Our second seminar of the Mise en Place 25th Anniversary weekend was with winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Company. We tasted a flight of five of his wines as he discussed both the process of the individual wines and some of the philosophies at Bedrock. It’s obvious that in addition to having a great deal of knowledge about the subject, Morgan also has a great deal of passion for winemaking—the art as opposed to the science.
2010 Albrenta Albarino
I had had a taste of this already at the previous day’s pre-seminar reception. At the time I wondered how much Albarino was getting grown in California, so it was the first question I asked. The answer was “not much.” Golden straw color. Bright perfumed banana on the nose. Some spice on the crisp palate. High-toned, acidic, and rich.
2010 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
Grassy and lemony nose, but far more restrained than southern hemisphere Sauvignon Blancs. Nicely aromatic. Rounder and richer on the palate than its cousins, but still with sufficient acidity to be a first wine of the evening.
2010 Ode to Lulu Rosé
Slightly candied nose. Morgan said that it’s made from 100% Mourvedre, which really shows through. Great mouthfeel. It reminded me quite a bit of a Bandol. A serious rosé and a serious effort. A winner.
2009 Bedrock Heirloom
A classic California field blend, the powerful tones of the Zinfandel and Carignan were evident from the get-go. Muscley tannins but quite sensual, I enjoyed tasting the Petite Sirah coming through.
2009 Old Lakeville Syrah
Deep purple color. Quite muted nose of perfumed baking spices merely hint at what’s coming. Definitely an Old-World style wine. Beautifully sweet in the mouth, expressive notes of black pepper, cherries, tobacco, and dark berries. Great texture all the way through. My notes say “World Class Wine” and I’m not changing my mind.
There’s a new star on our list of small batch producers. I immediately found a local retailer who carries the wines and set to picking up both the Rosé and the Old Lakeville Syrah (and was quite pleased on our return trip to Mise en Place that they were carrying them both on the by-the-glass list).
