I'll Drink to That! #236:
Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Co.
2013 Bedrock Evangelho Heritage
The IDTT interview with Bedrock's Morgan Twain-Peterson offers a fascinating, must-listen window into Californian wines.
Morgan has been steeped in wine since day one. He grew up in a wine family, worked wine retail throughout college and graduate school, and studied wine formally through the Master of Wine program.
In the interview, there's a great story of him selling the Pinot Noir that he made as a kid to some of New York's top restaurants (places like Blue Hill, Gramercy Tavern, Aureole, etc.) years later when he was working in retail in New York. This is one of many fun anecdotes along with deep insights that you can listen to. You can check out the interview either on iTunes or visit illdrinktothatpod.com for more listening options.
When Morgan returned to California and founded Bedrock, he didn't focus his energies on Cabernet or Chardonnay. Instead, he looked further back in California history and turned to old vine mixed parcels and even bought old-school redwood fermenters. The model owes more to pre-prohibition winemaking than current fashion.
The results have been really impressive. Antonio Galloni has gone so far as to say that "Morgan Twain-Peterson is one of the most impressive young winemakers I have ever met."
For us, Bedrock's Evangelho sums up what makes it so special.
Today, we're happy to offer specially discounted pricing on the 2013 Evangelho. Regular pricing is $39.95, but we've discounted it to $33.95 for listeners of the podcast.
To receive the special pricing, please use the IDTTFORME promotion code. You can shop online, over the phone or reply to this email.
There's no doubt that Bedrock has unearthed amazing sites. There's everything from a very old mixed parcel of Negrette, Zinfandel, Mondeuse, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Ruby Cabernet (and many others) that borders the famous To Kalon Vineyard and is at the base of Harlan to an insanely old parcel of Semillon from the Monte Rosso vineyard. And that's just to name a few. With that said, everyone seems to have a soft spot for the Evangelho. It comes up often when I speak to my former colleague, Chris Cottrell, who's now a partner in Bedrock. In the introduction to the interview, Levi talks about the amazing quality of the Evangelho fruit he worked with while doing harvest at Dirty and Rowdy.
Evangelho is a treasure trove of 120+ year-old vines in the sandy soils of the Sacramento River Delta that escaped phylloxera, the vine pest that decimated vineyards on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 19th century. People who've visited the vineyard compare it to walking on the beach.
Evangelho is a vineyard that has its own deep wisdom – one acquired from over 120+ years of adaption to its environment and a blend of vine plantings meant to provide balance and consistency tailored to its particular location. The vineyard is planted with Zinfandel, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and a bunch of other varieties, like Palomino, Alicante, and Mission.
Morgan notes that the Evangelho Vineyard gives them the lowest pHs of any of their sites. This endows the Evangelho with a crackling acidity wrapped around dark fruits, spice, herbs and ultra-fine tannins. At first taste, you know this is a special, one-of-a-kind wine. Morgan has a lot more to say about the Evangelho in the interview.
Special pricing, 120+ year-old ungrafted vines... there's not much left to say besides you should definitely check out the interview either on iTunes or visit illdrinktothatpod.com for more listening options.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits