Hey Michael- Here you go, with the usual caveat that these have not had a final full editing pass so please excuse any typos, grammar issues, etc… -M
Release Newsletter
“Water is the true wealth in a dry land” – Wallace Stegner
It seems more and more rare, but after a winter heavy in rainfall, with reservoirs full and aquifers somewhat refreshed, we are rich with optimism. Though the inevitable cycle will repeat, and there will be many more droughts in our lifetimes, we are savoring a growing season so far defined by verdant vine canopies, moderate temperatures, and balanced crops. Fingers crossed—but we could be set up for one heck of great 2023 vintage.
This is normally where I share longer-form thoughts on an aspect of the vintage or farming, but instead, I’d like to focus on a few exciting things we’ve been working on behind the scenes.
First, we have moved to a much lighter glass bottle for all our wines. For those who have had the 2021 Old Vine you are already familiar with the claret bottle, an elegant but light mold that sheds nearly 42% of the weight from our former bottle. This will lighten the case weight by 8.8 pounds and pallet weight by 492 pounds. Additionally important, this is a mold that our glass supplier assures us will continue to come primarily from glass plants nearby rather than other global epicenters of glass production such as Chile, Mexico, China, and France. This is important both because it lessens the number of emissions used during transportation, but also because domestic glass uses a higher percentage of recycled glass (up to 60%). As more and more studies have made clear that glass bottles are the leading contributor to the wine industry’s carbon footprint, we felt that it was time to move to a lighter mold to both lessen our environmental impact and hopefully encourage other wineries to do the same.
There is obviously some risk associated with this decision. For many years, heavier bottles have been used by wineries to signal higher quality product, and moving away from that association takes some adjustment. I admit that for a long time, we also associated the tactile feel of a nice heavy bottle with quality, but two things have changed my mind: the irrefutable facts about carbon footprint, and encouragement from many mailing list members that showed us the perspectives are evolving. Since we sell the vast majority of our wines to our mailing list, we are hoping people will enjoy the lighter lift of a Bedrock case. Personally, I already have greatly enjoyed how much easier it is to move cases around in the cellar and have started to dread moving around the old mold. Our guts tell us that this decision will feel like a no-brainer in a couple of years, even if it took us working through some angst to get to this moment.
Second, we have made several updates to our website – and yes, drinking windows are finally here! After many, many requests over the years, we have created a section with drinking windows for almost all of the 419 wines we have made to date. That said, I will make a large caveat: we were very conservative with the windows for a couple reasons. One, everyone has different taste, so my optimum time to crack a bottle might be very different from yours based on preference for fruit intensity, secondary characters, etc. Two, we have no control over storage conditions once the wine leaves our hands, which is the primary reason for accelerated or slow aging. Thus, a perfectly stored bottle of 10-year-old white wine might be glorious, while the same wine stored in warm or less than ideal conditions might be quite tired. Given good storage, I would expect a lot of these wines to sail past the drinking window set forth on the website with ease— particularly wines like Bedrock Heritage, Old Hill, Teldeschi, various Syrahs and Cabernet based wines, etc.— but have also hedged our estimates given that not everyone enjoys the capacity to perfectly store wine in a temperature-controlled environment.
In addition, we have also updated a section previously called “Friends and Influences,” where we linked to other wineries we respect, to one called “Extended Family.” One of our highest points of pride is how people who work at the winery or worked at the winery have diligently created their own vinous expressions. From Cody’s Desire Lines wines, to Katie’s Birdhorse wines, Jake’s Soleras del Pacifico and Jackie’s Orixe Sotelo , along with a number of exciting projects from past Bedrock crew, we delight in seeing these projects succeed. As you might expect, the wines vary widely in terms of style, variety, and intent but carry the common thread of being made by genuine, kind people. In this vein, it should be noted that our former intern and friend, Reid Griggs, who worked for us along with Ridge, Harlan, Dalla Valle, Gonon (St. Joseph), and MacDonald before taking the head winemaking position at Stony Hill this year, is about to release the first wines under his own “Tidings” label. As the tagline on his corks says, “Make Fine Dreams,” indeed.
