Pobega'd these three at dinner @ Susan's w/ some friends:
1. BedrockWineCo CompagniPortisVnyd/SonomaVlly/SonomaCnty WW (14.2%; Pharmed by PhilCoturri; Dry farmed; Plntd: 1954;
GWT/TrousseauGris/RoterVeltlineer/Riesling/Chard + others; 50% destemmed & cold-soaked for 4 hrs/ 50%
whole-cluster pressed) 2014: Light gold color; strong stony/mineral/chalky/Loire-like some figgy/graham cracker/waxy bit rustic/Corsica-like quite interesting nose; fairly tart/metallic/tangy rather stony/mineral/chalky/grapefruity some floral/figgy/waxy/CinammonCrisp fairly rich/lush quite interesting flavor; very long waxy/figgy/graham cracker fairly stony/mineral/saline/savory/earthy finish; not the aromatics I expected from these varieties but I expect that will come out w/ time; this should become a very interesting wine w/ time and should put on weight; great white for the price. $26.50
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2. BedrockWineCo Zin OldVine (14.4%; > 85 yrs avg age; EsolaVnyd/AmadorCnty+ NervoRanch/Geyserville+ SodiniRanch/
LimerickLane+ CasaSantinamaria/SonomaVlly+ BedrockVnyd/SonomaVlly + others; Drk: now-2023: MTP): Med.dark color; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/RRV/bit briary/peppery slight oak quite fragrant nose; soft slight tangy strong blackberry/boysenberry/peppery light dusty/OV/earthy lovely flavor w/ slight tannic bite; very long bit tangy strong blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/peppery bit dusty/OV/earthy structured finish; resembles mostly very good RRV Zin; quite tasty now but will really be good in a yr or so and probably go out 6-8-10 yrs; a steal of a Zin. $19.50
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3. Drew PinotNoir ValentiRanch/MendoRidge (13.2%; 100% native yeast frmt; 57% #667/28% #115/15% Pommard clones;
30% whole-cluster; 165 cs) 2013: Med.light color; strong PN/black cherry/black cherry cola rather earthy/mushroomy/savory light smokey/oak almost Burgundian quite lovely nose; quite tart savory/mushroomy/earthy light smokey/oak strong black cherry/black cherry cola/plummy flavor w/ some hard/firm tannins; very long savory/mushroomy/earthy/dusty some black cherry/black cherry cola light smokey oak finish w/ modest hard tannins; needs several yrs of age and should go out at least 10 yrs; very good mountain Pinot. $45.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. C-P: I was expecting a lot more floral aromatics that you'd find w/ GWT/R in the blend. Didn't find that, though. Instead the wine reminded me a lot of CingueTerre Vermentino, a bit of Gascon UgniBlanc, a bit of Basque Txakoli; I expect the aromatics will come to the forefront over the next yr and this will be a good wine 10 yrs down the road.
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2. Bedrock OV: When I was doing some wine shopping for dinner in Basel at the Manor grocery store (an extraordinary store for wine & cheese and other gourmet items), what did I stumble upon but the Bedrock OV Zin '11. Quite a surprise.
Some very special Zin vnyds go into this OV Zin. FrankMahoney & PaulDraper made some terrific Zins from Esola back in the '70's. I gather the vnyd has not received the attention it deserves since (Ornery)ErnieEsola died some 20 yrs ago. His widow, Lena d'Agostini-Esola died a few yrs ago and it's now being run by their daughter, Denise. I look forward, down the road, to seeing a Bedrock EsolaVnyd Zin.
The CasaSantinamaria produced some terrific Zins over the yrs by PeterWellington. I've not tried any of the Wellington wines in over 15 yrs, so don't know how they are these days.
This OV Zin '14 is one real steal for a Zin. It's the ole Bedrock lament..."I shoulda bought more". It has a structure that you'd not expect in a Zin in this price range and will offer up much pleasurable drinking in the future.
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3. Drew: I have, of course, followed Jason & Molly Drew from the very start, back when they were making wines down in Buelton. His style was much different then...big/bold/extracted wines. With his move up to Elk, Jason made a gradual evolution to the dark side and has now become a poster-child for the IPoB movement. Despite that, I am still a big fan of his wines, particularly the Syrahs. His Albarino is also first rate and his MendoRidge Viognier is one of the best in Calif.
Tom