Bedrock Wine Company:  History in a Bottle

Although Bedrock Wine Company is a relative newcomer to the California wine industry in that Morgan Twain-Peterson founded it in 2007, it is rooted about as deeply in the history of California winemaking as any current winery can be.  Morgan’s father is Joel Peterson, who founded Ravenswood Winery, and Morgan literally grew up in the business.  He was five years old in 1986 when he made his first wine, Vino Bambino Pinot Noir.  Through his father, Morgan also came to know many of the legendary figures in the history of California wine such as Joe Swan and the Teldeschi family.

In addition, Morgan and his business partner, Chris Cottrell, utilize sustainable vineyard management to produce grapes in some of the oldest and most significant vineyards in the state.  Morgan’s family owns Bedrock Vineyard, which General Sherman and General Hooker first planted in 1854, and he and Chris also make wine with fruit from Evangelho Vineyard (Contra Costa County, 1890’s), Pagani Ranch (Sonoma Valley, 1880’s), Dolinsek Ranch (Russian River Valley, 1910), and Nervo Ranch (Geyserville, 1896) to name just a few.

Additionally, Bedrock produces its wine in a very traditional and ethical manner.  In a quote from their website, Morgan and Chris “embrace uninoculated fermentations, native malolactic, the use of whole clusters in fermentation, minimal handling, rarely or never fine, avoid additions of things common in California like water and tartaric acid, and would rather use no oak than cheap oak.”

While Bedrock is best known for its small lot, single vineyard varietals and field blends, Morgan and Chris also produce wine under a second label, The Whole Shebang!  This non-vintage wine still receives the same care and ethical production as their first-label wines and its base comes from the Bedrock Vineyard.  The Tenth Cuvee Red is a rich blend of 55% Zinfandel with Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Alicante Bouchet, Grenache, Syrah, Barbera, and a small mix of white varietals.  In fact, at $13.99 per bottle, it represents one of the best values in a red wine in our store.

In short, when you drink wine from Bedrock Wine Company, you are drinking history in a bottle.  Stop by O’Bryan’s Wines & Spirits this week and try it yourself!

Cheers,
Frank