2018 Bedrock Winter Release

May we have the honor of seeing your early release notes when available please?

Morgan is here in Taos right now for the Taos WWF and I’ll see him in a few hrs. I’ll mention your request to him.
Tom

Thanks Tom.

Chris mentioned that he saw your post. They’re working on the notes and will get them out as soon as they can.

That’s all we can ask for! Thanks.

This little Ode to Lulu magnum tease was posted on FB today.
9862BD48-E8CB-4D1F-A223-BBAA2C32D724.jpeg

Yeah, Michael…looks like Morgan made it back from Taos ystrday and didn’t waste
any time getting back into the office.
Tom

Coming soon…

Morgan

Where are our notes please ???

I have been traveling a lot and they are not done yet-- I will post them once they are ready for viewing. Cheers!

Well…at least you said please I guess

We want the rough draft!

Tough crowd.

I was joking. [cheers.gif]

Not sure about the other guy…

So here is the rough draft of the wine notes. As always there might be offensive grammar and spelling that I have not edited yet.

I have not written the copy for the newsletter itself but some of it will certainly be about Desire Lines Wine Co.- the newly launching winery of our assistant winemaker and friend Cody Rasmussen and his wife Emily. He has been making his wines at Bedrock for the last few years and it has been a joy to see him realize his natural talent. Their first release will be in a few months and will feature Griffin’s Lair Syrah (from the rows that used to go to Arnot Roberts) and Cole Ranch Riesling (which is better than ours IMO). He also is working with Syrah from Shake Ridge. Needless to say, Chris and I are incredibly proud of and exited for he and Emily. I think there is a splash page up at http://www.desirelineswines.com for those that might want to take a peek. And don’t worry, he is not leaving Bedrock anytime soon!

Wines

2017 Ode to Lulu Rose. California: Our 2017 iteration of this wine is one of my favorites to date. Made from old vine Mataro/Mourvedre (75%) and Grenache, this wine extracts the limpid essence of beautiful old fruit and lets it show through nervy and delicious rose´. All lots for the wine were picked at low potential alcohol and whole-cluster pressed, leaving behind the signature faint salmon color. Despite the light color this feels perhaps the most “Bandol-esque” iteration of this wine we have made- capturing the mix of savory Mataro and spicy and racy Grenache we love so much. This is dangerously drinkable stuff!

2017 Wirz Vineyard Riesling, Cienega Valley: This is our fourth vintage working with this beautiful, own-rooted Riesling planted in 1963 and tended by Mr. Pat Wirz (the one and only!). Planted on sandy soils composed of denuded limestone and granite the vineyard is located to the east of the Gabilan Range. It is a quiet and warm landscape, filled with light and scents of sagebrush and the not so far off Monterey Bay. The Riesling here is an emanation of its surroundings- textured and savory, spicy and salty, full of pear and warm apple fruit. This wine is lovely now but, given what the 2014 has become, promises to develop increased complexity with a couple years in bottle.

2017 Sonoma Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma Valley: Almost entirely from the stony and steep slopes of Kenwood’s Uboldi Vineyard, our 2017 Sonoma Valley SB shows the weight and richness of the 2017 vintage. Full of aromatically lifted melon fruit, this wine really shines in the mouth- its mouthwatering density almost surprising for a variety often defined by herbal character and paucity of weight. The wine was partially barrel fermented in lightly toasted Stockinger barrels and cigares and partially fermented in stainless steel. This is SB that dances the calypso.


2016 Griffin’s Lair Syrah, Sonoma Coast: From the windswept Petaluma Gap area of the Sonoma Coast this is always one of the most distinct Syrah’s we make. Co-fermented with 10% Viognier and vinified using 80% whole-cluster this is gorgeously perfumed Syrah that retains finesse despite the dense core. Like most of our wines this will age very nicely but hopefully it should not be too fearsome with a long decant if you like enjoying wines on the more brazen side.


