TN: 2019 Bedrock Old Vine Zinfandel

This was great, but different than any other OVZ I’ve had.

On the nose there was an earthy funky note that was I most often find in Burgundy. The palate was all zin though, with beautiful fruits and acidity. Long finish. Glad I have cases of this.

I agree that this is a pretty special wine, especially for the price. I noted a distinct savory element, which I bet is how my palate perceived your earthy/funky. Also my bottle was fresh off the truck back last October.

Year after year this is one of the weekday drinkers I load up on when I get my Bedrock allocation - one of the best QPR Zins out there, IMO, and the 2019 is no different.

These wines are notoriously young and wound up on release. Do you think this one is good to go, or best to wait a while?

It was drinking well, but will likely improve with time. I think 19 is an earlier drinking vintage in general.

Michael, there’s something distinctly satisfying about seeing someone like you, who drinks Krug like mineral water and stashes away cases of baller burg, get so excited about a humble CA zin.

Haha I still drink a lil domestic wine occasionally. Interestingly if you sort by producer bedrock is one of my top holdings by % of bottles, even though the cellar is > 90% France.

This is my fav OVZ since '12

Yep I went back and reloaded for another 24 bottles. For $19 a cork it was a no brainer.
Living in SoFlo I’ll be lucky to see it before the heat returns.

I was going to ask if I was the only one who thought this wine was wound up. I don’t think it’s anywhere close to its potential yet.

Agree Brian, I keep reading these notes and think I’m drinking a different wine. Like the saying goes one mans ceiling is another mans floor’

Tom

I doubt that ceiling/floor argument has anything to do with it. For a young wine, barely off the truck, to show differently from bottle to bottle makes complete sense.

I don’t buy the bottle variation argument. I’ve opened three of these and they have all screamed come back in a few years. I’m burying them for a while.

Weird. I have had it twice, and both times it was wide open.

Twice for me, after the first bottle I was so curious I opened another a week later.

Who knows, this is what make our hobby so interesting.

Tom

Over a decade of Bedrock drinking has taught me that you can never wait too long on these, but you can definitely be too hasty. Likely will wait a few months before touching these.

Isn’t the 19 OVZ the one Morgan and Chris referenced needing more time than past vintages on their podcast?

No, Morgan said on the winter release podcast that he had the OVZ open and that it was already drinking better than the 18.

People like drinking wine at different times. I will visit everything early (except for barolo, mostly) even grand cru burgundy, and generally find a lot to like in young wines. Some may not. There’s no harm in visiting these early if you have it in case quantity.

This is our house red (along with hudelot br), so I have probably 12-15 cases of it from various vintages.

Bought more than a few of these. Have popped three or four including one last night. I’m in the leave these alone for awhile camp. It shows well but tight on initial pour but following for the eve the fruit hides in the background and the structure takes over.

Yep, just pulled it up. They basically said it has some really nice, alluring fruit now…but you wouldn’t be mad if you forgot about a case in the cellar for 5 to 7 years.

So…prob good to go either way