Lodi Wine: The Unique, Unusual, and Unconventional

During our Snooth - Lodi Wine trip there were dozens of wonderful wines that we sampled that could keep us writing for months. But in order to conclude this Lodi Wine series, this post will focus on several wines worth mentioning - emphasizing wines made from unconventional grapes or a unique Lodi heritage.   Note also that most of the information regarding the grape varieties come from wine-searcher.com.

Reds

St. Amant Winery 2017 Lodi Barbera ($18)
Barbera is a dark-skinned wine grape variety found in several Italian wine regions, including its native Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Campania and even the island regions, Sicily and Sardinia. At the turn of the 21st Century, it was Italy's third most-commonly planted red wine grape, after Sangiovese and Montepulciano. In Lodi, Barbera thrives in its Mediterranean like climate and this wine derives from a 57-year-old vineyard. It's also one I brought home afterward.

Bokisch Vineyards Las Cerezas Vineyard Graciano 2016 ($28)
Graciano is a black-skinned wine grape from northern Spain, grown principally in Navarra and Rioja with the classic Graciano wine is moderately tannic, deeply colored and intensely perfumed, with aromas of mulberry, violets, and chocolate. Bokisch Vineyards is the leading producer of Spanish styled wine in Lodi as founder Markus Bokisch's family history is centered upon Catalonia, Spain. This wine nails the chocolate descriptor and is noted for its long silky smooth finish.

Anaya Vineyards 2016 Clements Hills Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is the quintessential Piedmontese wine grape – the dominant variety in five of the region's DOCGs and numerous DOCs, the most notable of which are Barolo and Barbaresco. Nebbiolo wines are distinguished by their strong tannins, high acidity, and distinctive scent. Anaya is a new Lodi winery located in the Clements Hills AVA that has been growing grapes for over a decade and is now venturing into producing their own label. Besides the intense tannins and acidity, this wine is very drinkable now but these characters will allow it to age wonderfully.

Fields Family Winery 2011 Tempranillo ($28)
Tempranillo is a red grape variety which forms the backbone of some of the finest wines from Spain and Portugal. Almost every red wine from Rioja and Ribera del Duero has Tempranillo at its core, and in Portugal, the variety is widely used in the Douro Valley – under the name Tinta Roriz – both for table wines and fortified wines (Port). It is a thick-skinned red grape making deeply-colored wines with moderate tannins. The grapes for the Fields Family Tempranillo are from the Estate Vineyard Lot 13 which was planted in 1915 and is the first Tempranillo vineyard planted in Lodi. These vines' roots run deep - sometimes over 25 feet in the sandy loam within the Mokelumne River AVA. This wine explodes in the mouth, like poprocks, juicy, then structured and a pleasant finish.

McCay Cellars 2015 Grenache ($35)
Grenache (Garnacha) is a red-wine grape grown extensively in France, Spain, Australia, and the United States. It is particularly versatile both in the vineyard and the winery, which may explain why it is one of the most widely distributed grapes in the world. I believe the fruit for this wine comes from the Abba Vineyard in the Mokelumne River AVA and it is fresh and clean, fruit forward and excellent with the MSushi Tuna tartare.

Mettler Family Vineyards 2015 GSM ($35)
"A beautiful blend of three Rhone varietals: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre. All three of these varietals trace back to the Mediterranean coast and thrive in the Lodi climate. They blend poetically together, each bringing a different flavor profile. Grenache adds a fresh raspberry flavor. The Syrah brings savory dark fruit flavors and a velvety mouth-feel. Mourvedre adds a nice tannin structure and herbaceous aromas. "

Klinker Brick Winery 2015 Lodi Carignane ($25)
Carignan or Carignane (Cariñena in Spain) is a black-skinned wine grape variety, most likely native to Aragon. The variety is found in wines along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in northeastern Spain and in France's Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is used most commonly for blending with many of the region's other key varieties – most famously Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. The grape prefers warm, dry climates when the grape can express high tannins, acid, and color. The Klinker brick Carignane is produced from a 108-year-old, single vineyard block that winemaker Joseph Smith notes that the gripping tannins accentuate the soft cherry and.earthy aspect of the wine.

