Morgan Twain-Peterson discusses the new releases from Bedrock

Last week Morgan Twain-Peterson sat down with me to discuss his new releases from Bedrock Wine Company. Morgan is the son of Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood Winery and the recipient of my 2010 Winemaker of the Year recognition. The thing I like about Morgan’s wines is his philosopy to to let the vineyard sources speak in their own voice, something he attributes to his father instilling in him at a young age.

I know this may sound a bit over the top but when I think of Morgan and his wines, I find his wisdom and humility when combined with his approach to winemaking is exceptionally rare for someone who is still thirty years old. I keep pushing the concepts of “Chosen One” and “Golden Child” out of my mind, but it isn’t long before those images return as a frame of reference with Morgan as the ultimate force of good in a “B” kung-fu movie. Then there is the whole Master of Wine action, where he only needs to complete his disertation before becoming the youngest American MW. Wine is in his DNA, he made his first wine before the second grade. As a critic I maintain my objectivity when it comes to wine, yet I am among the growing throng who appreciates him on many levels.

First of all, I don’t think of Morgan as the nouveau Ravenswood, even though both father and son created their brands through bottling under designated vineyards. Morgan has been an even more active proponent of bringing esoteric  varietals (through field blends) to the atention of the market. His 2010 Heirloom White, from Compagni-Portis Vineyard is a great example. Over the last generation, craft winemaking has continued to evolve in California, Twain Peterson represents the future of that, not just as a winemaker, but also as one of the founders of Historic Vineyard Society, a non-profit, creating a registry of ‘old vine’ vineyards in California and raising awareness of the importance of preserving and understanding the heritage of this unique resource. When your philosophy on winemaking is so connected to old-vine material, it makes sense to also be part ofthe vanguard in preserving it. I reviewed thirteen different examples of 2010 Bedrock in issue two of www.pdwr.co and include a link to the page The file dowloads outside of pdwr.co (in honor of Morgan’s birthday).

purely domestic wine report is a fan of Historic Vineyard Society and provides a web page for them on this site. 

During our meeting, Morgan tasted me on several wines and I shot them in 8mm: Please enjoy.