I think you need to add “Colonel” at the beginning, or it won’t work.
And I think there is a Huckleberry in there somewhere?
Dude.
Do you have any left or did you kill it all too young?
Did you click the heels of your shoes while saying it?
Kentucky Colonel Morgan Guy “Huckleberry” Twain-Peterson reporting for duty (not dressed like Beetlejuice, unless Beetlejuice wears boxer shorts and an austin city limits t-shirt while watching the Golden State Warriors game and brewing kombucha and fermenting brussell sprouts).
For the Spring Release we are looking, theoretically, at the following line-up:
2014 Ode to Lulu Rose
2014 Judge Ranch Sauvignon Blanc (Judge made up 80% of the blend last year and is a pretty lovely site in Bennett Valley we have on an acreage contract and share with Quintessa and Morlet)
2014 Abrente Albarino
2013 Limerick Lane Zinfandel (will be highly allocated as we only get a little over a ton from our block planted in 1910)
2013 Papera Ranch Heritage Wine (Zinfandel, Carignane and 11 others planted in 1934)
2013 Gibson Ranch Heritage Wine (vines planted in the 1880’s in McDowell Valley and a field-blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Peloursin, Trousseau Noir, Grenache and a couple others)
2012 Alder Springs Syrah or 2013 Hudson Syrah (Alder has been showing beautifully but is still wound pretty tight)
2013 Kamen Vineyard Cabernet (our last from the vineyard as the owner took offense at our apparently blue-collar pricing)
The 2012 Alder Syrah, like the 2012 Cuvee Karatas, is a wine that I think might be better if we release with a little bit of time. However, the excellent 2013 Syrah’s are also quite primary so it might be a game-day decision for us (albeit, like choosing whether to start Max Scherzer or Clayton Kershaw).
As for the 2013 Montecillo Cabernet…This is one of my favorite wines we have made from one of the more amazing vineyards I have seen. It is worth noting the old block of Cabernet (planted in the 1960’s), which for years was the backbone of the Kenwood Artist Series wines, was about to be pulled out in 2011 until the vineyard manager, Chuy, showed Tegan the block. Tegan called up friends (us, Nate and Duncan at Arnot-Roberts, and Andy Smith at Dumol) and we all started taking fruit. Now, the misses are being replanted, cover crops are growing, and the old, dry-farmed vines are going nowhere. This is all a long way of saying that I do not know when the wine is going to be released- it is old school Cab that will reward a lot of aging.
Hope this answers most of the questions, though I will certainly be lurking like the pathological worrier I am if others come up!
Killed it, gave some away. It was taking up precious space and it was very much not to my liking; the only Bedrock that I haven’t enjoyed. Think I’m mostly going to stick to Syrah, Zin and field blends.
See. You had to click your heels.
Well, if the owner of Kamen vineyard is going to pout, then I say we make a point of not purchasing any wines in the future from his vineyard. Of course, that is after I purchase my allocation of this last release from Colonel Morgan. Thanks Colonel for stressing my credit card again. I can’t pass on your wines
Hey Morgan, that’s a bummer on the Kamen, but a good reason to stock up. I imagine any number of winery owners get offended by your pricing.
Really? The vineyard sells you the grapes for X and you make the wine and sell for Y and they have an issue with that? If they wanted a higher wine price then they should have marked up the grapes.
That is crazy.
that tells you how much he is marking up his cab at 80-90 dollars a bottle. Which of course is his right and if there is a demand. knowing now how is mind for business works, I will not buy any Kamen wines in the future. This happens too often in other areas of business when a supplier threatens to stop sending them their product if they price it lower then a certain price . The only way these kind of business strong arm tactics stop is if the consumer stops buying the product when they find out.
Morgan- Fermenting Brussel Sprouts- a Kimchi of sorts?
This is not the first time that I have been told about Kamen being worried about brand dilution. A few years back Katy Wilson was at the MacArthur Beverage futures tasting pouring for Kamen where she was working as assistant winemaker at that time. She also brought along some of her LaRue that she was offering up for taste as well. Word got back to Kamen and they were upset. She was instructed to not pour her wine again at the Kamen table.
Not sure who MacArthur’s found out about this but the result was that they stopped carrying Kamen and picked up LaRue.
Bizarro-world, eh? We should be offended by the pricing by others.
Looking forward to the release and bemoaning my Berserker Day spending spree with both Bedrock and Herman Story, my two favs, offering in the next month. This is gonna hurt. But the Heritage blends always being amongst my favorite, and most interesting, Bedrocks, it’s not like I’m gonna skip it.
As for the Grenache Gris … I still have a bottle or two kicking around, but the one I sampled a couple months ago, was surprisingly good. Light(er) and spicy, and great with pizza lightly chilled. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would, given we’re usually big red folks.
I’m looking forward to this release. On the Kamen issue, I’m not in the wine business and not in the know here about the specifics of the interaction. I’m absolutely sure that Morgan held up his end of the Kamen deal and paid what the contract was, and of course has the right to sell his wine for whatever he wants (probably didn’t make a ton of money on it, having said last year that the grapes were “crazy expensive” for Bedrock). Having said that, it is possible that Kamen expected the wines to be sold for more, without there necessarily being a ridiculous markup, and when that didn’t happen became worried about brand dilution. I think that’s okay, and presuming they don’t have a long term contract, he has the right to stop selling to whoever he wants to stop selling to. I think it’s a little petty, but brand dilution is a real thing. We don’t have to be fans of it, and I’ll miss getting a great wine at a great price. If I remember, I bought the 2012 for $58 and would have happily paid $80. But I wouldn’t go on the warpath against Kamen for this…unless we have evidence that he broke an agreement that went beyond the 2013 grapes, which I haven’t heard any evidence of. So net/net, kudos to Bedrock for making great wine at great prices. As for Kamen, so what.
I’m on the waiting list as this is my first go-around. Are there typically a lot of options left after the guaranteed allocations get their pick-thru? Will there be anything left? I’m hoping for some zins and the Alvarinho.
Keep your credit card at the ready.
Sounds like Robert might have forgotten which side of the mountain his vineyard was on
Love pickled Brussels Sprouts! Got to cut even the little ones in half prior to fermentation, I find. Source mine from a south facing estate block at about 1200’. Picked this vintage in late November after several hard frosts. Dug 'em out of the snow. Total yield of 6 quarts.