Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood Winery in 1976 with a focus on Single Vineyard Zinfandel. Ravenswood was immensely successful and over time began producing in excess of a million cases per year. Once & Future is the return to the original vision Joel had for Ravenswood so many years ago – a small project specializing in wines from unique older vineyards.
Bedrock Vineyard, formerly known as Madrone Ranch, was first planted in 1854. Senator George Hearst purchased the property in 1888 and planted most of the vines that exist to this day. Located in the Sonoma Valley the vineyard is also a fruit source for Turley, Robert Biale, Limerick Lane, Carlisle and Bedrock of course.
Bright crimson in color. 14.9% ABV. Sublime nose of bright red fruits, mint and pepper. Medium body with medium acidity. Packed with lush, earthy fruits. The tannins are notable. Cherry, cranberry, plums and pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. This is a big, well structured Zinfandel that I would be inclined to drink over the next several years while the fruits are still vibrant.
My rating: 92 points.
I always hesitate to suggest yet another mailing list to my readers but I’ll make an exception here. Sign up soon as I suspect these wines will be hard to come by in the not so distant future. The 2024 vintage set of wines will be released next Spring.
I blogged about Once & Future previously in The 2021 Once & Future Zins with Joel Peterson in Bedrock Vineyard.