Perhaps most excitingly though, we have added a section that includes every release newsletter written since the very first release. It has been both wonderfully nostalgic to read through them myself, and at times a bit cringeworthy to see some embedded youthful hubris and bravado in them. But, they do map the evolution of the winery and the process of it starting with just me in a 550 square foot chicken coop, a small destemmer, basket press, and fermenter outside under sun and stars, to the arrival of Chris in 2012 to the family of 10 that now allows Bedrock to operate at a level that even my 27-year-old over-confidence could have imagined. Beyond this, it has been fun to go back and read my original notes on older wines that we open— it is a wonderful refresh as to the vintage and winemaking and vineyard decisions.
We hope that you enjoy the lighter glass and updates to the website. As always, our hope is to improve the experience for all of you who purchase, enjoy, and share the wines. Without your support and patronage, we simply would not get to do what we do.
Best,
Morgan and Chris, Cody, Jake, Katie, Jackie, Seph, Casey, Grant and Aiste.
2023 Fall Release Tasting Notes
2022 Compagni Portis Heritage White Wine, Sonoma Valley
Due to the drought and several very light-cropping years, we ended up taking on an additional section of this 1953 planted vineyard that we had been selling to some friends. That section, which is predominately Riesling (making it the second oldest block of Riesling in CA), added wonderful vibrance and steely cut to the more opulent section of the vineyard dominated by Gewürztraminer, Roter Veltliner, and others. Combining the spice and richness of the Gewürz with the white florals, bright citrus, and celery salt of the Riesling has made for a wonderful, and dangerously drinkable, iteration of the Compagni Portis Heritage Wine.
2022 Bien Nacido Roussanne, Santa Maria
Roussanne?! Yup. This block of Roussanne is one that I have coveted for most of my winemaking career, having enjoyed numerous bottlings from this planting made by our friend Bob Lindquist at Qupé. I saw an incredible complexity develop in several of those wines as they entered their second and third decade after bottling, ranking them among the best whites I have had from California— so I was ecstatic when we were offered a few rows of this small block. Picked on 9/14/22 at 23 brix, we received exactly 1.5 tons, making this one of our smallest production wines of the year. After an hour of skin soaking, we pressed the wine to a 600-liter Stockinger demi-muid and 300 liter Sylvain Blanc barrel where it fermented with indigenous yeast. We are absolutely thrilled with the finished wine. Aromatically, this is honeyed and exotic with aromatics of tangerine and something verdant and herbal like tarragon. On the palate, the wine is expansive while retaining clarity and freshness thanks to its 3.35 pH. Since this is our first time making Bien Nacido Rousanne, we don’t fully know its aging curve, but based on the great examples we have had from Qupé and Holus Bolus over the years, we suspect it will reward some time sideways.
2022 Monte Rosso Semillon, Moon Mountain District
This is a vapor wine. As a result of the extended drought, we only got 1.37 tons from the 1886 plantings of Semillon at Monte Rosso Vineyard in 2022. Picked on August 24th, prior to the week of heat, the 2022 Semillon was barrel fermented using indigenous yeasts in a single, 600-liter demi-muid. These vines, which are certainly among the world’s oldest remaining of this variety, are dry-farmed and planted in some of the most iron rich red soils at a ranch so renowned for red soils that its name translates to Red Mountain. Picked at 22.4 brix and 3.3 pH, this wine combines the melon-scented weight that Semillon is known for with plenty of freshening natural acidity thanks to its elevation.
2022 Judge Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Bennett Valley
The musqué clone fruit at Judge Vineyard came out singing in 2022. Planted on north-angled rocky soils at the cool, western edge of Bennett Valley, Judge is the coldest site we work with for Sauvignon Blanc. Impeccably farmed by Joe Judge and family, the vineyard takes its time ripening its moderate crop load. What results are wines of great natural verve and aromatics that pair nicely with the richness given by barrel fermentation. From a stylistic standpoint, this is definitely more in the Bordeaux Blanc vein than tank-fermented Kiwi or Loire-style Sauvignon Blanc—less overtly tropical and more about tension and texture. As such, it should be delicious now but will also develop over the next few years.
