2012 Bedrock Heritage Wine

(from a site that was planted in 1888; 55% zinfandel, 20% carignane and the rest an assortment of red varieties; 30% new oak): Deep ruby. Pungent black raspberry and blueberry scents are complicated by exotic Asian spice and floral qualities. Elegant, focused and seamless, offering musky, floral red berry flavors with notes of bitter chocolate and smoky minerals. Delivers a lot of flavor but comes off almost delicate thanks to tangy acidity. The lively, mineral-inflected finish is long, focused and seemingly tannin-free, but I'm sure that's just an illusion.

Dark red cherries, iron, smoke, tobacco and a host of ferrous notes inform the 2012 The Bedrock Heritage. Today, the Bedrock comes across as quite tightly wound and intense, with less of the sheer early appeal of the Monte Rosso. The 2012 is an infant and still not fully formed, so readers will have to be patient. Bedrock was planted in 1888 with a field blend consisting of mostly Zinfandel and Carignane.

The 2012 Bedrock Vineyard Heritage comes from a vineyard planted in 1888 by the father of William Randolph Hearst. It has 22 interplanted varieties, and Morgan Peterson thinks that the final blend is something in the neighborhood of 55% Zinfandel, 20% Carignan and different proportions of about 20 other varietals. There are 600 cases, it was aged in 30% new French oak, and the alcohol is 14.8%. This outstanding wine displays lots of elegance, a distinctive earthy, loamy soil character intermixed with black currants, black cherries and underbrush, an attractive perfume, medium to full body, and is exceptionally well-made and pure. Drink it over the next 5-10 years. Morgan Twain Peterson, the son of Ravenswood's Joel Peterson, has hit the wine scene with a bang, producing vibrant, personality-filled, delicious wines from extremely old vines and, in some cases, virtually unknown grapes, such as Aubun, Teredalgo, Trousseau Noir, Le Noir, Mission, Trousseau Gris, Grand Noir and Abouriou, as well as Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Carignan, Alicante Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo. Many of these sites are heritage terroirs from the ancient past which, until Peterson's arrival, were largely ignored or were co-mingled into some innocuous industrial blend. Bedrock's portfolio is filled with exciting wines. The 2012s reviewed herein will all be bottled and released by Fall, 2014. Tel. (707) 343-1478