LangeTwins Winery 2015 Lodi Montepulciano
Montepulciano is a red wine grape variety grown widely in central Italy, most notably its eastern Abruzzo, Marche, and Molise regions. The grape was named after the Tuscan parish of Montepulciano, but, is not used in the famous wines produced there --Sangiovese is instead. Globally appreciated for their soft flavors, strong color, and gentle tannins, Montepulciano wines are typically best consumed in their youth and with food. In Lodi, LangeTwins specializes in Italian styled wines and this one is fruit forward with enough texture, tannins, and acids to lift the fruit to the finish.

Peltier Winery Schatz Family 2011 Reserve Teroldego ($60) & LangeTwins Winery Single Barrel 2013 The Eighth Vineyard Teroldego. Teroldego is a deeply colored red wine grape grown mostly in the Trentino wine region of northern Italy where it produces deeply pigmented red wines with an intensely fruity character. The wineries have already aged these wines for you so expect a structured wine with more approachable tannins than when younger.

Markus Wine Co. 2016 Zeitlos ($39.00)
This is a Syrah-dominated blend from Borra Vineyards where the Gill Creek Ranch was responsible for 76% Syrah Clone 877 & 4% Viognier and the Church Block 12% Carignane & 8% Petite Sirah. "Petite" here refers to the small, intensely colored berries that make Petite Sirah such a distinctive grape variety. And the high tannins and acidity present in Petite Sirah make it an excellent candidate for aging. This Zeitlos is a luscious wine, structured, strong fruit, and biting tannins.

Mettler Family Vineyards 2016 Pinotage ($24.99)
Pinotage is South Africa's signature grape variety and is a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut -- bred by scientist Abraham Perold in 1925. It is grown almost exclusively in South Africa, making everything from low-quality table wines to rich, concentrated wines with flavors of black and red fruits, spice, leather, and chocolate. This wine is juicy with earthiness and a lush and fresh finish.

PRIE Vineyards 2017 Lodi Mencia ($33)
Mencia is a red-wine grape native to the northwest of Spain. It is most commonly associated with the red wines of Bierzo. Mencia wines tend to exhibit earthy, vegetal characters with berry nuances and stony minerality. The very first California harvest of the grape was at Silvaspoons Vineyard, Lodi and is the source for this wine.

Heritage Oak Winery 2014 Charbono ($28)
Charbono (Bonarda) is a widely traveled red-wine grape variety with a complicated history. Originally from the alpine vineyards of Savoie in eastern France, it is now mostly planted in Napa Valley, where it is known as Charbono, and in Argentina, where it goes by the name Bonarda. The variety's wines are generally medium bodied with high acidity and berry fruit aromas and some smoky characteristics. This Charbono is a lovely representation of the grape.

Whites

Oak Farm Vineyards 2017 Estate Fiano ($25)
Fiano is a high-quality, white-wine grape variety used widely in southern Italy, particularly in Campania and the Fiano di Avellino DOCG. Used mainly as a varietal wine, Fiano is nutty and textured with floral and honeyed notes, spice and tropical fruit flavors like pineapple. In Lodi, Fiano was particularly special to the owners (Panella Family) Oak Farm Vineyards because the grape and they originated in the same province in Italy.

Heritage Oak Winery 2018 Chenin Blanc ($18)
Chenin Blanc is a versatile white-wine grape variety that has been cultivated in France for nearly 1300 years. It is most commonly associated with France's Loire Valley, and its high acidity levels mean it can be vinified in a number of different styles: as lusciously sweet, botrytis-affected dessert wines, light, honeyed sparkling wines and as full-bodied, still white wines. The Heritage Oak pairs excellently with the MSushi seared Hawaiian amberjack as the lemon and pear fruit and fresh acids filet into the fish.

