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Morgan Peterson is the son of Joel Peterson, the famed Ravenswood master of Zinfandel. Raised on his parents winery, Morgan clearly developed a passion for wine, and over the past two years I've been turned onto his style of winemaking and like other second generation winemakers like pal Ethan Lindquist, Morgan is not trying to be the spitting image of "dad" and is instead making other wines at the Bedrock Wine Company.
The 2010 Ode to Lulu is an hommage of sorts to Lulu, the matriarch of Bandol's Tempier and to Tempier in a nice way. It's made from 120 year old Mourvedre and each time I pop a bottle of this I think back to afternoons in the sun drenched region of Southern France. It's absolutley pale rose in color, very salmon like, and reminds me of Tempier at first whiff. On the palate it's bone dry, with the right fruit flavors and crispness that you just want to throw back and enjoy. While complex, it's also the kind of wine you don't want to sit there and study.
If Kermit Lynch, the master importer went back to selling wines from the USA this would be his kind of wine. Oh, that's right, Lynch brings in Tempier. Well with Tempier Rose selling in the thirty dollar range, this is a third less, locally produced and in my mind a better wine. Heck the vines are as old or older and the winemaker is younger and you get to say you "Buy American."