2022 Old Vine Zinfandel, California
Every vintage we get the fun challenge of putting together a wine that we feel really shows off what old vine Zinfandel can achieve in California by focusing on the strengths of the vintage. In the process, we endeavor to make something that is one of the better values in the wine world from truly old vines (average vine age is over 80). In 2022, one of the main challenges was how to balance the deep fruit weight, richness, and ripeness that some lots possessed due to a big heat wave in early September. Fortunately, we were well-equipped for this challenge given the diversity of sources we work with, along with having some other varieties that have traditionally been blended with Zinfandel for this very reason. This year’s rendition is 76% Zinfandel, 11% Carignan, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Grenache and 3% Cinsault, with the remainder being assorted mixed varieties such as Mourvèdre, Negrette and more. Though a blend of over a dozen ranches, the majority comes from Teldeschi, Evanghelho, Katushas, Nervo, Sodini, Beeson, Bedrock, Old Hill, and Papera. We are extremely pleased with the resulting wine—one that shows off freshness, wonderful fruit tones, spice, and pepper laden perfume built around a core of flat-out delicious fruit character. This one should be a great crowd-pleaser.
2022 Bedrock Heritage Wine, Sonoma Valley
One of the triumphs of the very good 2022 vintage, this is one of my favorite Bedrock Heritage wines we have made to date. Alas, due to a rough late frost, we also have less of it than normal. Starting in 2022 we adjusted some elements on the viticultural side, including less leafing of the canopy around the clusters. This had a positive impact as the more shaded fruit led to better resolved structure and a bit more suppleness earlier on. This wine always ages beautifully on the back of its tannin component, but sometimes the wines can approach a level of austerity in their youth that requires some patience. Though this wine will still age gracefully for decades, I do think it is one of the more immediately satisfying renditions of the wine— calling to mind the 2012 or 2016 vintages. As always, this is a field-blend of the 20+ varieties planted in 1888 at our home ranch. Based around Zinfandel (roughly 65%), the Bedrock Heritage always has a generous dollop of the spectacular old vine Carignan and Mataro in it, along with the smaller percentages of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Trousseau, Castets, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir, Lenoir, et al… Wonderfully spicy and perfumed, this wine sings the song of Sonoma Valley.
2022 Evangelho Heritage Wine, Contra Costa County
The glorious sands of Evangelho Vineyard created one of the more elegant and perfumed examples of the Evangelho we have made. A blend of 1890s planted Zinfandel, Mourvedre/Mataro, Carignan, Alicante, Palomino, and more, the 2022 Evangelho was fermented in open-top tank and aged predominately in 600-gallon foudre and puncheons. As we see more and more vineyards in the area getting torn out due to the steady march of suburban sprawl, we feel even more protective of this true Grand Cru of California— a place where ultra-rare own-rooted vines plunge into 40-foot banks of sand along the breezy delta of the Sacramento River and San Pablo Bay. In 2022, the Zinfandel was juicy and delicious but perhaps not as serious as some years; however, the Mourvedré/Mataro was all sorts of serious and the Carignan about as dense as we have ever seen it. The combination of the three sections of the vineyard has made for a wonderful version of this wine and also serves as a good reminder of why Zinfandel, Mourvèdre, and Carignan have been the Holy Trinity in this part of California for over a century— a rare throuple with lasting power.
2022 Old Hill Ranch Heritage Wine
We started working with Old Hill in 2018, and every vintage has surpassed my lofty aspirations for the site and has been one of the best wines in the cellar. What I think I love most is how much the “Old Hill” character marries with the vintage character. The 2018 is fresh and perfumed and will be long-lived, just like the best wines of the vintage. The 2019 shows the beautiful fruit weight and lushness of the vintage. The 2020 shows exotic spice and structure and remarkable elegance given the warm year. The 2021, a classic “drought” year, shows the massive density and structure that should make it a monumental wine for many years. In this same fashion, the 2022 shows both the amplitude and weight of fruit but also the great line and suavity that comes from most of the growing season being so temperate before the heat in early September. From a field-blend of 30+ varieties planted in the 1880s, this is once again one of the best wines of the vintage.
2022 Dolinsek Ranch Heritage Wine
This is a classic Dolinsek Ranch. Usually a candidate for earlier drinking thanks to the oodles of Russian River Valley fruit contained within, this one shows off the flashy mulberry and boysenberry character in spades. In true Dolinsek form, though, this fruit is balanced by a beam of lovely natural brightness that keeps the fruit buoyant and mouth watering. Planted in 1910, this vineyard is a true field-blend of Zinfandel, Alicante, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Barbera, Palomino, and Black Muscat. Tended lovingly by Jim and Kathleen Dolinsek, this is a wonderful expression of old vine fruit from one of the last vineyards remaining on the signature Goldridge Loam soils around the Sebastapol and Forestville parts of Russian River Valley.
