Bedrock Spring Release 2012

WINE TALK
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I am moved to say, Alex. That avatar is beyond awesome.

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Morgan - can we get a sneak peak at the newsletter ?[thankyou.gif]

23

Agreed. Everyone needs to stay away from this one.

I took a flyer on a case of it last year and, except for one leaker (a bad seal on screw cap), they were all terrific. I love the ever so slightly sweet banana leaf notes that I got from it. It’s very versatile with food too.

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Per Morgan: Casa Santamaria White, Kick SB, Lulu Rose’, 08 Lauterbach, 09 C.S., 10 Hudson T and Pleine, and 10 Kick. Gonna be a big one!

25

Ouch. This one is gonna hurt.

Need some whites and rose’ for Summer. Florida’s ship window seems to be shortened again since Saturday was a high of 88! [swearing.gif]

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Sounds like a few of them will have a limited quantity available.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Lauterbach, at last!!! [cheers.gif] [thankyou.gif] [ken.gif]

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Lauterbach, at last!!! [cheers.gif] [thankyou.gif] [ken.gif][/quote]

Just to be safe, careful opening this shipment just in case a dangerous liger is sitting where the lauterbach should be. And if you ordered more than one be extra cautious as they usually hunt in groups…

29

Ask and you shall receive! And sorry for the imbedded Galloni reviews- really not trying to toot my own horn but simply cut and pasting from the word document. Now, off to celebrate my mother’s birthday!

Spring 2012 Release

Greetings from Sonoma Valley where Spring has already sprung!

Before we get to the fun stuff a little housekeeping.

Guaranteed allocations will be held until midnight Pacific Sunday, March 11th. Whatever wines remains will be made to the Waiting List and members of the Mailing List who have not ordered on a first-come, first-serve, basis on Tuesday, March 13th. Wish List Requests will be granted on Monday the 12th and your cards will be charged then depending on what extra bottles I can furnish you with. As usual, orders of 6 bottles of more will qualify you for the adjusted shipping of $20.

Regarding Wish-List requests, Do not be bashful about requesting “additional quantities” if you want the wine. Since all wines are guaranteed for the first-week there is always wine left-over to redistribute as not everyone takes their full allocation. If you want something let me know. Also, the 2008 Lauterbach Hill Syrah, of which there are only 400 bottles, and the library release of the 2008 Kick Ranch Syrah, will be wish-list only.

Orders will begin shipping as soon as possible, particularly for those of you living in the south. My hope is that we can get all these lovely summer wines out before the shipping window closes.

Will-Call Orders must be picked up at the Open House on April 14th or April 21st. Those orders that are not picked up will need to be shipped. It is nothing personal, it is just the winery is tiny and unpicked up orders take up valuable square footage.

Now onto the fun stuff (scroll to the bottom for the wine descriptions if you wish to skip my other pontifications).

The 2011 Vintage:

I am not quite sure where to start regarding the 2011 vintage.

Was it challenging, at times damming and frustrating, and probably the hardest vintage I have ever had to deal with? Yes, without a doubt. What it did prove to me though is that I work with some of the most talented vineyard owners and managers to be had. Whether it was Dino Amantite being willing to leave 80% of a vineyards crop in the vineyard because it was effected by botrytis, or Lee Hudson going through the day before harvest dropping any effected fruit (which doubles his picking costs), or Ulises Valdez doing one of the cleanest picks I have ever seen given the conditions at Saitone Ranch, this vintage proved the mettle of those who I work with. I have heard people say that the 2011 vintage was “made on the sorting table.” Though that implement was certainly helpful, I feel the statement gives too much credit to they winery. This vintage was made on the backs of those growers, who for the third year in a row, had to farm meticulously and at great personal cost. I am as proud of them, as a group, as I am of the wines.

