2010 Bedrock Wine Company "Cuvée Karatas" Sonoma County Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc

The 2010 Cuvee Karatas is a Semillon/Sauvignon blend from the Monte Rosso and Kick Ranch vineyards. It boasts gorgeous textural finesse and silkiness in its expressive white stone fruits, jasmine and slate. It shows some of the size of the 2010 vintage, yet all of the elements are as well balanced as they could be. Astute readers will note that the spelling of this wine has changed slightly with the 2010 vintage in an attempt to remove any confusion with John Raytek’s Ceritas wines. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. Morgan Twain-Peterson is one of the most impressive young winemakers I have ever met, and it’s not just because he grew up the son of a famous producer. Making wines at this level requires talent, passion, hard work and a great palate, none of which is easily inherited. Along with Mike Officer of Carlisle, Twain-Peterson is on a mission to rediscover what he calls California’s old-vine “heritage” vineyards. These historic sites planted by California’s early immigrants, often home to unknown field blends, remain some of the most fascinating vineyards in California. Officer and Twain-Peterson were tired of seeing these old sites gobbled up by industrial-scale wineries, so they decided to do something about it. Bravo. Vintage 2010 was not kind to Twain-Peterson. Five vineyards were totally scorched by the late summer heat spikes and the crop from those sites were lost. But back to the positive, and there is plenty of that here. This lineup includes several wines th (2/ 2012)

A taste of Graves...from Sonoma! The 2010 Cuvée Karatas is a blend of old vine Semillon from the 120-year-old Monte Rosso Vineyard and Sauvignon Musque (a Sauvignon Blanc clone with notably exotic aromas typically found in traditional Bordeaux blends) from the Kick Ranch Vineyard on Spring Mountain. The lots were fermented separately in 85% new medium-toast barrels to promote the development of complexity and texture along the lines of a traditional white Graves. While the Semillon underwent malolactic fermentation, the Sauvignon did not, so as to preserve the freshness of the acidity and provide backbone to support the richness of the Semillon. The final cuvée exhibits a wildly exotic perfume of tropical and citrus fruits and a kiss of honey, followed by notes of candied lemon and spice. Creamy, nutty flavors are introduced on the palate, leading toward a mineral-laced finish. This is refreshing and complex white is made for the table. Bedrock founder and winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson grew up at Ravenswood winery where he began making wine at age five. As a young man, Morgan worked harvest at Hardy's Tintara in McLaren Vale, Australia and worked as a visiting winemaker at Chateau Lynch-Bages in Pauillac before returning to California to focus on revitalizing heirloom California vineyards. When it comes to white wine, his objective is to produce "fascinating and quixotic white wines from unique sites and interesting varietals." He sure has succeeded here.