Bedrock Old Vine Zinfandel 2017

“I am incredibly proud of this wine.  I have said it here before but it bears repeating—even though this is one of the least expensive wines we make, in many ways it is the most important.  First, it is the one Bedrock wine that trickles out to most markets, so if someone gets introduced to our wines, there is a good chance it is this one.  As such, it has to be reflective of the style we place value on.  Second, this is the wine that allows us to rehab old vineyards by giving us a place to put the fruit while we upgrade farming, pruning, and soil health; at an average of 80 years of age, these lovely old vines appreciate the attention.  Third, we now farm over 50% of the fruit that goes into this bottling, which allows us to make the hard farming decisions (dropping fruit, picking in multiple passes, etc.) to ensure we get the quality we need.  Fourth, it is a statewide blend of vines, which means we can flex towards the strengths of a vintage.  In 2017 we were able to put extra focus on the great quality in Contra Costa County (27%), Dry Creek (12%), Sonoma Valley (17%), Alexander Valley (11%), and Lodi (10%) to create a delicious, balanced and juicy wine.  Fifth, we want this wine to spread the gospel of Zinfandel from California, and as such this sees fruit from great sites such as Evangelho, Bedrock, Nervo Ranch, Teldeschi Ranch, Sodini and Pato Vineyard.  The final wine is roughly 86% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah, and 5% Carignan, with the balance being Alicante Bouschet and all the other crazy and lovely field-blended varieties found in our old vineyards. Drink 2019-2030.” -Morgan Twain-Peterson. Rich and supple, this is an explosion of pure, decadent fruit. Floral huckleberry and Chinese five-spice powder aromas open to layered blackberry, dark chocolate and licorice flavors that linger.