Klinker Brick Winery 2018 Lodi - Mokelumne River Grenache Blanc ($18)
Grenache Blanc (Garnacha Blanca in Spain) is the light-skinned mutation of Grenache Noir. Although it is native to northern Spain, Grenache Blanc is best known for its role in southern French white wines and in particular as a member of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend.  Paired with MSushi oysters, the shellfishes' saline character blends with the citrus and light pear flavors of the Grenache Blanc.

Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards Lodi Mokelumne River 2018 Clairette Blanche ($28)
Clairette is a light-colored grape variety that grows throughout southern France. This Acquiesce wine follows the Lodi Rules certification for sustainable winegrowing and the one-acre lot was planted with Tablas Creek (Paso Roble) cuttings from the famous French Château de Beaucastel Winery in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region. This wine is a light, refreshing, and an easy sipper.

Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards Lodi Mokelumne River 2018 Picpoul Blanc ($28)
Picpoul (also known as Piquepoul) is an ancient white-wine grape variety of the traditional and prolific Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. The name Pique-poul translates literally as "stings the lip", and is a reference to the grape's mouthwateringly high acidity. This Acquiesce wine also follows the Lodi Rules certification for sustainable winegrowing and the 1.3 acres are planted with Tablas Creek cuttings from the famous French Château de Beaucastel Winery in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region. This is one refreshing wine, playful throughout.

Bokisch Vineyards Clay Station Vineyard Verdejo 2018 ($20)
Verdejo is the aromatic grape variety behind the crisp white wines of Rueda in central Spain. Full-bodied Verdejo wines are held in high regard, displaying herbaceous, nutty characters with balanced acidity and some cellaring potential. Once again Bokisch excels with this Spanish wine which features creamy pears and a zesty finish.

Ironstone Vineyards 2017 Obsession Symphony ($14)
Symphony is a Californian crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris developed in 1948 (but not commercially released until 1982) by the late Harold Olmo, professor of viticulture at the University of California, Davis. As its pedigree suggests, it is an aromatic variety with slightly spicy flavors.  This version is highly aromatic with a fresh and spicy finale.

Visiting Peltier Winery During #WBC16

After tasting several wines from Peltier Winery & Vineyards during the #WBC16 Thursday night after party at Scotto Cellars, I scheduled a winery visit with owner Rod Schatz and Director of Marketing & Design Ian Bender. Besides being very welcoming, the primary incentive was to see and taste more of the winery's Reserve Teroldego -  the northern Italian cool climate grape from Trentino. You may be familiar with Peltier as Peltier Station. Bender instigated a brand and name change since the "station" part of the name wasn't really relevant, although railroad tracks do run past the winery.

I was able to persuade SanCrittenden to join me and Ian met us early Saturday and proceeded to provide a tour of the winery: from the crush pad, through the fermenting tanks, and into vineyards. During out visit, truck loads of freshly harvested Pinot Gris arrived as shown in the video below and Schatz had fired up the grill to BBQ lunch for the staff.  We also met newly hired winemaker Susana Rodrigeuz Vasquez, who allowed us to sample freshly fermenting juice. Oh so delicious. Vasquez comes from Constellation Brands where she managed the Chardonnay program and is expected to boost Peltier's white wine portfolio.  In the vineyards we walked through gnarly Old Vine Zinfandel as well as heavily canopied Teroldego.

We finished the tour in the tasting room where we tasted through the Peltier and Reserve brands. The whites include a light and graceful Vermentino, a tropical bright California-styled Sauvignon Blanc, and a silky smooth Preeminence blend of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. For the reds, the Old Vine Zinfandels, the Black Diamond and Peltier are fantastic. The 2014 Triomphe blend of Petite Sirah, Teroldego, and Cabernet Sauvignon is velvety smooth, finishing with dark chocolate. The Reserve Teroldego is much more tannic than I had remembered and the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon a bold, bold wine. The tasting concluded with a delicious port styled USB made from Zinfandel. Excellent. Thank you Ian, Susana, and the Schatz family for a fantastic visit. Cheers.

