Clawing at the sky like gnarled bursts of lightning, the 130-year-old grapevines at Bedrock Vineyard in Sonoma are pillars of survival. There are nearly 30 varieties in this vineyard — burly, twisted limbs pruned goblet-style. They look like trees in an arthritic pygmy forest.

Sonoma ValleyBedrock Vineyard was planted in 1888 and today is meticulously cared for by winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson and his father, winemaker Joel Peterson.

The 35-acre “field blend” vineyard contains zinfandel, alicante bouchet, mourvedre, carignane, tempranillo and petite sirah, as well as more obscure varieties, such as peloursin, mondeuse, negrette, serine and more, many of which are combined to produce Twain-Peterson’s award-winning wines. These are some of Sonoma County’s oldest vines. But the story behind them is sometimes muddied with myth.