Give $20, Get $20. Refer a Friend Today!

Dashe Cellars 2016 Bedrock Vineyard Sonoma Valley Ancient Vines

Dashe Cellars 2016 Bedrock Vineyard Sonoma Valley Ancient Vines

Double Gold!
SF Chronicle Wine Competition 2019
Double Gold!
SF Chronicle Wine Competition 2019

Mission Codename Eighteen eighty eight

Oops, sorry if you missed out on that Huge Bear Cab, guess the pile wasn’t huge enough after all…

Double Agent Friday with some more of the Dashe Bedrock, eh?

1, 2, 3 o’clock, 4 a clock, BEDROCK - around the clock! Ladies and gents, The Wine Spies proudly presents to you, the true centuries-old Sonoma heritage in a bottle, and with previously never seen affordability. This year, the Bedrock Vineyard celebrates its 133rd birthday. Yes, you read that right. These vines rooted on a bed of rock in 1888, are the “giant redwoods” of the vinifera kingdom, consequently, the minuscule fruit and the sublime juice they yield is of unmatched intensity and complexity. At $29 and shipping included on 4 or more, this won’t last a day so act fast.

Black, blue and purple are all there, swirled up amidst a deep core of luminous ruby red. At once ripe and fresh on the nose, with jammy blackberries, bright cranberry, and a touch of spices in the background. The palate delivers superb concentration, youthful with massive fruit and a savory umami dimension within. Velvety in texture and seriously long on the powerful finish, proving the complexity centuries-old roots can add. Rich stews and all-day simmered pot dishes, or an ornate charcuterie and cheese platter would both pair wonderfully well with this superb, versatile red.

The Petersons of Ravenswood fame are the family continuing the legacy of this treasured site under the Bedrock name since 2005. Robert Parker points out that; “this ancient vineyard is planted with 27 different varieties, so I won’t even begin to list them, as that is a book in itself… few people have done more to preserve and save heritage/ancient-vine vineyards than Morgan Twain-Peterson, his commitment to excellence is something to admire.” Besides Dashe Cellars and Bedrock Wine Co. itself, the select few who are allocated fruit from this heritage vineyard include Turley, Carlisle and Rudius.

Mike and Anne Dashe have dynamite backgrounds. Mike worked the legendary 1989 vintage as an intern at Château Lafite-Rothschild and did stints at Cloudy Bay, Schramsberg, and Far Niente, before settling in at Ridge Vineyards, where he worked side by side with the legendary Paul Draper, while Anne interned at Château La Dominique in Bordeaux and Chappellet Winery in Napa, before making brandy for Remy Martin. Since 1996, Dashe Cellars has adorned the finest wine lists around the world, at most of the top restaurants in the US, including The French Laundry, Chez Panisse and Per Se.

Here’s what the wine judges have to say:

Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2019

History of Bedrock Vineyard – Joel Peterson - “Situated on the Agua Caliente Bench, Bedrock is one of the premier vineyard plots in Sonoma Valley. When Eugene Hilgard, the most important viticulture professor of his time, was asked in 1890 if any place in California could grow grapes to rival the great clarets of Europe, he unhesitatingly singled out this vineyard, whose history is also rife with some of the most notable figures of the nineteenth century. Founded in 1854 by Generals “Fightin’ Joe” Hooker (just back from the Mexican-American War) and William Tecumseh Sherman (a San Francisco banker at the time!), the spot has grown grapes for more than 150 years. Following the first phylloxera epidemic in the mid-1880s, it was replanted in 1888 by Senator George Hearst, a mining magnate, and father of publisher William Randolph Hearst; in the early 1900s, Hearst’s widow Phoebe sold it to the California Wine Association, which made wine from it until Prohibition. In 1934, the vineyard was jointly purchased by the Domenici and Parducci families, who ran the Valley of the Moon winery; when that relationship became acrimonious, the vineyard was split, with the Parducci’s taking the winery and smaller land parcel and the Domenici’s taking 152 acres that became as Madrone Ranch. In 2005, the Domenici’s sold the property to the Deininger / Peterson family, we renamed it Bedrock with a nod to its soil: Tuscan Red Hill series, washed down from the adjacent Mayacamas Mountains to form the alluvial fan on which the vineyard is planted. Because the place had been cultivated harshly for 100 years, we broke up the pan with a mechanical spader and revitalized the soils with compost and cover crops of vetch, bell beans, and ryegrass; the cobbly, well-drained loam, combined with long warm summer days and cool evening air flowing through the Bennett Valley Gap alongside Sonoma Mountain (a climatic profile similar to that of Joe Swan’s domain, the Forestville area of the Russian River Valley) is superb for growing Zinfandel, a tradition we’ve maintained with old-school, head-pruned viticulture.”

Read Full Review
Hide Full Review

What the Winery Says 2016 Bedrock Vineyard Sonoma Valley Ancient Vines

Dashe Cellars
Dashe Cellars
Winemaker
Michael Dashe
Varietals
30% Zinfandel, 45% Carignane, 25% Mourvèdre
Vintage
2016
Appellation
Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County
Alcohol
14.7%
Aging
16 months
Barrels
20% 1-year-old, 80% 2-years or older French oak
Release Date
May 1st, 2018
Production
8 barrels

About the Winery Dashe Cellars

Dashe Cellars Winemaker Michael Dashe
Dashe Cellars Winemaker Michael Dashe
Dashe Cellars 2016 Bedrock Vineyard Sonoma Valley Ancient Vines 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Apr 10, 2020 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
Sign Up For Free
Dashe Cellars 2016 Bedrock Vineyard Sonoma Valley Ancient Vines 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Apr 10, 2020 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
Sign Up For Free