The 2022 edition of the Bedrock Old Vine Zin finds this seminal wine in its best rendition to date! Bedrock Wine Company Owner/Winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson, as you probably already know, has made it his personal mission to carry on his father Joel Peterson’s (of Ravenswood fame) important work saving California’s oldest vineyards from the bulldozer, and is in the process of creating (and in the process preserving) an important legacy; bottling the fruit from these vineyards as so-called Heritage wines. It’s the bits and pieces that don’t make it into these super-limited cuvees that become either his fabulous Bedrock Old Vine Zin. That, and his California Syrah, have become two of America’s finest bargains in top-flight red wines, and each plays and important role in the preservation of these irreplaceable vineyards. Surging from the momentum earned from their annual appearances in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 and scores of other great reviews, these wines have taken on lives of their own. The Old Vine Zin is a standard bearer at PRIMA. In 2022 fruit from the great Teldeschi Ranch comprises just over 20% of the blend, followed by Beeson, Sodini, Nervo, Dommen, Pagani, Papera, Evangelho, Pato, Katushas’ and Bedrock—a murderer’s row of California icons, all creating what is likely the world’s best value in old school red wine. The finished blend is 76% Zinfandel, 11% Carignan, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Grenache, 3% Cinsault and bits and pieces of Grand Noir, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and other field-blended varieties. As usual, the average vine age is around 80 years old, which makes this truly an “old vine” cuvee. Dark, packed with briary fruit and long, long on the palate, this is the perfect blend of new- and old school Zin. Drink now because it’s so good. Keep some too because you’ll be mighty pleased to taste this again in five or six years!

We’ve also grabbed

Vinous on the OVZ: The 2022 Zinfandel Old Vine is an absolute delight. Fresh, floral and fruity, the Old Vine is a terrific wine to drink now and over the next handful of years, while the fruit remains vibrant. Dollops of Carignan, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Cinsault and other varieties round out a blend crafted from a number of top sites in the Bedrock portfolio. The Old Vine Zinfandel is especially vibrant and refreshing this year. Best of all, it should be terrific value. 90 points