John Greer

8.9

This one was interesting. It was quite drinkable. Not a stand out but I would order it again. It seemed subtle and smooth. It went well with the beef tenderloin I was having for dinner. — 4 years ago

Guillermo Gonzalez

9.0

Stone fruits, some spice. Piercing acidity. Maybe the blend but drank a bit like a southern Rhone. Didn’t stand up to Melissa Clark’s Hoisin Glazed Pork Bowl. — 5 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.1

This wine can stand tall as a gatekeeper of its provenance and act as a proof of the true greatness of Merlot when its crafted with respect. Everything is there, we have some dark, graceful and plush fruit, we have some red soft fruit acting in the background, we have complexity coming from spice, nutmeg, coffee and we have a fine dose of pencil shavings luring in the background. The palate jumps off with a prune like character, but the tannins are quick to act, embracing the fruit, keeping the wine dry and surrounds the palate throughout a good lenght. A bit of heat from the alcohol in the back end, but I guess you need that after a week like this. It’s lovely and makes me long for the great right bank of Bordeaux. — 6 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.1

Holy hey wish I’d had this when I was writing my piece on Grenache BUT consider this a late entry. The fam puts Grenache through a more intricate than usual procedure including a drying in the dark ritual for some stems. And that hand picked attention really adds some magic. This one has the ability to stand tall and solid and remain ethereal in soul. As good Grenache should be. It contains multitudes. And (their words not mine but it’s accurate) ninja tannins. They slice you in a way you aren’t even aware of. — 8 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Tall head of carbonation on pour. Pale golden color, slightly cloudy, large bubble size in carbonation. Mild but complex apple aroma, perfumed, almost floral. Dry, malic acid shifts to citric and lactic finish. Tactility from bubbles in finish and aftertaste, mild astringency from pulp. No alcohol level listed. Subtle, but worthy pour. Recommended to serve at cellar temp of 50F, but I liked it even colder. Label also mentions minerality — 8 years ago

Robin Hicks

8.9

Beer OK. Setting better. — 9 years ago

Adam Reinhard

9.9

It says it is not strictly dry, but I think this allows the raging funk to shine bright and stand tall. — 9 years ago

Carson

9.2

This wine doesn't contain any huge fruit or spice but instead presents as a remarkably complete wine, overall. Only the tannins stand out, but the wine is an absolute joy to drink, no pairing required. Just a wonderfully complete wine that stands tall all by itself. — 10 years ago

Ming L

9.3

Single vineyard 100% Sangiovese, this 13’ Chianti Classical Riserva displays
fragrant nose of sour cherry, strawberry, thyme, balsamic, incense, hint of violet and barnyard. Great fruit intensity on the palate with lots of earthy nuances. High yet round acidity. Polished grippy tannins lead to an elegant long finish.
This would stand tall to a lot of BdM. — 4 years ago

Meg Herring

9.1

As I was researching this wine, I saw that Crush Wine Co calls it a “gateway skin-contact wine” and I agree that’s the best way to describe it. It’s got very high acidity and a creamy texture but the flavors are very approachable: orange peel, ripe yellow apple, and white flowers. Btw I don’t think I’ve ever rated a wine for under $20 this high but for me this is really a stand-out. — 6 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.4

For those who know Kermit Lynch’s “Adventures on the Wine Route,” Domaine Tempier should stand tall amongst the fabled unsung French heroes. Perhaps because Mourvèdre is an equally unsung hero.

2016 is a field of herbs de Provence with a texture slippery like jello. Barely ripe strawberries and raspberries, and a good dose of chalky limestone.

— 7 years ago

Paul DeBono

9.0

Solid crisp Chardonnay. Great on a warm evening as a stand alone glass of wine. — 8 years ago

Ron R

9.2

A brilliant Sangiovese blend. Loving this example/vintage. Black cherries, spice box and coffee stand tall. Showing perfectly now, but could put on weight over time. Excellent. — 9 years ago

with Anne-marie

Aaron Tan

9.1

Brought this to a min 1er cru dinner - kinda feel bad for that, but I thought a wine consisting of all of Prieure Roch's best crus would stand tall against the rest. So darn bunchy (perplexing, given how it's made; must ask Yannick). Good, but it wasn't the flower bomb of the 10'

Note from Prieure Roch's website:
There are years where the fickleness of the weather prevent the even ripening of all the grapes on the bunches, and as the grapes cannot be harvested before the stems themselves fully ripen, on these years any extra ripe grapes will detach themselves from the stem while on the “table de tri”(sorting table). Since the traditional Burgundy vinification methods require the grapes to be fermented “entière” (in whole bunches) the loose berries are not used, despite being wonderfully ripe. However, taking all of these loose berries from every vendange, every cuve, permits us to unite all of our best crus and create one “cuvée spéciale”. This “tri” (selection) has in effect been made by the grapes themselves hence the name Pinoterie (Pinot-tri, understand the pun?). Natures choice, ripe voluptuous fruit, sheer pleasure.

Perhaps the most expensive bourgogne out there. Then again, it's a wine featuring a mix of premier cru and grand cru fruit. — 9 years ago

Jenna Portelance

9.5

This a Sauvignon I can stand behind. Bruised tropical notes, peppermint, dried tall grass, brown sugz and that's just on the nose. Big popcorn finish for the win. — 10 years ago

Christopher Brida

9.5

Dark fruit flavor. Plum and cherry. Can stand up to sting flavors. Great with steak or a cigar. — 5 years ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.2

Juicy IPA, brewed for those who stand the thin blue line 👮‍♀️ — 5 years ago

Paco Suro

9.1

Yum. Love the tall boys. — 6 years ago

Severn G

9.0

When you have a birthday party for a 2 year old, the adults need to drink better than juice boxes...

Fun wine, mixed or stand-alone! — 7 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 — 8 years ago