Hiroshi Tominaga

9.0

Very good. Bought through JAL, I think. — 3 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.3

Nose has mashed blackberry, ripe black current, ripe black cherry, wet saddle leather, horse barn, dried mint, fried green herbs, chopped bacon, muddy garden soil, constantly developing...

Palate has mahogany shavings, black cherry 🍒, dried garden soil, day old bacon bacon 🥓, over-ripe black currant, warm dark chocolate, (minor) baking spice with a very long and intense finish. This wine has at least a decade in front of it tonight. Perfect, supple cork on extraction.

Still quite tannic, decanted 4h, needs much more time to reveal it's true self.

My retailer commented this was not a standard CA Cabernet, more Bordeaux-like, and he was fully on point. The stink on the nose really pointed us away from CA right away.

Paired to some expertly grilled, medium-rare Delmonico steaks from my favorite, local farmer in Columbia Co. NY (Kinderhook Farm), well salted (in advance). Finished with Maldon smoked sea salt, best which exists in the world, IMHO. Also roasted beets with goat feta from VT, where I can only image goats listen to Phish and eat Ben & Jerry's ice cream daily, because only a stress free life like that could yield cheese this good.

I'd like to know the blend on this, should anyone know, I can't believe it's 100% Cab based on the stinky nose, which we appreciate. — 4 years ago

Cameron Waldo

9.0

Real good. It would be be be tasty wif some cheez — 5 years ago

with Kat

Andrew Willingham

9.0

Powerful sweet red fruit on the nose with oak/vanilla. Palette sees more bright Fruity notes, Brett, medium+ acid, long finish. Even better after 18hrs in the fridge...Valdigué was more fun, IMO, but this is good value for $25. — 6 years ago

Anthony Riebsomer

9.0

Good blend. A little punchy, but not too much — 6 years ago

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 — 6 years ago

Brian

9.5

Strawberry with a little dark cherry maybe. Good balance. — 3 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of deep purple mixed with bloody red. Nose of coffee and chocolate, cherry, oak and vanilla, flowering notes, berries, crayon, and the nose is plenty. Taste of hickory sweetness, like good quality Syrah, peppery, cherry and strawberry, smooth and low tannins, refined acidity, a bit zesty grapefruit and sprinkled with alcohol note, tobacco leaves, and simply quite tasty. Aftertaste is medium long with pepper and more dark fruits note. Crowd pleaser. — 4 years ago

Tom Young

9.3

Really good zin. Some of the best of Bedrock — 5 years ago

Lyn Farmer

9.0

Well balanced with plenty of black fruit, medium acidity and tannin. Long finish, good wine with food — 5 years ago

with Harley

Joseph Barsky

9.3

2014 Vintage. 14.2% Alcohol. Good fruit and acidity but still some tannins to resolve to fully shine. Whole cluster stems no doubt. Nice to see others have access to this fruit. — 6 years ago

Kiley Baker

Certified Specialist of Wine/Educator/Owner of Wine Genie LLC

9.1

Seriously good. Deep, dark fruit notes of blueberry and blackberry. — 6 years ago

Michael Stephan

9.0

Vino Volvo Airport. 2003 very good. — 7 years ago

with Michelle

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.1

I literally gave up on domestic Chardonnay...but I love the flavor profile—Tart, juicy Granny Smith and ripe sweet pear. No discernible oak, light crisp acid/ fruit balance and ABV under 13. What a food wine! Every time I pop an Enfield, I congratulate myself on my perspicuity and good sense. It’s not hard to drink well, just ignore the big names and hype. — 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

This is a tasty Napa Cabernet. Showing black fruits, cedar, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, chocolates, mocha and coffee.

Full-bodied and smooth with soft tannins with nice length on the finish.

Good by itself or with food. Showing a nice mouthfeel with nice complexity. Spicy and tangy.

This will be beautiful in 5 years.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$80. — 5 years ago

Rebekah Hobbs

9.5

Nice tannins, great fruit flavor and spice! Needs some time to open up but very good. — 5 years ago

Gavin Baum

9.4

So good. Lifted, gracious, and pure, with wonderfully sappy, medicinal raspberry and kirsch character. So fine and energetic and juicy. Absolutely love it but it's wound a little tight at the moment. Give it a year or two. — 5 years ago

Fernando Cabanillas

8.9

Plenty of fruit. Not very complex but good body. Thanksgiving 2018 Houston — 6 years ago

Sean BCS

9.5

So good. Smooth, not much alcohol bite. Can’t beat this — 6 years ago

Timothy Snyder

9.2

This is very good. Roughly 20bucks at bevmo but part of the 5 cent lineup. Light and tasty. — 7 years ago