In the winery vinifications were of a different sort than most seen before. Because of the very cool, wet, year, which resulted in very healthy canopies, and because vineyards across the board were picked at sugars generally 10-15% below average at lower pH, fermentations were vigorous. After the first rains in early October I moved away completely from any cold-soaking as I was concerned about accumulating enough heat in the fermentation to properly ensure extraction. Though the wines were easily fermented, there was more malic acid across-the-board in the reds than I have ever seen and the wines were initially difficult to evaluate because the acid made some of the wines feel hard. However, now that malolactic has finished in most of the lots a whole different picture is forming; I cannot help but be reminded of the “old lady versus young lady” optical illusions where you can stare at the same picture and see two completely different things. Though these are certainly not the most blockbuster wines I have ever made I do think they are going to be the prettiest and most refreshing. Alcohols are typically in the low to mid-14s, ph’s are low and acids are bright. For those of you on the list who like Zinfandel and Syrah on the vervy and elegant side you are going to love this vintage.

Vineyards:

There will only be one major vineyard addition to the Bedrock Wine Co. family but it is a beauty. As of this year, Mike Officer of Carlisle and I are taking over farming and oversight of the beautiful Sodini Vineyard off of Limerick Lane in the Russian River Valley. The vineyard, planted in 1905, lies across the street from Bacchi Ranch and just down the road from the famed Collins Vineyard of Limerick Lane winery. The fruit has, in the past gone both the Marietta and Rochioli Winery. Though in need of some viticultural love (we put the first cover crop in ever this winter) it is in one of the nicest spots for Zinfandel I have seen and will hopefully be a staple of Bedrock Wine Co. for years to come.

Also, starting with the 2011 vintage, Old Lakeville Vineyard and Weill Vineyard (the former Shanel Vineyard of David Ramey and also the source for a new Syrah project) will be the backbone of the Sonoma Coast Syrah. Since both of these have served as vineyard designates for myself and other wineries before it should make for a killer bottle of Syrah, and make up for the budding over from Syrah to Pinot of Wildcat Mountain Vineyard that previously was the center of the bottling.

Press:

Last Thursday Bedrock received some blushworthy praise for Antonio Galloni writing for Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. You can see the review here.

Also, Luke Sykora, a talented young writer for Wine and Spirits wrote a great piece on Field-Blends featuring Bedrock, Carlisle and a couple others. Though the piece is subscription only I was able to purchase a PDF from the magazine to share with you which can be found here.


Current Release:

The current release seems large in the total number of wines offered but that is mainly because there are a couple really small lots. For instance there are 400 bottles of the 2008 Lauterbach Hill and not much more of that of the 2009 Bedrock Cabernet Sauvignon of which I made four barrels. I am also including in this release 56 cases of 2008 Kick Ranch Syrah that never got labeled (and though it got some bling from RMP I am keeping the price the same as on release). In addition, the 2011 Abrente Albarino bottling, a project with my good friend and colleague Michael Havens, is being offered with the Bedrock Spring Releases rather than being offered on its own so you can take advantage of combined shipping and not being pestered with more releases from me.


2011 Abrente Albarino, Napa Carneros: Hard to believe this is the third vintage already for this wine! A couple years ago Michael Havens and I had a 20 year old block of Merlot growing at 800 feet on limestone grafted over to Albarino. This is the first year where it has made a large impact on the blend, accounting for 25% of it. While Stewart Ranch planted on clay-loam provides a beautiful core of pit fruits and spearmint, the Watson parcel on the limestone really brings gorgeous floral aromatics that jump from the glass. This is bright, food-friendly, wine that will give great pleasure in the coming summer months. $19

2011 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc: As usual the steep and rocky hillsides of Kick Ranch yielded a small crop of flavorful Sauvignon Blanc. I picked about a week before anyone else knowing the barrel fermentation and lees stirring was going to add plenty of richness to the final wine. Always fiddling/attempting to perfect I changed up the vinification a little bit. Much of the Sauvignon Musque went down to used barrels along with 12% new Acacia wood. The remainder was fermented in a 600 gallon oak foudre to enhance lees contact without as much stirring. I am very pleased with the resulting wine- perfumey and high-tone but possessing a lifted but broad center. 450 cases made. $22

