah (can’t wait to taste what Morgan does with Petite Sirah)
Man, I am excited about this release…but PUMPED for the PS! Been hoping Morgan/Chris would make one, and I’m going to buy as many as I possibly can.
Literally don’t think I’ll be passing on anything, except for the syrah (more for you guys/gals!).
Thanks for the heads up Morgan - cc ready to go tomorrow!
Funny to see 2015s rolling out! How’s the vintage shaping up as a whole?
Bedrock’s releases are always interesting.
Order placed. Kept it to a mixed case.
Any chanc the noveau ships in time for thanksgiving?
Order in!!!
Unless I’m missing something I didn’t even see am offering for the PS.
Hmm, I’m not seeing any allocation as I sign into the Bedrock website. I only recently made my first purchase during the fall release - November 22nd for me?