INSIDER'S PICK: 2021 BEDROCK WINE CO. 'ODE TO LULU' OLD VINE ROSE $25.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount on Thursday and Friday. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

The high times for Rose wines is getting into full swing, and there will surely be many options for big fun and inexpensive values. It's important to us to feature this one when we can, not just because we love everything Bedrock, but because it's among the most 'serious' Roses going, and this level of artistry deserves recognition. The name is in honor of Lulu Peynaud, historical matriarch of Domaine Tempier in Bandol, who is considered THE preeminent source of great Rose since they first bottled one in 1943. The high percentages of Mourvedre give these wines distinct acidity and intensity not found in most Provencal Roses, which is what Bedrock looks to emulate. The team at Bedrock use specific old blocks of Mourvedre and Grenache (some over 100 years old) that could easily be utilized in wines more than twice the price, but are dedicated to harvesting them early to preserve the acidity and making a wine worthy of its namesake. The nose is always a tight combination of both red and white fruits, some high tone citrus, and even some Provencal herbal notes (may be a form of synesthesia brought on by the background story, but I'm going with it). On the palate is where this shines so much more than others, with penetrating acidity and a sense of structure usually absent in a Rose, giving lots of fruit skin texture to the flavors, even a touch of salinity to the lengthy finish, always a big flavor without feeling thick in the mouth or heavy in any way. A great food wine that stands up to tuna steaks and cedar plank grilled salmon, and actually keeps quite well for several years after vintage, though not to the epic lengths of its namesake.

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