2011 Casa Santinamaria White: The first vintage from these venerable vines planted in 1905. Like the Compagni Portis this is a old-field blended white vineyard but the varieties present are completely different. This is composed of Muscadelle, Chasselas, Zinfandel, Semillon, and even a little bit of Chardonnay. I picked everything together (including the red Zinfandel) and whole-cluster pressed it into a mix of old French oak barrels and stainless steel barrels. The wine fermented with native yeasts and ML was inhibited. The resulting wine is certainly unique! Though not as effusively aromatic as the Compagni Portis it possesses uncanny density and lift for a wine that did not see either malolactic or new oak. To be honest is reminds me most of a Marsanne/Roussanne blend. Eight barrels made. $17.50

2011 Bedrock Ode to Lulu Rose: In the ongoing quest to craft the perfect rose’ there are some revisions to the 2011 Ode to Lulu. Rather than being completely composed of whole-cluster pressed Mourvedre from Bedrock planted in 18888, this vintage the wine also contains 31% whole-cluster pressed Mourvedre from Pagani Ranch planted in 1921 and 9% younger-vine Grenache treated the same way from Annadel Vineyard. All the lots were picked between 19.6 and 21.2 brix. They were vinified separately using native yeasts and then blended back together. This is easily the most delicate version of this wine yet. It is a beautiful light copper-pink and weighs in at 12.3% alcohol. This will pair nicely with a wide range of Spring and Summer fare or simply on its on. God, I love rose! :relaxed: $18

2008 Lauterbach Hill Syrah: As many of you already know, the 2008 Lauterbach Hill saw 40 months in a once-used French puncheon. The site, located behind Martinelli Winery in the Russian River Valley, is known for both perfume and structure and I wanted to see what would happen if those two things were allowed to marry for a long time. The resulting wine is utterly unique. It is closer to the color of Pinot Noir but is imbued with exotic florals and spice. This is absolutely not a blockbuster nor typical of most of my other wines but will surely generate discussion! 40 cases made. $39

2010 Hudson Ranch Syrah South, T’n’S Blocks: Starting in 2010 I will be splitting the Hudson Syrahs into two bottlings based on the two distinctly different parts of Hudson Ranch. The Hudson T’n’S is composed of two beautiful blocks of Syrah (and a dash of Viognier) from the south ranch. T, planted in 1993 for my good friend and partner in Abrente, Michael Havens, is composed primarily of Syrah Noir clone. S, planted more recently, is Alban-selection. In 2010 I cofermented the two blocks together after picking at 24.1 brix (as usual I was the first to pick out of the vineyard which seems to be becoming a theme). For structure and spice I included 40% whole-clusters, which were foot trod and added to the bottom of the open-top fermenter. Fermentation, as always, was done with native yeasts. The wine was transferred to a variety of new demi-muids (600 liter barrels) and older French. The wine stayed on lees until racking for bottling in December of 2011. As with most of my Syrah’s this is an ageworthy wine, that is going to need some time to unwind and come into itself. $39

The Wine Advocate: The 2010 Syrah Hudson T’n’S comes across as dark and brooding. Smoke, game, tar, scorched earth, bacon fat and black cherries are some of the many notes that emerge from this dramatic, large-scaled wine. Firm, yet well-integrated tannins frame a chewy finish layered with intense, delineated fruit. This is a highly promising wine that needs time. The T’n’S bottling comes from the southern part of the Hudson Vineyard. It was made with 45% whole clusters and a small addition of co-fermented Viognier (2%). The wine was not racked until it was bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. 94 points.

2010 Hudson Ranch Syrah North, Pleine de Chene: The last year for “pleine de chene” as this will just become Hudson Vineyard North moving forward. The reason? To be honest I just do not enjoy the 2008 and 2009 Pleine’s all that much- and though they were great as an academic experiment I want to love the wines I make. As such, even though this is called “Pleine de Chene” it only received 60% new French oak rather than the normal 100% new. The north part of Hudson Ranch is off of Henry Road and is shielded from some of the bay influence by the last ridge of the Mayacamas range. As such, the nights here are colder and the days a little warmer. The result is a wine that is more primary, savage, meaty, and rich than the more floral and violet-laced T’n’S. $39