2015 Alder Springs Syrah, Mendocino County: From the extreme north of Mendocino County our Alder Springs Syrah comes from the beautiful Emerald Pool and Spirit Rock blocks of Stu Bewley’s magnificent vineyard. The 2015 is a relatively civilized wine by Alder Springs standards- pretty pepper and violet and a trill of Viognier stand out on the expressive nose. Sweet fruit, dry aged steak and pepper dominate the palate. This is quite a bit more forward than typical for the vineyard and will actually reward earlier drinking with a good decant.


2016 Montecillo Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain District: From dry-farmed vines planted in the 1960s at 2000’ overlooking Sonoma Valley. I love this vineyard and this wine. Farmed by Chuy Ordaz this survivor Cab site makes intense, old-school, mountain Cabernet that retains great refinement. The 2016 is a classic example of the site, showing the gorgeous cassis, pipe tobacco, camphor and pepper that scream “Claret!” in a lovely British accent. This wine, though polished, will last a long time.


2016 Limerick Lane Zinfandel, Russian River Valley: Our tiny block of 1910-planted Zinfandel yielded a scant 1.5 tons in 2016, meaning that there are less than 1000 bottles of this wine to go around. Though meager in output this vineyard created a gorgeous, multi-faceted, wine that is true to the amazing site where it is grown. One of my favorite wines we have made from this all-star site.


2016 Lorenzo’s Heritage Wine, Dry Creek Valley: From vines at Teldeschi Ranch that my family has worked with since 1982, this is a muscular and dense wine composed of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignan along with small amounts of field-blended Cinsault, Peloursin and Vaccarese. The richness of Dry Creek Zinfandel is balanced here by elegant, knife-like Carignan and feral, wild Petite Sirah that come from distinct blocks at John Teldeschi’s ranch. This wine should give years of enjoyment as the layers begin to unfurl.


2016 Papera Ranch Heritage Wine, Russian River Valley: Though always the pinnacle of consistency, despite its cool location, the 2016 Papera Ranch Heritage seems to take the site to another level. Vibrant and expressive blue fruits combine with spice and the lovely texture and savory notes that great Carignan can bring. This is a wine of melding opposition, of size and subtlety, of freshness and ripeness, and near-term deliciousness and long-term ageability. There is not a vintage that goes by that I don’t feel deep appreciation for owner Stuart Coulson, who saved the vineyard from an ignoble ending, and Mike Officer, who introduced me to this singular block of fruit.


2016 Under the Mountain Heritage Wine, Santa Clara County: Believe it or not, Santa Clara county is historically one of the more important wine growing regions in California. Back before the march of tract homes and highways, business campuses and colleges, grapes from the ranch of Leland Stanford, Charles LeFranc and and a fella’ with the last name Pellier, were valued as much as those from Napa and Sonoma and beyond. This vineyards survival, which is located a couple hundred feet below the cutoff for the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA, is a bit of a miracle and owes its new lease on life to the hard work and investment of the Gregory family. We currently receive fruit from a lightly mixed block of Zinfandel and a bit of Carignan that rests on the well-drained slopes. This is one of the most elegant wines we made in the great 2016 vintage, defined by soaring perfume and mouthwatering fruit and spice. I only wish there was more of it to go around!


2016 Weill a Way Mixed Blacks, Sonoma Valley: A hillside vineyard on the western flank of Sonoma Valley, we make a small amount of co-fermented “Mixed Blacks” from the vineyard every year. Composed of Zinfandel, Mataro, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet and a little Tempranillo the 2016, much like its predecessors, features delicious and concentrated fruit. Unlike our wines from older vineyards this wine is best enjoyed for its dark core and youthful bravado.

Awesome release. Can’t wait.

Was really planning on skipping this release, but alas I’ll be in for at least a case.

Damn it … thought I’d rebalance my zin collection, but to no avail it will remain skewed toward Bedrock. Cheers to next Tuesday!

Yeah, this is going to be awesome.

FWIW, I drank over a dozen rose’s last year and the Bedrock was my favorite. Great stuff, easy buy.