Why I Enjoyed the 2016 Lodi Wine Bloggers Conference

A couple weeks ago I attended the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference sponsored by the Lodi Wine Grape Commission. There's always some crumbling about the sessions, and personally I would have preferred more Lodi specific content. But in total I believe #WBC16 was a great success. Here's why.

The Bargain Attendee Fee
Where else can you eat and drink for three plus days for only $95? I often feel unworthy of


Tasting through New Zealand's Yealands Family Wine in the Conference Hallway
An extended lunch caused many of us to miss the A Bold New Look at Sustainability session sponsored by Yealands Family Wines and hosted by chief winemaker Tamra Kelly-Washington. Fortunately I met the Palm Bay Int'l reps walking out and they generously donated six Yealands' wines for us to sample. After a scramble for glasses, a pop-up tasting ensued. The wines consisted of a Pinot Gris, a Pinot Noir, and the rest Sauvignon Blanc; the S1 Single Block Yealands Marlborough Estate Sauvignon Blanc being the consensus favorite.

The Lodi Opening Reception at Mohr Fry Ranch
This was the first introduction to Lodi wines for most of us and it reinforced rumors that Lodi was just not all old vine Zinfandel. Yes, there were several nice examples of this signature wine, but I also sampled Turley Wine Cellars Cinsault, Mettler Family Vineyards Pinotage, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Sauvignon Blanc.  We also had our first opportunity to taste the Scotto Cellars Masthead: A Lodi Wine Blended by Wine Bloggers. The 100% Mohr-Fry Ranch Block 433 Sangiovese was very smooth. Well done.




The Scotto Cellars Masthead Party
The conference's first after party was sponsored by Scotto Cellars in their new downtown Lodi tasting room. They also invited Peltier Winery & Vineyards and Klinker Brick Winery to pour alongside Scotto's wine and Cider Brothers cider. In fact, this was my sole opportunity to drink cider the entire trip and their William Tell Dry Hard Cider with Pinot Grigio was a hit. The party also felt like a family reunion as more friends strolled in. 

Lodi Teroldego
At the Masthead party I learned that Lodi vineyards grow Teroldego, the Northern Italian grape from Trentino. Hard to believe. Yet I sampled at least three versions: the Peltier Winery Reserve Teroldego 2010, the Estate Crush Teroldego, and the LangeTwins Single Barrel Teroldego 2012. All were structured, acidic, and tannic - ready to lay down for a few years.  My next homework assignment is to research why Lodi is a good location for this grape.

Peltier Winery Visit
After meeting owner Rod Schatz and Director of Marketing & Design Ian Bender at the Masthead party, I accepted their semi-invite/semi-I invited myself to their winery. SanCrittenden and I skipped out of the Saturday morning sessions and Ian met us and provided the complete VP treatment. There was a winery tour (with tank sampling from newly hired winemaker Susana Rodrigeuz Vasquez), a crush pad tour (with Pinot Gris being crushed), a vineyard tour, and a tasting through their Peltier and Reserve portfolio. I had previously tasted their wines through their legacy Peltier Station labels, but the depth and strength of their portfolio is impressive. (See post here.)

Bechthold Vineyard Cinsaut (Cinsault)
Over the weekend I sampled several excellent Cinsaut - Estate Crush, Turley Wine Cellars, McCay Cellars, Michael David Winery -  all sourced from the historic Bechthold Vineyard. First planted in 1886, it is considered the oldest Cinsaut vineyard in the world - older than those in France where it is the fourth most widely planted grape variety. Before DNA analysis confirmed the grapes as Cinsaut, Al Bechthold was selling his crop for as low as $250 a ton. Now the highly desired grapes fetch ten times that amunt; all thanks to Joseph Spenker, the great-grandfather of Bechthold 's wife Wanda. In general, the Lodi Cinsaut wines were lively and intense with smooth and slightly tannic tails. Cinsaut Me with these wines that averaged only $25.


