2017 Bedrock Wine Co. Lorenzo’s Heritage, Dry Creek Valley -photo grapelive

2017 Bedrock Wine Co. Lorenzo’s Heritage, Dry Creek Valley.
The beautiful and complex Lorenzo’s Heritage by Morgan Twain-Peterson’s Bedrock Wine Co. is from historic vines in the Dry Creek Valley, farmed by John Teldeschi, from a family with a long tradition of growing in the region. Made from old vines, the 2017 is roughly 46% Zinfandel, 35% Petite Sirah and 14% Carignan, along with the small amounts of Alicante Bouschet, Cinsault, Peloursin and a few vines of Vaccarese, a rare Chateauneuf du Pape grape. Bedrock’s Lorenzo’s Heritage red field blend comes from the beautifully drained, gravelly clay soils of the western bench of Dry Creek Valley, which Twain-Peterson notes that these are some of the best soils for producing Zinfandel, Carignan and Petite Sirah in the state. Bedrock crafts their wines to provide a platform a stage for the vines to showcase their sense of place and history, and while known as a Zinfandel expert, Morgan Twain-Peterson, who is one of American’s very few Master of Wine, has done heroic work in preserving California’s Historic Vineyard sites that include a range of inter-planted varietals, some that were planted back in the late 1800s, like his own Bedrock Vineyard.

The 2017 Lorenzo’s shows a deep color and has a nose of black fruit and deep floral intensity that leads to a full bodied palate that radiates with raspberry, black plum, mission fig, cherry and a racy burst of blueberry all in a dense form that is hedonistic and textural in the mouth, but in a vivid and pure fashion. There is a ton going just under the surface with spicy tones, dried herbs, mocha, cedar and licorice. Impressive in feel and complexity this is a fabulous vintage it is a warm and ripe wine that is lifted by natural acidity and luxurious, velvety tannins, this is a red that has maybe 20 years of great drinking ahead of it. The structure is enhanced by that 35% of Petite Sirah, plus the juicy fruit of the Zin and lively old vine Carignan at it’s core with the other grapes adding background intrigue, this wine reminds me of some of the great Ridge Lytton Springs in it’s transparent style. Bedrock’s latest set are some of the best yet from Morgan and his team, and they look like California legends in the making.
($50 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive

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