Photo courtesy of Once & Future

Zinfandel History 
Old Hill - Grand Cru Pedigree

Once & Future is one of the most important heritage vine projects in California today. From the man that created the most popular Zinfandel brand of all-time, Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood in 1976.

Peterson built Ravenswood into one of the most beloved brands in California, focusing on Zinfandel and old-vine mixed planted vineyards. The forgotten vines - as many refer to them. 

Alas, Peterson sold Ravenswood many years ago, and quietly worked on preserving heritage vineyards in California and promoting old-vine wines for the following years. When his son entered the wine world and established Bedrock Wine Cellars focusing on these old-vine vineyards, the call for Peterson to make wine again was very strong. After assisting his son with Bedrock for the first several years, Once & Future was born.

This is Joel’s project, making wines just like he used to and want to. These are not high tech wines, rather, these are old-school wines, made today with low tech means. They are wines that are based on old-vines from a specific place. They are wines that Peterson loves to drink and are the core of what Ravenswood was founded 45 years ago. They are wines of bold personality and unique character. They are unmistakably a Joel Peterson wine.

“...Old Hill is quite simply one of the most pedigreed sites in the entire state. It is a truly special place in every way.” 

“It’s always a pleasure to taste with Joel Peterson, as he is a veritable fountain of knowledge when it comes to the history of California vineyards and wines...

Certainly, the character of the very best vineyards in this range comes through loud and clear, and that is what these wines are ultimately all about - expressions of place. The 2019s were fermented in open-top redwood tanks, with indigenous fermentations, and aged in French oak. Readers will find these wines endowed with terrific energy, vibrancy and character.”

–Antonio Galloni

Loyal fans of Bedrock and Once & Future do not want to miss the opportunity to taste these wines. In our humble opinion, these just might become sleepers and cult-collectibles in ten to fifteen years from now, as there is just something about these wines that hints as they evolve and unfurl there will be so much more revealed that will be absolutely impossible to resist.

Cheers,
Jeremy