2018 Bedrock Wine Company Old Vine Zinfandel California 750 ml

Bedrock Wine Company is one of the hottest brands in California, and their 2018 Old Vine Zinfandel, from 100-point winemaker, California old-vine guru, and Master of Wine Morgan Twain-Peterson, is a stunner. Wine Spectator swooned over its “expressive black cherry, smoky anise and white pepper flavors.” We adore its red and black berries, cracked pepper, and allspice, all of it wrapped up in tannins that promise another five-plus years of evolution. No wonder Robert Parker has referred to Bedrock as a “world-class performer.”
 
But Twain-Peterson’s role in the world of California wine goes well beyond that. Indeed, he is widely considered to be one of the primary forces behind a growing group of winemakers dedicated to finding, restoring, and preserving historic vineyards, and then crafting wines that express their profundity. The 2018, sourced from across California, is concentrated yet fresh, delicious now and with several years of evolution to go. Alongside a grilled flank steak, or simply accompanied by conversation, it’s nothing short of magic.

Sourcing from all over the state allows Bedrock to focus on the strengths of the vintage: The 2018—a field blend from sites like Evangelho, Nervo, and Twain-Peterson’s own Bedrock property, all of which date back to the 1800s—showcases the excellent growing season in Lodi, Contra Costa, and Sonoma Counties. 

Some of the plots behind his blend are over 100 years old, and they are not just time machines that offer a glimpse of California’s viticultural history, but they also result in the kind of concentrated grapes that only ancient vines can produce. It’s a symbiotic relationship: Without these vineyards, winemakers like Morgan couldn’t make their old-vine wines. And without vigilant winemakers seeking out and making magic with their grapes, these vineyards would likely have ceased to exist. 

Bedrock’s entire mission, in fact, centers on old vines: 80% of the vines that Twain-Peterson works with are at least 80 years old. The experience of coaxing them through the growing season each vintage and into the bottle has made him an old-vines whisperer of sorts. The 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Co-Winemaker of the Year has come to believe the conventional wisdom that older vines result in more concentrated wines, but he goes a step further when he asserts that in exceptionally old vineyards, time itself selects only the best vines for survival.“If a vineyard has lasted through two world wars (and) Prohibition,” he has said, then “it must be special.” 

We invite you to taste for yourself.