The Wine Advocate: The 2010 Syrah Hudson Vineyard Pleine De Chene is made from the northern side of the Hudson Vineyard and is 100% Syrah. This part of the ranch has cooler temperatures and the soils are richer in clay than those found on the southern side of the property. The Pleine de Chene is a decidedly more open, supple wine that places expressive fruit front and center. I don’t quite find the visceral thrill of the T’n’S, but in exchange the Pleine de Chene should drink well pretty much out of the gate. My only question is: couldn’t Morgan Twain-Peterson given his two Hudson Syrahs simpler names? Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. 94 points

2010 Kick Ranch Syrah: As usual this is the most forward and immediately alluring of the Syrah’s. Vinified with 5% Viognier and no stems, it is a forward, anise and violet, laced Syrah that is as aromatically compelling as it is delicious. Composed of two clones (470 and 383) from Dick Keenan’s superbly farmed ranch I find this wine to be one of the more soul-satisfying Syrah’s I make even if it is not the most ageworthy or dense. 6 barrels made. $32

The Wine Advocate: The 2010 Syrah Kick Ranch is a gorgeous, shapely wine. An insistent vein of minerality supports the dark fruit in this energetic, complex Syrah. The French oak is a bit noticeable on the finish and the tannins lack the polish of the very best Bedrock wines, but this is nevertheless a terrific wine for the money. The Kick Ranch was made from fully destemmed fruit and co-fermented with 5% Viognier. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. 91 points.

2009 Bedrock Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: I only made four barrels of this wine in 2009 and really wish I had made more. The wine is 92% Cabernet with 8% co-fermented Petit Verdot. The fruit, which I select from my favorite couple of blocks at the time of harvest, was destemmed and fermented with native yeasts in a small open-top redwood tank. After manual basket pressing the wine was then put down to four new barrels from Taransaud and Darnajou (M and M+ toast) and rested on primary less for 28 months prior to bottling this last November. I love Bedrock as a site because of its perfume-laden fruit and this is no exception. The aromatics are soaring and fresh (I picked at 24 brix) and the wine has plenty of structure. I fully expect this to go twenty years and gain complexity over that time. Four barrels made. $39.

The Wine Advocate: The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Bedrock Vineyard impresses for its elegance and class. Blackberries, cassis, leather, cedar and tobacco are woven together beautifully in this nuanced Cabernet Sauvignon. The essence of crushed rocks, violets and licorice wrap around the insistent finish. Sweet floral notes add layers of aromatic brightness on the close. In 2009 the blend includes 9% of co-fermented Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. 92+
As always, I extend my deepest thanks for your ongoing support of my little winery. Never hesitate to be in touch via email, morgan@bedrockwineco.com, with questions or concerns.

Cheers!
Morgan Twain-Peterson

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This is going to be exciting. I’ll go deep on the whites, the rose, and hope for as much cab as possible.

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Some interesting twists I didn’t expect! And thanks Morgan for including the Abrente in with the offering.

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Very excited about this release.
Interestingly, does anyone else find Morgan’s description of the two Hudsons and WA’s description to be sort of flipped, in terms of which is the more floral and approachable versus which is the bigger and broodier of the two?

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Morgan, cool info on Sodini Vineyard. I always did like the Rochioli Sodini Vineyard Zinfandel and had wondered what this fruit was going to in the last several years.

Thanks, Tom
Twitter: @NWTomLee

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I’ve never opened any of my red Bordeaux blends from Bedrock - anyone care to share their insights on what the Cab above might be like?

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Allocations are up. I left a lot on the table, just too many to afford, but I am excited for what I got.

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The release is live. I ordered a bunch, disappointed I didn’t get allocated any Cab, hopefully some will be available. Anyways, love the wines and look forward to many years of drinking these!

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Did anybody else get a “0” allocation on the Lauterbach? Is this a “wish-list only” item? I’ve been backing up the truck each offering for 18 months, so I don’t think purchase history would bump me from an allocation on this one.

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If you read it I think he said Cab and Lauterbach you had to wish list with such small quantities.

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Actually the 2008 (Library) Kick Ranch Syrah and the Lauterbach are the 2 wish-list-only.

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Morgan writes above that with only 400 bottles available, Lauterbach is wish-list only.