As we enter the cold, dark days of winter, it is time to talk about a category that has become somewhat unfashionable lately: big California reds. In particular, I’d like to talk about old vine reds. On a basic level, as vines grow older they produce less fruit, but the fruit that they do produce becomes increasingly complicated and complex. California has been producing wine since 1769, when Spanish monks began establishing monastery vineyards to produce sacramental wine. The commercial grape growing industry developed during the 19th and 20th century, until Prohibition caused many of the state’s vineyards and wineries to be abandoned. Following World War II, tastes changed as Napa and Sonoma became the dominant winemaking regions on the basis of their cabernet sauvignon, leading many of the state’s oldest vineyards to be ripped out and replanted. Nevertheless, some of California’s viticultural history survived, particularly in regions like Lodi, Paso Robles and the less populated areas of Northern California, and today there is a surprising abundance of vineyards with vines over 100 years old. As the price of land and fruit in Napa and Sonoma has soared, many younger winemakers are exploring these neglected vineyards and discovering some of the greatest fruit in the state.
On the topic of old vine reds, I can think of no producer I’d rather talk about than Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock. Founded in a friend’s abandoned backyard chicken coop in 2007, Bedrock has become a major player in California wine as a result of powerful reds that beautifully reflect the terroir of some of California’s most famous and most breathtaking vineyards. Eschewing popular winemaking products like lab grown yeast and artificial coloring, Morgan crafts flawless wines with an experienced hand gained as a result of growing up in his father’s winery, Ravenswood. Ravenswood played a major role in legitimizing zinfandel, long a maligned jug wine grape, as an excellent variety to reflect terroir in single vineyard wines. The Twain-Peterson family has also played a major role in preserving the aforementioned old vine vineyards, and as a result, Bedrock has access to some of the best and oldest vineyards from the Sonoma Coast to the foothills of the Sierras
Bedrock Zinfandel, $34.99
Zinfandel has long had a reputation as a bruiser of a grape, and Bedrock’s Zinfandel certainly isn’t trying to change that image. This wine is loaded with ripe blackberry, licorice, cocoa and black pepper with a chewy but supple tannic structure that feels decadent alongside the wine’s low acidity. The grapes are sourced from a dozen or so vineyards (all averaging over 80 years old), but there is a substantial amount from some of Northern California’s best sites, including Teldeschi, Papera and Evangelho.
Bedrock Sonoma County
Cabernet Sauvignon, $49.99
A very different cabernet sauvignon than we’re used to. Only showing light signs of new oak aging, this wine truly showcases the potential of cabernet when made with a balanced hand. Fruit and spice are front and center with notes of black currant, plum, blackberry, cedar and tobacco with a bit of green bell pepper spice to add some energy to the bouquet. The body is big with light acidity. If you’ve been scared off of cabernet by California’s extracted and oak-laden style, then this throwback to the winemaking style of the 1970s may just change your mind.