2022 Katushas’ Vineyard Zinfandel, Mokelumne River
I am so proud of our estate vineyard in eastern Lodi. Since we purchased it in 2014, Katushas’ has made enormous strides in quality commensurate with the tender care that we have put into repairing the vine structure, the soils, and the biological diversity that grows within it. In the late Spring, Merced Rye cover crops approach 8’ tall, dwarfing the vines around it. That same rye is then crimped to the ground, creating a thick mulch that crowds out the murderer’s row of Lodi weeds, shades the soil from the hot Lodi sun and helps preserve water in the soil. The vines have responded beautifully, looking healthy and balanced even in the face of the last few years of crippling drought. The result of all of this is a wonderfully fresh and balanced version of Zinfandel—accessible early due to the sandy soils and natural character of the area but fresh and retaining acidity thanks to healthy vines and the cool afternoon breeze that pushes up from the Sacramento River delta and across the oxbow created by the Mokelumne River. Aged in foudre and large format barrels, the 2022 Katushas’ saw minimal new oak to place the focus squarely on the beautiful nectarine scented plummy fruit.
2022 Beeson Ranch Zinfandel
One of the most dramatic vineyards we work with, Beeson Ranch is composed of vines planted in the 1900s in a steep, eastern facing amphitheater in southern Dry Creek Valley. Quartz-studded soils and a relatively cool growing environment for Dry Creek make for a wine that is both beautifully aromatic but also richly fruited and suave. In the 2022 vintage, we picked half of the vineyard prior to the onset of the serious heat of the first week of September and the other half after some of the later-ripening sections had been exposed to the warmth. We are quite pleased with the results, as the earlier picked fruit shows the soaring red-fruit and spicy mint aromatics we love from the site while the later picked lots provide a core of sappy fruit. Though this wine might not be as immediately drinkable as the precocious 2021, it should start to open up nicely on the earlier side.
2021 Ode to Lucien
One of my great loves in the world of wine are the reds of Bandol. I think that Mourvèdre, when it hits its apex, makes one of the most complex and age-worthy wines in the world. However, much like other great yet finicky grapes that have a seemingly narrow band of areas where it can achieve greatness (Nebbiolo, Mencia, Aglianico, and a few others come to mind), those great wines are few in number. In California there is a long tradition of growing the variety that dates to the 1860s, and we are fortunate to see it thrive in several small areas of the state like Cienega Valley, Contra Costa County, and sections of Sonoma. We feel extremely fortunate to have a couple vineyards that are capable of producing world-class Mourvèdre. The 2021 Ode to Lucien is almost entirely from the 1880s plantings at Bedrock Vineyard. Planted on iron-rich soils interspersed with big chunks of basalt, the 2021 has all the primal, savory power the grape is known for, combined with a wonderful, cool-tone, high-note perfume— like a combination of Mingus and Miles or Cash and Gill. Fermented with native yeasts using 40% whole-cluster, the wine was aged in a combination of Stockinger foudre and 600-liter demi-muids.
2021 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon
At a recent event I did for the Moon Mountain District association, I had the privilege to sit on a panel with other wonderful producers from the appellation. What struck me most about the wines presented was how different the wines produced from the different types of soil in the appellation were from each other, despite all possessing a common mountain wildness to them. The wines from sites planted on basalt had tons of power, structure, and remarkable weight. In contrast, the wines from the iron-rich red-series soils had structure but more finesse and perfume as well. All were quite delicious, but it was an interesting takeaway and certainly helped my own evolving understanding of the vineyards perched high above Sonoma Valley to the east.
Our block of Monte Rosso Cabernet sits just above our old Semillon section on the south side of the ranch. Planted on the vivid red soils that make this site so famous on an old school quad trellising system (hyperlink video of me talking about this), this block makes powerful, mountain fruit-driven wines that also have lots of perfume and elegance lurking underneath. In 2021, yields were quite reduced and the wine was as dark as I have ever seen after just a few days in tank. Pumped over in a small, two-ton, oak open-top tank, the wine began to pick up wonderful perfume to go along with this weight as the fermentation continued. The finished wine, for me, is about as classic Monte Rosso Cabernet as it gets.