2014 The Fog Monster, Bedrock Red, Sonoma County, California, USA
Critics reviews
Jancis Robinson MW
About this WINE
Fog Monster
Sonoma County
North Coast's Sonoma County is California's largest AVA with 19,800 ha (2005) of vines. It has forever been the home of the meek and mild small grower as compared to the grandeur and might of neighbour Napa; more picturesque too, as much of the sandy, gravely loam land belonged to true orchards and fruit farms until the 1970s.
Sonoma Valley covers a small part of Sonoma County but its wines often outshine its illustrious neighbours in Napa County. Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon are cultivated here with much success. Sonoma Valley has long enjoyed a special place in the history of California wine. The first vineyards in the valley were planted by Franciscan monks in 1823. In 1857 Agoston Haraszthy, one of the founding fathers of California's commercial winemaking, opened here the highly successful Buena Vista Winery.
Closer to the coast are the region's top producing AVAs for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay: Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Green Valley, while the slightly warmer Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys have earned a reputation as a hotspot for Cabernet, and increasingly, Zinfandel and Merlot.
Recommended producers
Ridge, Teira, Williams & Selyem, Rochioli are definitely worth investigating.
Other Varieties
There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.
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Description
Fog Monster is the exciting California project from Chris and Andrew Mullineux – the couple behind Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, one of South Africa’s most iconic names. Andrea is Californian, so in between harvests in the Cape and when visiting family in the US, the couple decided to start a small label – Fog Monster.
They make the wines at a custom-crush facility, working with fruit from some particularly special vineyards. The red comes from Bedrock – the same remarkable site that gives its name to the Bedrock Wine Co.. The vines were planted in the 1880s, and are a complex field blend, dominated by Zinfandel. Thanks to 50% whole-cluster, the wine is fresh and perfumed – with lifted red fruit and spice joining the core of darker fruit. The age of the vines gives the wine remarkable concentration. Layered and rich with fine-grained tannins, it builds to a long spicy finish. Drink now to 2025.
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