Bedrock Wine Co., Evangelho Vineyard Areio e Vento e Amor, Contra Costa County 2021 - 75cl

Evangelho is one of California's great treasures, an ancient patch of vines in Contra Costa County planted on sand so deep and pure that phylloxera never took hold. The vines here are own-rooted and well over a century old, gnarled survivors that Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Co. treats with something close to reverence. This bottling, Areio e Vento e Amor, is his special selection from the site, led by Mourvedre with old-vine Zinfandel and Carignan woven through.

Sand gives these wines their signature: lifted perfume, fine-grained tannins and a sense of weightlessness even when the fruit is deep. Twain-Peterson farms and vinifies with a light hand, letting the place speak. The 2021 is a wine of real dimension, layered and quietly powerful rather than loud.

Expect a savoury, earthy core wrapped around dark berry fruit, with peppery spice, dried herbs and a mineral, almost dusty thread that marks out the vineyard. The palate is vivid and long, structured but never heavy, the tannins polished into silk by that sandy soil. It drinks well now with air and has the balance to reward a decade in the cellar. A wine for someone who cares where their bottle comes from and wants a piece of Californian history in the glass.

How to Serve

Serve at 16-18°C. Decant young bottles for an hour to let the aromatics unfurl. A large Burgundy-style bowl suits its perfume. Drinking now through to around 2032.

Where to Drink It

The River Cafe for its instinct for great single-vineyard reds alongside rustic Italian cooking. Planque in Haggerston, built for characterful, cellar-worthy bottles. Dandy on Maltby Street for a relaxed, wine-led dinner.

Food Pairings

Reach for slow-cooked lamb or a herb-crusted rack, the savoury Mourvedre echoing the rosemary and thyme. Grilled quail or squab would be lovely too, matching the wine's game-y, earthy side.