Tree Kilpatrick

9.0

Lighter red color than I expected. Kinda a dark rose color. Nose is pencils and damp granite gravel river bed. And cherry Coke. Flavors are very dry and the whole classroom pencil sharpener. Also has rose petals and black chocolate mixed with anise and charred meats. Hint of blood. — 6 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.3

Terrific pinot from Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton. Absolutely love their wines after a few years in bottle, they come across as a central coast version of a premier cru burgundy. The nose screams Old World with earthy notes, but the rich palate says New World with evolving layers of red berry flavors, all supported by enough acidity to keep the wine alive. Awesome pairing with Vanessa’s poached chicken with a tomatillo and jalapeno salsa on a bed of steamed spinach with onion and bell pepper. In short, life is great! 😊 — 6 years ago

with Vanessa

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.6

It might shock you, but my favorite rosé is not French but instead comes from California! Blasphemy, I know - but Bedrock's Ode to Lulu is just that good. The difficulty is actually finding a bottle. For the last three years, I've only been allocated a case (or less) to sell here in Denver. It's possible you are one of the select few I've actually told about this wine... If not, now is your chance. This is the first year there's an "okay" supply. It won't last, but you should be able to get a bottle.

So yes, it's not French but it's made in the same style and method of Tempier Bandol Rosé- the most sought after, cult rosé out there. The name "Ode to Lulu" is actually an homage to the 4.5 foot tall, 101 year old woman named "Lulu" Peyraud (born Lucie Tempier) whose father gifted the Mourvedre heavy estate to her and her husband Lucien Peyraud. The wines they would go on to produce from the 1940's onward quite literally defined Bandol and put it on the map as some of the best rosés out there. She's still alive and presumably drinking plenty of wine.

This California-born "Ode to Lulu" is modeled after the great Tempier, but has some unique properties compared to it's French namesake. For one, the vines are EXTREMELY old. Tempier defined itself by focusing on old Mourvèdre and Grenache plantings, but even these French vineyards cannot compare to what Bedrock is working with in California. If you don't know, Bedrock is the winery of Morgon Twain Peterson, son of legendary Ravenswood founder Joel Peterson. Morgon grew up making wine and through his father has cultivated relationships with some of the most important heritage vineyards in California. The "Ode to Lulu" is made from Mourvèdre and Grenache planted as far back as 1888! These are some of the oldest plantings of these grapes around and make for unbelievable wines. Tempier's average vine age is around 40 years old today. Bedrock's is over 3x as old. Insane.

Morgon may be young, but he has a life time of winemaking experience. He started making wine with his father when he was 5 years old and hasn't stopped yet. In addition to absorbing his father's knowledge on heritage vineyards, he is a real student in the world of wine, earning a "Masters of Wine" designation (this industry's highest achievement). I've been drinking his wine for several years and I can say that his wine is made extremely thoughtfully and with expert attention to detail. This is true even with a wine as humble as rosé.

Unlike most California pink wine, Bedrock is not produced by "bleeding off" juice from a red wine. Instead, the grapes are picked early and separately at very low potential alcohols, and whole cluster pressed with low extraction. This preserves the freshness and acidity, creating a wine of clarity. In an old blog post I dug up, Morgon explains this idea:

"I pick at potential alcohols lower on the scale where brightness and lift still exist. This is not to say that fruit does not matter—I use Mourvedre from a block planted over 120 years ago for requisite concentration of complexity of flavor—but like fine champagne, the wonders of rosé lie in its unbearable lightness of being."

I agree with this idea of rosé and I think most people instinctively do as well. It's no coincidence that our best selling bottles come from provence. However, I urge you to pick up at least one bottle of this Ode to Lulu. It's a wine that's close in spirit to the best French rosé but made from vineyards that are American and unrivaled in age.

This is the fourth vintage of Ode to Lulu I've tasted, and I would say that's the most elegant yet. The 2015 was maybe my favorite for it's depth and I picked a few up to age, drinking my last bottle recently... This new vintage is great now, but it will reward with a short cellaring time. Honestly, if you can hide 2 bottles and drink them before fall or into next year, you will be blown away. Bandol rosé is a wine that improves dramatically over the course of 6 months to several years (Tempier Rosé is known to go decades). This bedrock is no different.

I can personally attest to past vintages gaining depth with time. How is this possible? Unlike other rosé which should be drank young, Bandol and Ode to Lulu are made of Mourvedre, a grape that is naturally reductive and resistant to oxidation. Further, the acidity is high and alcohol low. As the acidity starts to fall away, a depth and richness of character will emerge. In fruitier/riper rosé with more alcohol, this richness becomes too sweet and cloying... Not the case here. This keep balanced through time, gaining complexity while remaining refreshing. 

You should buy this wine. However, I think there is one more important facet to rosé that I should mention before you do... Rosé is not always about what's in the glass itself. Rosé is really an ethereal thing... It's more so an "essence" of terroir and vintage rather than a sturdy, hard representation like red wine is... Sorry if that doesn't make sense but what I'm trying to say is that sometimes rosé is more about the place and the people you enjoy it with than the exact flavors themselves. Of course, we cannot all visit the picturesque village of Bandol to visit Lulu Peyraud; but I think, with this sunny Colorado weather, we can come close. Perhaps Morgon said it better than I can:

"Proper rosé is refreshing, life-nourishing stuff that revives the soul... I drink as much for pure pleasure as for intellectual stimulation. In the warmer months there is something sacred about a late afternoon meal of cold chicken, fresh garden tomatoes, and rosé. It is one body in the sacred trilogy of rustic simplicity." - Morgon Twain Peterson