The Craft Spirits Lounge
The Wizard of Whiskey Justin Koury must have spent months acquiring the plethora of spirits he displayed at the #WBC16 #CraftSpirits Lounge. I never bothered to count, but there had to be at least four to five dozen? Besides drinking old favorites like the Hillrock Estate Distillery Solera Aged Bourbon, there were several highlights like the Few Spirits Rye Whiskey and the Bozeman Spirits Distillery 1889 Montana Whiskey. The lounge was also simply a quiet place to hand out - playing cards or catching up. At least quiet until the Pinata bashing....  Thanks Justin and all the sponsors.

The Friday Night Excursion with 99 Bottles
The vineyard excursion is usually one of the highlights of the conference and this year's equaled the fabulous Bien Nacido Vineyards excursion during the Santa Barbara conference. Our small group was taken to Estate Crush, a custom crush facility with over 80 clients and 120+ brands. Proprietors Bob and Ali Colarossi greeted us with glasses of 2015 Estate Crush Albarino and revealed our assignment. We were to create the final blend for their 2014 Colarossi Estate Old Vine Zinfandel that would be bottled and given as a parting gift to all the WBC16 wine bloggers. Divided into four groups, we all started with 95% Zinfandel and two additional grapes that would comprise the final 5%.  My partner Eveann of Vino Con Vista Italy and I were given Sangiovese and a Cabernet based Red Blend which we turned into a final blend of 97% Zin and 3% Red Blend.  During the blind tasting our blend received only one vote, ironically from me - talking about having a cellar palate. The wining wine was blended by Rachel of rachelvonwine and Heather of 10K Bottles - a blend of 97% Zin, 2% Syrah and 1% Petit Verdot.  After our blending session we proceeded to the Colaross's home where we were fed abundant amounts of Paella de Wetmore, thanks John, and of course wine - even going back to a three or four year vertical of their estate Old Vine Zinfandel. I didn't return back to the hotel until 11:30 - well past the 8:00 pm scheduled departure - and I hear the party didn't wrap up until 1:30. Thank you so much Bob and Ali.




Livermore Valley Wine Country Excurion

I always try to commit to a WBC pre-excursion and chose the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association sponsored tour. This was a fantastic outing, lavishly planned and executed. We had dinner at historic Concannon Vineyard hosted by John Concannon and Karl Wente, the 5th generation winemaker at Wente Vineyards Estate Winery. Both Concannon and Wente have been producing wine continuously since 1883 and we tasted the grapes straight off Concannon’s Cabernet Sauvignon “mother vine,” parent of 80% of Cab vines planted in California.  Similarly Wente's Chardonnay clones are responsible for about 86% of Chardonnay vines planted in California. We also enjoyed breakfast and wine at the Wente family Murrieta’s Well as well as a series of interactive wine sessions at the Wente Winemaker Studio. Finally there were numerous tastings of other producers such as Steven Kent Winery, 3 Steves Winery, McGrail Vineyards & Winery, Las Positas Vineyards, and our new favorite winemaker Collin Cranor. More to follow on this subject.

Generosity of the Lodi Wine Grape Commission and the Participating Wineries
We will never know that total amount of effort put forth by volunteers busing tables, attending meetings, laying cable that enabled the conference to succeed. Neither will we know the total amount of Lodi wine poured on our behalf.  But I completely appreciate the time and money that the Lodi sponsors undertook to make this conference happen. For instance, the converted high school now used for conventions did not have WiFi before our conference. The Lodi Wine Grape Commission through different philanthropic groups raised $60,000 in order to install the much need WiFi. And just days before the conference technicians were tweaking the routers for each individual meeting room.

Then there's the wines and dinners. The Colarossio's of Estate Crush poured our small party an unbelievable amount of wine including the vertical of their excellent estate old vine zinfandel. There's the wines poured during the opening reception,  Scotto Cellars and their Masthead party, and the various lunches, dinners, excursions, etc. And during the conference dinner, Michael McCay uncorked a rare double magnum of McCay Cellars Contenium Zinfandel on top of his generous assortment of other wines. So thank you very much to all the volunteers and participating wineries. Cheers to a fantastic conference.