K Brooks

8.9

Very nice red blend, fruity but dry. In an Alsace style. Blend of Pinot Noir, Marquette and Lucie Kuhlmann grapes — 7 years ago

B

10

2000 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Cuvée Lucie. Dinner at H&H w H&J R. Didn’t decant. Was standing up for a week which made the wine so clean. Perfect. — 7 years ago

Kimberly Anderson

9.0

Lots of years left in this beauty! Black plum on the nose. Tart cherry, plum, and anise. Firm tannins and quite dry on the finish. Such a treat- thanks @curtbielke — 7 years ago

with Chad

Devin B

8.9

Delicious cucumber and honeydew melon. Very fresh with excellent small bubbles. — 7 years ago

julie d

9.5

Vin de Lucie, bu à l'hôtel le dernier soir de voyage (2017-10-16) — 8 years ago

Andy Presland

9.0

Lovely fragrant Chambolle. Prominent acidic backbone initially but softened with aeration. Perfumed and seductive, classic style. You can keep new world fruit bombs, this is class. — 8 years ago

Jack Edwards

Importer/Founder The Jack Edwards Collection

9.0

Wow new one for me! — 9 years ago

Jpou Pou

9.2

Apero Blandine-Raph-Lyse-Nico
Coup de cœur Lucie — 9 years ago

Conrad Kenley

9.0

Adolescent with fine tannins — 10 years ago

Nicolas Bazinet

9.3

Champagne Ludovic David,
Cuvée Lucie 2006 — 10 years ago

Terrance Johnson

9.9

Kosta Brown & Santa Lucie Highlands! Yes. Beautiful Fruit with a decidedly pepper finish — 10 years ago

Stephane Leduc

9.5

Excellent with or without appetizers! — 11 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 — 7 years ago

Jennifer

9.1

Complex. Each nose is different. Honey, apricot, floral notes. Creamy — 8 years ago

Norm Baker

9.0

Lucie brought back from Croatia. Very nice, simple wine. Easy to drink — 9 years ago

Natasha Phillips

9.9

Had in london so smooth and amazing — 9 years ago

Jonas Mendoza

9.2

One of the first vintages after Romain Lignier's passing. Black plum and cherry, and sous bois notes. Elegant structure and acidity; will continue to drink for another 10 years. — 9 years ago

Michael Pitts

9.6

the best Lignier CDLR according to Laurent. I agree! — 10 years ago

CK Vong

9.2

2005. Impressive blueberry. Drink. — 10 years ago

Maria Regina

9.3

Extremely light and tasty - paired well with the spicy beef and sticky rice.
— 11 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

On the nose; dark currants, stewed styled blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, blueberries top nose, black raspberries, strawberries haunt here & there, semi-sweet tarry notes, dark chocolate, dry clay, loamy dry top soil, leather, lead pencil shavings, cedar, black tea, decayed red florals with fresh violets.

The palate is full bodied. Tannins rounded, dusty and 40% resolved. The structure is still big & bold, tension tight, balance is getting there and the length is in a good place with better evolution ahead. Dark currants, stewed styled blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, blueberries top nose, black raspberries, strawberries haunt here & there, semi-sweet tarry notes, dark chocolate, hint of mocha powder, vanilla, medium spice, dry stems, bay leaf, dry black turned earth, dry clay, loamy dry top soil, leather, lead pencil shavings, cedar, black tea, decayed red florals with fresh violets. The acidity is a little light but not bad. The long, drier, balanced finish is developing but needs another 5-8 years to reveal its best self.

Photos of; Owner Michel Bortolussi, small barrel room & Chateau Lucia exterior.

Producer notes and history...the owner of Lucia, Michel Bortolussi, got his start in the Bordeaux wine business selling equipment needed to make wine to all the top producers and winemakers in Bordeaux.
However, his strongest customer base were the numerous Chateau’s located in the Saint Emilion. Michel Bortolussi knee that if so many of his customers could produce great wine, he could as well. One of his best clients was wine consultant, Stephane Derenoncourt. That relationship was the start of Chateau Lucia.

Before Bortolussi and Stephane Derenoncourt teamed up to create Chateau Lucia. The wine was formally sold under the name of Chateau Lucie before Michel Bortolussi changed the name to Lucia.

The first vintage for Lucia was made in 2001. In 2012, Chateau Lucia was sold to Enzo Ide, a Belgian businessman.

Enzo Ide has retained the same technical team for their Right Bank vineyards and wine making. Enzo Ide also owns another vineyard, Chateau La Rousselle in the Fronsac appellation.

The 4.3 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Chateau Lucia is planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

Lucia has some of the oldest vines in Bordeaux. In fact, some of the vines date all the way back to 1901. They also have two other sections of vineyard with vines that are on average 30 years of age.

The younger vines are situated close to Chateau Monbousquet. Those vines are planted in more of the sandy terroir with some clay in the soils. Overall, the vineyard has a terroir of clay and limestone soils. The vines are planted to a vine density of 5,500 vines per hectare.

There is a lot of intensive labor that takes place at Chateau Lucia. To produce Chateau Lucia, the berries are harvested by hand. The fruit is sorted twice before fermentation. The grapes are whole berry fermented in small open-top, oak tanks that range in size from 30 to 50 hectoliters.

Everything in the small cellars is moved by gravity. Malolactic fermentation takes place in french oak barrels. The wine is aged on its lees in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for between 12 to 18 months, depending on the character and quality of the vintage.

The production of Lucia is small at about 1,250 cases depending on what the vintage gives.

The 09 while tasty after opening up over an hour, still needs another 6-8+ years in bottle to be all it can be. Drink 2024-33. — 7 years ago

Dan Mahoney

9.7

Perfect with our Spanish Tapas tonight! Welcome to the world, Lucie Judith. — 7 years ago

Riccardo L.

9.0

A white that refreshes and leaves you with the ability to breathe fire. Dry with a sweet finish. A paradox of brilliant textures and complexities. Gorgeous. — 8 years ago

Martin Davies

8.9

Very clean and soft. — 8 years ago

Eric George

9.2

Picked it up on a wine tour in the Wolfville area...quite tasty. Not overtly earthy, and fruity enough to remind you that it came from a grape...but dry & mouthy enough to still make you pause & savor. — 9 years ago

with Jenda

Katell Pleven

9.0

2012 touch of sulphur perhaps at bottling, not 100% sure. — 9 years ago

Derek Stadnicki

8.9

Citrus, melon, gooseberry. Lots of mineral and acid in the finish. Nice, crisp and clean. Would be great with hearty fish like tuna and anything that veers toward a softer, tangy Asian pallet. — 10 years ago

with Caroline

Charlotte Martyn

10

Medium-full bodied wine, goes well with fish and spicy foods, very fruity. Notes of peach and citrus fruits a very smooth wine. — 10 years ago

S L

9.0

With the Bartos' in Port St Lucie- nice Italian dinner- this can went great with a fabulous chocolate and caramel mousse dessert. — 11 years ago

Kevin Yen

9.2

2014/6/21@Evan Zhou's home — 11 years ago