Sunbreak has a passion for managing old vine vineyards. And when an innovative young winemaker receives accolades for his focus on crafting exceptional wines from old vine fruit, we couldn’t be more proud. Morgan Twain-Peterson has been named by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of two Winemakers of the year. His family owns the historic 152 acre, 150 year old Bedrock Vineyard in Sonoma Valley that Sunbreak manages.
Joining him is Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars in Napa. This is the first year two winemakers have shared the honor. They are also the youngest. Good friends, they both are devoted to seeking out and preserving ancient, often century old vines throughout California, and are responsible for some of the most significant, critically successful wines in California today. They respect the varieties planted in the past and envision a bright future in California’s oldest vines.
Morgan is as comfortable in the vineyard as he is making wine having grown up working with his dad, Joel Peterson of Ravenswood fame. Morgan believes that by locating great sites and maintaining impeccable, sustainable farming, he can do the bare minimum in the winery which means handling fruit gently, many times using whole-clusters and fermenting with the microflora that comes in with the grapes.
Of all the one-of-a-kind-vineyards and special grower relationships Morgan has developed to make his unique styles of wines, the Bedrock Vineyard Heritage Wine is the closest to his heart. The vineyard was originally planted between 1888 and 1895 and composed of over 22 inter-planted varieties. Morgan founded his Wine Company in 2007 with an ancient field blend from this vineyard composed of roughly 55% Zinfandel, 30% Carignane and a balance of other varieties which speak to this amazing site and the quality of the varieties found here.
Morgan’s hope is to “reinvent and redefine what the ‘truly’ Californian wine is.” Zinfandel is surely Californian but by blending varieties planted generations and generations ago like Carignane, Alicante and others, even greater, more authentic wines can be created; pure expressions of vineyard and region and the most unique vinicultural asset- the ancient field blend.
Sunbreak shares Morgan’s vision. We are proud to have been an early mentor to Morgan in understanding farming practices as Bedrock Wine Company’s vineyard operations increase. Please read the San Francisco Chronicle’s entire article, “Winemakers of the Year”, by wine editor Jon Bonne.
~ Diane Kenworthy and Robert Burney
Winemakers of the Year connect California’s past and future