#rose #oldvine #lulu #tempier #bedrockwineco — 7 years ago

Jennifer V. Cole

9.5

Really really old Madeira. Tis the week of tasting beautiful things that went to bed a long time ago. — 9 years ago

with Lindsey

Gerald Montoya

9.5

Deceivingly complex. Definitely better as it warms up. Lemon juice, pear and apple on a thick bed of salinity and stony minerality. Serious length and depth. More complexity and raw power than the Cuvée Diane (the NV Blanc de Blanc) but not quite as polished and composed. — 9 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

One of my favourite Champagnes. At the Come Taste the Stars Dinner hosted by Tyson Stelzer. 100% Pinot Noir. Barely a foot of top soil before the roots enter the chalk. Incredibly minerality. Egly prefers NV to vintage for the Blanc de Noirs. Disgorged 2018 with 6 years on Lees. A blend of 2010 and 2011 both average vintages incredibly. Full bodied and powerful. Stunning. Amazing value compared to the Krug Clos de Ambonnay at $4500 and 10 times the price of the Egly. — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.7

Rare 96 RP Priorat, only 1,008 bottles of which I had 3 😊 @ €178 that's just beautiful & will age into divinity 😍 The 2015 is fab to 😉 Drink or hold it will deliver 👍 Probably optimal in 7-10 years 👌 Foot pressed to & I found no toenails 🤣

📍 Terroir Al Limit Les Tosses 2013

🐮 Paired w/ slow cooked beef 🥩 & Mrs Es Mac cheese 🧀 👌

🏵 97 points

🍇 100% Carignan from 70+ year old vines

🍷 Dark ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Elegant strawberries & spiced red cherries w/ touches of blackberry & punchy raspberry seduced by soft oak, soggy earth, violets, liquorice touch & fine smoke w/ a light farmyard backbone

👄 Med silky polished delicate dark & red fruits galore that dance all over your tasting sensors to activate a taste explosion of decadence on your helpless guzzle hole 😍 in a tickle of med acidity

🎯 Long soft but full earthy summer fruits 💋 and another 💋 in fact a dirty snog 😘
— 7 years ago

Johanna Ekblad

9.1

Great with a steak — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for my Friday's Cabernet fix. This time, a wonderful Chilean Cabernet.

Deep purple in color with a purplish rim.

Beautiful nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, earth, spices, peppercorn, leather, bell pepper, sage, peppermint, eucalyptus and smoke.

Full bodied with medium acidity and beautiful long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cherries, figs, cloves, herbs, earth, cola, vanilla, oak, spices, light vegetables, coffee, chocolates, bell pepper, tobacco, beef jerky and peppercorn.

Long finish with firm tannins and black pepper.

An elegant, Single Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, with lots of complexity and fitness, but not fully balanced yet.

Still young now, but very enjoyable by itself, and better with BBQ Meats. I paired it with a cheese platter, crackers and nice company.

Grapes are grown at the foot hills of the Andes Mountains, on stony soils. 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc.

14.5% alcohol by volume. — 9 years ago

Fabian Östman

9.0

Good everyday-wine :-) — 9 years ago

Deven Parekh

9.1

bright currants, juicy cherries on a bed of cedar and leather. great with pizza..... — 9 years ago

Charlie Beatty

Buyer wineworksonline.com

9.7

Ringer of the night!!! This 2013 from Sebastiani #sebastiani was pretty impressive. After a couple Big Boys from Dunn and Insignia. A Bordeaux style blend is fruit forward with great tannin structure great mix of fruit, Refreshing and Reasonably Priced! Robert Parker of Wine Advocate Fame gave it a 97 Rating. Only 24.99 a bottle. A Stunner! CB says a 97 also!!! Wish I had a lot more!!!! — 9 years ago

with Ralph and Karen

Nick Mau

9.0

Super solid Bordeaux blend from Sonoma. Solid price @$26. Will be ordering more of this one! #winecountryconnection — 6 years ago

Matt

9.1

Always been a go-to producer for me in terms of price, drinkability, and sense of place. This had all the MSD character I look for in village wines with generous fruit and weight to make it a no fuss experience. Some reduction and brett dominated but blew off quickly letting its leathery and brambly, sous bois fruity character shine through. One foot in rustic, one foot in conventional, this had a well rounded mix of what I like when I reach for this village. — 6 years ago

Jason Brater

9.1

I’ve said it before—don’t sleep on Michigan whites. This is another star from northern Michigan. Very light and pale color gives way to green apple and light pear flavors with a touch of lime. A touch of acidity gives it a crispness towards the back and it finished w a slight minerality combined w the lime citrus. Delicious. — 7 years ago

with Heather

Marissa A. Ross

Wine Editor, Bon Appétit

9.0

Like a Fruit by the Foot lit on fire for the fuse of a Molotov cocktail of boysenberry syrup. Not a huge Grenache fan, but this one made me reconsider. — 9 years ago

DeLaine Emmert

9.3

I'd take this boy to bed any night! One of my favorite go to wines! — 9 years ago

Maxwell Burns

Hospitality Kenwood Vineyards, Winemaker GARA

9.6

Vintage dated oloroso sherry? Sure... Unreal, not fully mature like a px, more like tropical fruit mixed with a nutty/oxidized thing. I could have a glass of this before bed every night. — 9 years ago

with Polina

Bill Bender

9.6

My first shot at the Realm white and it delivered huge. Astounding aromatics of sassafras (yes! @Roman Sukley) and rain soaked vegetation. Melon rind, stream bed and a lively verve. I may be crazy but I get a Haut Brion blanc vibe here. Outstanding with fresh oysters and good company. — 9 years ago

Chris DeBarr

8.9

Wearing tropical tastes of mango & young coconut on a plush bed of firm acidity. Makes me think of summertime.... — 9 years ago