So, I think I’ve got a mini-scoop for CA syrah lovers - about a month ago I got to taste some of the new wines being made by Morgan Twain Peterson (son of Joel Peterson of Ravenswood) of Bedrock Wine Co. In the retailer tasting, at Crush in New York, Morgan was actually pouring a white blend, a rose, and a zin, all nice - but what really got my attention was the Bedrock syrahs - which I haven’t seen discussed on these boards, but they should be.
I happened to mention being a CA syrah fan, so Morgan was nice enough to offer me a taste of his 2007 Old Lakeville and Kick Ranch syrahs which he happened to have with him. I was pretty blown away from my first taste of the Old Lakeville - it had a wonderful nose of violets, lavender, and gorgeous fruit - all of which followed through to the palate with a nice bit of oak and pepper spice. It had great balance, and imho easily won a comparison to a Neyers Old Lakeville syrah that was highly rated by WS. My first impression was that it was remarkably similar to a 2004 Copain Garys’ syrah that has been my WOTY so far. This is especially notable, because the mailing list price is $35, a steal compared to the $60 or so tariff that it takes to get the Copain.
I also tasted the Kick Ranch syrah, which was also very nice, giving slightly less at this point but I believe in time it will be equally good. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find my written notes right now, but I gave both syrahs a score in the 92-93+ point range.
I’m not really the first to find this winery (I found out later that it’s been reviewed by IWC and they gave similar scores) but for some reason no one seems to talk about this one. At the prices offered, this is an excellent way for the budget-minded to still get great syrah but pay less than what it costs for other syrahs of a similar level - and this is a winery to watch in my book. Also, Morgan is a super nice and humble guy - he was very flattered by the Copain comparison and mentioned how much he admired the wines being made by Wells, as well as other wineries like Peay, Rhys, R-C and others.
Apologies for the delay in getting this posted - I had been hoping to put together an episode about Bedrock for my vlog, but I’ve been derailed by working on other things, and wanted to get the word out before we get any deeper into mailer season.l
Bedrock Wine Co. has been on the radar in SoCal for a little while. At least their Sherman & Hooker Shebang! Cuvee 1, bottled in the old school jug (very cool), has made a big splash around town for some time. The higher level bottlings, as you say, are quite good as well.
But, you are right, they don’t get a lot of play on the boards.
Maybe one of you should invite them here to participate a bit, and offer a Berserker Exclusive deal on that $35 syrah. Ask the Cabots how well that went!
Sure, I’ve just emailed Morgan to see if he’d be interested…
Will watch for a chance to taste. I wonder if they are available in the south land?