California Heirloom Wine#1: Bedrock Vineyard (w/ Joel Peterson)

Bedrock Vineyards

California Heirloom Red Wine #1

Sonoma Valley

Grapes: Zinfandel, Carignane, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Barbera, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir de la Calmette, Tempranillo, Mondeuse, Negrette (Pinot St. George), etc. etc.

This is the whopping field blend of field blends. Actually, this will be a combination of a true field blend and a “deconstructed field blend” (take that Derrida!). I will start with separate fermentations of Zinfandel, Carignane, Mourvedre, Syrah, Barbera, and a mixed black blend of Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Syrah, Mondeuse, Peloursin, and Alicante Bouschet. I will then blend up the best wine I can from the constituent elements. I am tentatively planning on using a couple tons of Zinfandel, one ton of Carignane, and then a half-ton of everything else. However, if something is just looking superb in the field I will change it up. As Stewie from Family Guy would say “Ahh, it’s good to own land.”

Based on the consistent excellence of the Carignane in 2005 through 2007 the total percentage of Carignane in the blend will go up in 2008. Two tons each of Zinfandel and Carignane will be fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top fermenters. I will then ferment separately 1 tons lots of Barbara, Syrah, and a coferment of Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet. Elevage will be undertaken separately, with the wines allowed to age, unracked and on lees, for up to ten months with batonnage through ML. The best blend that can be assembled from the constituent elements will be made and the juice that does not make the cut will be put into the Hooker’s Shebang jug wine.

This year, 2008, approximately 40% new French oak will be used and sourced from the Nevers forest. The barrels will be coopered by Nadalie, Boutes, Gillet, and Rousseau.

Bedrock Field Blend Large Version: Download

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Published:: 08.09.07 / 11am

Category:: Cinema, The Vineyards

Bedrock Wine Co. » Blog Archive » The California Field Blends: Bedrock, a little Mystery, and an Experiment 08.09.07 / 5pm

[…] Heirloom Wine 1: Bedrock Vineyard Heirloom Wine 2: Mystery Vineyard Heirloom Wine 3: Marchus Vineyard […]

Rawbeen 08.12.07 / 11am

Great Vineyard Find and Super Video - although the audio for Joel was not as clear as Morgon’s …and some may want to hear what both had to say - even with Caritas barking in the background… cute… was Chris playing with him to kep him occupied ?

Morgan 08.12.07 / 9pm

I believe Chris was looking at us like we were absolutely insane. Which, by the way, is a perfectly valid thing to think! And yes, Caritas was doing her best to tie me up with her leash throughout the shooting of the video.

Chris 08.22.07 / 1pm

Actually I was so hungry I ate a full cluster straight off the vine, I couldnt taste a thing for the rest of the day

Jeff Kitchens 08.30.07 / 10am

Great family, great history lesson….

Morgan 09.12.07 / 5pm

The Bedrock Zinfandel is in the fermenter now. It soaked up to 26 brix, with a pH of 3.76 and a TA of 6.5. Depending on whether the TA number jumps in the fermenter, which has been known to happen, I may or may not make a TA to bring down the pH slightly.

DAP and Superfood (100 ppm) were added this morning to feed the yeasties and prevent reduction. So far this is showing typical high-tone Sonoma red fruits, spice, and already the mid-valley tannin. Really quite nice.

I am picking the Carignane tomorrow morning, and will most likely coferment it with some old vine Syrah (there is not enough old vine syrah to ferment by itself). I am also bringing in the younger Syrah tomorrow. The Carignane is tasting delicious. It is nice to make wine in a good year!!

Drew Goin 09.17.07 / 12am

I love what you’re doing with the background of the vineyard(s) and grape varieties! I have one bottle left of the 1999 Domenici Vineyard (aka Bedrock) Zin from Sebastiani that I will have to pop soon. The last time I opened one (summer, 2006) changed my understanding of the purposes of blending. As Semillon may outlive the Sauv. Blanc it is often blended in small amounts into, I found that the Mourvedre’s trademark blood and leather flavors were the dominant elements in the Domenici bottling. I’m glad to see that the vineyard has found it’s way into the hands of those who will preserve such a delicious piece of history!
I always am intrigued by how talented winemakers choose to express the multitude of voices buried in field blends (aka Bucklin and your father’s interpretations of the Old Hill Vineyard; Ridge and St. Francis’ expressions of the Pagani Vineyard). I look forward to tasting the fruit of the Bedrock Vineyard!!!

Morgan 09.17.07 / 8am

Thanks Drew! So nice to hear from someone with such experience with Sonoma Valley field blends.

The 1999 Sebastiani should be really good, as 1999 was a great a year for North Coast Zinfandel. It never really got the press it deserved since it was a ho-hum year for Cab and Chardonnay.

The other thing we have done since buying the vineyard is really reduce crop levels in the old vines. This year we averaged 2.77 tons/acre, last year was 1.7. In contrast, the previous years the levels were up around 4-5 tons per acre, which in my opinion is just too great for such an old vineyard to sustain without frequent irrigation and fertigation. Sort of like making your grandma do sweatshop labor…

Our hope is that by achieving a little better balance in the Zinfandel we will get better fruit expression. I would say that Barricia Vineyard, which was part of the same original farm as Bedrock, has better Zinfandel since it has been farmed better for the last twenty years. That said, Bedrock makes up for the slightly lesser quality Zin by its large amounts of excellent Carignane, Mourvedre, Syrah, Alicante, and others.

Due to the normal tannin levels found from Bedrock Zinfandel and the rapid fermentation I decided to press on Saturday, after only six days of maceration. Sonoma Valley Zin is more about elegance and aromatics and I find that sometimes these characteristics are sacrificed when winemakers go for too much color or tannin extract. Also, since the Carignane, Mourvedre, and Syrah all have deep color and the latter two have large amounts of tannin, I will not be lacking in these assets when it comes to creating the final blend.

Speaking of Carignane and Syrah, they were both picked last Thursday. The Carignane is tasting excellent, although it soaked up to a crazy 28 brix (we are talking Rosenblum levels!) and the TA is a little lower than I would like. As such, I watered it back to 25 to hopefully ensure a good fermentation, and may need to do a TA add soon as well.

The Syrah came in at 25 brix. I decided to ferment the old vine stuff in the Rousseau puncheon I used for Rebecca’s Pinot Noir. With it I included about 20% whole clusters to hopefully heighten the aromatic and spice components of the wine. The remainder of the young vine Syrah I put into Tonnellerie Baron ferment barrels. The ferment started almost immediately, and is creating quite a cap. As an experiment I included macerating enzyme to break down the skins a little bit for more color. The results have been scary– the stuff looks like ink! There is some debate whether the color attained via macerating enzymes “sticks” with the wine as it ages, but as of right now the stuff is impressively dark….

The Mourvedre is still about a week away. Not surprising since Mourvedre has the longest ripening cycle of any major (or somewhat major as the case may be) grape variety.

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California Heirloom Wine#1: Bedrock Vineyard (w/ Joel Peterson)

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