Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; no formal notes. This was another beautiful example of Assyrtiko from Artemis Karamolegos. This one however, is 100% Assyrtiko from 120+ year old, own-rooted vines. It’s also drop dead gorgeous. Bright, fresh and concentrated lemon citrus fruits, a touch waxy and beautiful minerality. The acid is awesome. Finish is long and saline. A wonderful pairing with grouper and pasta with shrimp saganaki. — 7 months ago

Evandro Pereira

9.4

Seis anos depois da ultima garrafa...que diferença! No auge — 4 years ago

Mikey T

9.1

$120 direct from the winery, perhaps a riddlers circle shipment or maybe cellars club. I recently recycled all the fliers because I’m relocating so no flowery descriptions. Rather, I had a glass of the Blanc de Blanc at dinner last night and I’d be happier with that one compared to this one. For me, this one is not worth 4x the price and all the extra space it takes up in the fridge. — 5 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

9.1

12.9% ABV
82% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Noir.
35% fermented in barrel.

Serving this next to another $120 bubbly (2006 Taittinger Comte) I have to judge with both my wallet and preference. Unfortunately that doesn’t fall in the favor of this Schramsberg which showed a bit of reduction notes (noticeably some lead pencil shavings).
No doubt a great US sparkler but not a competitor with great Champagne at this price point. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Fun packaging, O.G. Purple red, dense, high pigment extraction. Red fruit aromas, strawberry, raspberry and cherry. No overripe notes. On initial pour, red fruit flavors explode in mouth. High acidity, chewy skin tannins on initial pour, high mouth coating astringency on finish with lingering cherry-citric flavors. Worth decanting for ninety minutes, could even age this one. Strawberry aftertaste but a lot of acid, not sour, just high acid. Violet and black currant flavors with length emerge 90 minutes after opening, tar notes after 120 minutes. Nice varietal expression, so be patient. Strawberry and a hint of raspberry dominate flavors. Great value if you can decant and wait. Really nice wine, dynamic, surprising expression for me for a Zin. — a year ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.0

Really ripe and rich. Too much me thinks. The freshness and crisp texture that I love in the #sangiovese grape has been lost in a blend with #cabernet and #merlot Oh yeah and then there’s the price! Completely too expensive, average price is about 120€ in Europe with no VAT included. #biondisanti #toscano #tuscany #italy Castello di Montepo is a Tuscan wine estate in the Scansano district of #Maremma Toscana, founded in the 1990s by Jacopo Biondi Santi of the famous Montalcino family.

The winery is housed in the castle Montepo itself, a single fortress building set on a rocky outcrop
In contrast to the Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino estate, where large Slavonian oak casks are used for maturing wines, the wines here are aged in French oak barrels. — 4 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

Makoto Someya

9.0

Aroma includes ink, Black currant, tabacco,
30 min, concentrated. Oak and complexity. No. Actual concentration came 90 min. Feel powerful. Fruity blue and black berry. 120 min texture is also getting better.
Mid +. Elegant and powerful one
It takes time, at least one hour, two or more to decant it even in 2006 @3100, xiaduo - , 210928-211015 — 3 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2015 vintage. The white Domaine de Chevalier is one of the greatest Bordeaux whites, and this 2015 is no exception. The secret lies in the terroir and the extreme selection of grapes, returning 4 to 5 times to the same vine in order to harvest only perfect grapes. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Purity, complexity, perfect balanced and terrific length. Not cheap at around 120 euros, but well worth seeking out if you can afford it. Moreover these wines age beautifully for decades. — 3 years ago

Chris England

9.7

One of my favourite wines that’s I’ve been resisting as this 09 is a 💯 Parker pointer but wait no more for this £120 bottle of joy could I do 😁 now £160+

📍 Chateau Pape Clement 2009

🏵 97 points w/ bigger potential for sure 👍

🍇 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot & 5% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Opaque blackened deep rich ruby

👃 Plump blackcurrant, blackberry & blueberry bursting through soft char-smoked oak, soggy earth, obliterated pencil & crushed mineral rocks w/ dark plum, herbs, raspberry liquorice, dark mocha & red roses

👄 Med+ body of creamy smooth big fat chewy blackberry, blackcurrant & damson w/ red liquorice, minerals, mocha & sweet blueberry

🎯 Long slight dry mineral driven rich plump dark fruits well balanced & not overpowered w/ a liquorice earthy mocha kick & gloopy blueberry linger
— 5 years ago