TN: 2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon Bedrock Vineyard

WINE TALK
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  • 2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon Bedrock Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (12/15/2011)
    This is a preview of next Spring’s Bedrock release. Morgan says this wine was coiled tight in barrel but surprisingly seemed to open up just after bottling. My wife being really a bigger cab fan than me, I opened this for her birthday dinner. The nose reveals a perfume of tremendous complexity - currant, eucalyptus, along with some herbal and earthy notes. Palate is more reserved, entering with some red currant and bay leaf, but quickly giving way to more earthy, savory notes in the midpalate, finally disappearing into a wall of fine-grained tannin. This is a highly structured wine that will be a joy for fans of old-school cab. People looking for gobs of jammy fruit and melted tannin should look elsewhere. Future bottles I’d give a few years sideways then enjoy.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Awesome pic. Now I really hope I get off the waiting list. I haven’t enjoyed a Cabernet in years. I want it back. Hope springs eternal. (that I’ll enjoy cabernet, that is… I’ll get on the list when I get on the list.)

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Sounds right in my wheelhouse Larry. Looking forward to adding this to my ever growing Bedrock collection. Great photo!! You may need to pursue a different career.

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Larry, is this considered a different bottling than the previous 08 #2? Is it a 100% cab? Would appear a much shorter run on barrel aging for this one.

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Is this part of the Spring release?

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Hopefully Morgan will chime in with some of the technical details. What I know:

This is the first release of varietal Bedrock Cab since 2007. Morgan says he felt the tannin in the Cabernet needed some softening in 2008 so he increased the quantities of Merlot & Petite Verdot, and gave it extended barrel aging. Reading between the lines, it seems that’s how '08 Bedrock Cab became '08 Bedrock #2 (not enough % cab for the varietal label).

This wine will be open for the pick-up day tomorrow and part of the “upcoming release” which probably means it’s coming out in Spring.

I’m glad to hear so much excitement over this wine and thanks so much everybody for kind comments on my photo (unfortunately I’m still not quitting my day job [help.gif] )

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Thanks for the preview, Larry - sounds great! And the picture is cool, too!

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Morgan said it was 95% cab and 5% Petit Verdot. Old school is the descriptor I was going to use. Spent 24 months in new oak and frankly I couldn’t tell. He poured through the entire spring release yesterday (Morgan told me I missed the 4 of you by just a few minutes Larry).
My highlights were the Lauterbach (restrained), Kick Ranch (fruit forward) and Hudson North Block Syrahs (heavily structured)

Sure was refreshing to have a tasting nearly one-on-one with Morgan rather that waiting in a long line as is common on most pick-up days. Morgan said he only emailed those who actually were picking up wines rather than having them shipped instead of the entire mailing list. Dropped the crowd from 4,000 to only 150 over the course of the day.

I asked him about this years Lachryma, hoping to snag a sample [wink.gif] , and he said that it has only fermented to 2% abv so far. Started out at 400gpl sugar and he doesn’t expect it to get below 250gpl when done and said abv MAY reach 8%. Noted that tasting it hurts his teeth like giving them an acid and sugar bath. He seems real excited about this wine. Then again Morgan gets excited about most of his projects as his passion and vision are clear as day. It’s real educational, historically and technically, talking with him.

The chicken coop/winery, I remember someone asking about space limitations.

On a side not I stopped at Bottle Barn on my way home to grab some Shebang and was surprised to see some of the fall/winter release bottles on the shelves. Until I saw the pricing. Sonoma Coast Syrah $26, Old Vine Zin $27, Monte Rosso Zin $42. I remember last year when I was able to reload on some bottles for 10% under release prices. I guess those days are over for Morgans wines. As for the Shebang the red was in stock but they have sold through the white. Darn it. Steal at $9.69 a bottle.

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Hi Brian,

It’s a shame we missed each other. Next year we should plan another after-pickup dinner. With my busy holiday schedule there’s no way that could have worked last weekend.

Agreed it was really nice to taste one-on-one with Morgan. I wasn’t aware this was a limited invitation, but that explains the laid-back tasting.

Morgan continues to dial in what he’s doing with his Hudson blocks. There was really an astonishing difference between the T&S (north?) and Pleine de Chene, and although I didn’t take notes, I found the former more spicy and structured with the latter a bit more fruit forward and approachable and a very long finish. Morgan says there will probably be no more Hudson “three ways” as he hasn’t been happy with the 100% whole cluster approach from there, but he did say he’s eyeing another vineyard which may make his 100% whole cluster Syrah.

My wife and friends I had in tow all thought the Cab was the best wine of the tasting. I wasn’t ready to pass judgement (the '10 Griffin’s was pretty much not giving up anything - yet).