2018 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Nervo Ranch- USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (11/22/2021)
I follow with interest the wine writing of Eric Asimov, in the New York Times, but I am consistently struck by how relentlessly ideological he has become – by how much he insists that the wines he likes are not just to his taste but are objectively superior. For instance, to every question about pairing wine with food, he responds with a reiteration of his belief that only high-acid wines go well with food. That might be a useful general guideline, but it’s silly to continue to deny that some richer, heavier wines are also perfectly good with food.
Case in point: This wine, though not devoid of acidity, is in some ways an old-fashioned Californian pleasure bomb – 14.5% alcohol, unctuously full-bodied, dark and dark-fruited, ready to roll from the moment the cork comes out. And, just delicious with an assortment of Indian vegetable curries, with varying degrees of spice and heat. Often, even wine-drinkers resort to beer with Indian food because the wine pairing seems too challenging, but it turns out that a sumptuous Californian red might be just the ticket. (92 pts.)
Been reading Asimov for years, and IMO you overstate his being doctrinaire.
Interesting choice with Indian food. I also sometimes drink red wine with Indian, depending on the dish, but tend to wines with a little more transparency to avoid obscuring the flavors of the food.
Thanks for the note! Very interesting! Nervo was the only Bedrock I’ve tried that I felt actually lacked fruit. The 2013 was all structure and no pleasure for me, to the point where it ended up being one of the only Bedrocks that I have not enjoyed (and I really like some structure in my zins). Prettty sure Morgan and Chris said that these need time on their podcast, but maybe the most recent vintages are more accessible??
I agree with David, as I find Eric Asimov states his preferences in sometimes a didactic school-teacherly tone, but he’s hardly “relentlessly ideological”. If anything I think his meta-theme is “wine is about being thoughtful, drink what you like, here’s what I like”.
Having said that, it’s good to hear the 13 nervo is drinking well. I had a 2004 Ridge nervo last month and it still felt monolithic like a petit sirah. The vineyard makes wines with a crazy amount of structure. Wasn’t planning on touching my sole 13 bedrock nervo for another five years at least.
Didn’t they also talk about the complete lack of organic matter in the soil? Maybe recent vintages are benefiting from a few years of tender loving care.
Yep, I think you’re right! Would be interesting to try a recent vintage but this is one offering that I stopped buying after my experience with the 13.