I was approached by a fellow Zinfandel lover (@wineatsea on Twitter and Instagram) about doing a virtual tasting of wines from the acclaimed Bedrock Vineyard.
Bedrock Vineyard, formerly known as Madrone Ranch, was originally planted in 1854 by General William “Tecumseh” Sherman and General “Fightin” Joe Hooker. It later passed into the hands of George Washington Whitman and then to the former American Consul to China Eli T. Shepherd. In the final two years of his oversight, from 1886-1888 the first vines on rootstock were planted at the vineyard, though this was likely the hybrid Lenoir which was not totally resistant. Senator George Hearst purchased the property in 1888 and planted most of the vines that exist today, one of the first to be planted on rootstock in the state due to his connections with the University of California.
I wrote about Bedrock Vineyard previously in Top 10 Old Vine Zinfandel Vineyards.
Notable wineries with access to Bedrock Vineyard fruit include Bedrock, Carlisle, Once & Future, Limerick Lane, Robert Biale and Turley.
The virtual tasting will take place on Saturday, July 10th. I plan on opening the 2013 Turley Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard. If you want to participate post a picture and/or tasting note on Twitter or Instagram or both. Use the hashtag #BedrockShowdown and tag myself, @wineatsea, @bedrockwineco on Twitter and/or @bedrockmorgan on Instagram. Please share this blog post with the Zin lovers in your life and I’ll see you on Saturday.