skip to main content

Lodi Winegrape Commission

  • Home
  • Wineries
  • About
  • Visit
    • Visitor Center
  • Club
  • Events
  • Store
    • LODI RULES Sustainable Certification
    • White Wines
    • Rosé Wines
    • Red Wines
    • Sparkling/Dessert Wines
    • Old Vine Wines
    • Merchandise
  • Blog
TOP

Letters from Lodi

An insightful and objective look at viticulture and winemaking from the Lodi
Appellation and the growers and vintners behind these crafts. Told from the
perspective of multi-award winning wine journalist, Randy Caparoso.

Randy Caparoso
 
June 25, 2015 | Randy Caparoso

Lodi wines garner top honors at California State Fair

Oak Farm Albarino: California State Fair’s “Best of Show White”

Oak Farm Albarino: California State Fair’s “Best of Show White”

At the The Best of California Awards Ceremony this past Tuesday, June 23 in Sacramento's Cal Expo, a significant number of Lodi AVA grown wines were awarded Blue Ribbons or Golden Bear trophies for finishing at the very top of several categories at the 2015 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competiton.

Michael David Winery’s Dave Phillips, who accepted Blue Ribbons for his famiy’s Rapture Cabernet Sauvignon and Inkblot Cabernet Franc

Michael David Winery’s Dave Phillips, who accepted Blue Ribbons for his famiy’s Rapture Cabernet Sauvignon and Inkblot Cabernet Franc

At this year's competition, 72 judges sniffed, sipped and evaluated 2,881 wines submitted by 743 participating winery brands. The tasting format is "blind" – judges are not biased by knowledge of the brands or regions from where each wine comes.

It was a 3-day process (June 3-5, 2015), ending with the sifting through of the best of 254 Gold and 57 Double Gold (when all judges in a committee agree that a wine deserves a Gold) medal winners to determine "Best of" wines by category, region, and the entire "Show."

Typical of past State Fair judgings, the top tier turned out to be wines grown in regions as diverse and far-flung as El Dorado, Amador County, Lake County, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Livermore Valley, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara.

Yet Lodi also garnered its share, including a "Best of Show White" going to the 2015 Oak Farms Lodi Albariño; and in "Best of California" categories, for Lodi grown wines produced by Lodi's Bokisch Vineyards and Michael David Winery, plus winery/brands based outside of Lodi (but utilizing Lodi fruit) such as Fenestra, Torn and Wise Villa.

According to Mark Chandler, the California State Fair Chief Judge (also a Wine Business Consultant as well as the City of Lodi's current Vice Mayor), "Lodi wines are finally getting that recognition that they are due… it gives Lodi bragging rights."

For the record, the California State Fair Wine Competition is the oldest (since 1855) annual wine judging held in the U.S.; and considering the fact that California produces over 90% of the country's commercial wines each year, it is one of the most prestigious.

For a complete listing of all the medal and blue ribbon winners, please visit the California State Fair Commercial Wine Results.

Below are our own tasting notes on the Lodi grown wines finishing at the very top of their respective categories in the 2015 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

Torn Lodi Zinfandel: California State Fair’s “Best of California” Zinfandel

Torn Lodi Zinfandel: California State Fair’s “Best of California” Zinfandel

Best of Show White, Best of Lodi White & Double Gold

2014 Oak Farm, Lodi Albariño ($19) – The selection of this wine as the very best white wine of any type in California is a big victory for Lodi – a region most consumers and critics associate more with red wines such as Zinfandel. Albariño – a grape native to the Rías Baixas region at the north-west tip of Spain (along the Atlantic Ocean) – is now grown successfully (albeit in small quantities) all along the California coast, from Santa Barbara to Mendocino; and so what did the judges like about Oak Farm's? This Albariño is bone-dry yet light, airy and lemony crisp with a faint mineral feel, and delicate perfumes of white flowers and white peach skin. The judges responded positively to the wine's balanced, finesseful feel, and lauded its purity of varietal character, unobstructed by excesses like oak or high alcohol. Finally, giving credit where credit is due: Oak Farm winemaker Chad Joseph tells us that two-thirds of this wine came from Portuguese clonal material grown in Ron Silva's Silvaspoons Vineyards in Lodi's Alta Mesa AVA, and the rest (a Spanish clone of Albariño) was grown by Jonathan Wetmore's Round Valley Ranches.

Oak Farm Managing Partner Dan Panella shows off Golden Bear trophy

Oak Farm Managing Partner Dan Panella shows off Golden Bear trophy

Best of California-Zinfandel, Best Value Red & Double Gold

2013 Torn, Lodi Zinfandel ($9) – This is not the first time a Delicato Family Vineyards brand crafted for the $7.99 or $8.99 market has taken top honors like this – "Best Zinfandel" in all of California (getting the nod over Zinfandels more than twice the price) – and it undoubtedly won't be the last. The 2013 Torn is grown in Lodi, after all – the home of more acres of 40-plus-year-old Zinfandel vines than any other region in the state – and Delicato's winemakers are able to blend from extensive lots to craft lush yet balanced styles of the varietal. The 2013 Torn's fruit definition is as bright and inviting as its purplish ruby color – black cherry veering toward blackberry, with just a slight jamminess – with plump, juicy, zesty sensations teeming out from an easy, pliant, medium-full body.

Best of Lodi Red & Gold

2012 Michael David, Rapture Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon ($59) – Michael David's ambitious little army of growers and winemakers, led by the Phillips family, has never made any bones about the intent of this ultra-premium priced, meticulously crafted varietal: they want you to feel the sumptuous quality of Lodi grown fruit like a religious (i.e. rapturous) experience. And its qualities are compelling – beginning with a multifaceted nose of concentrated blackcurrant-like fruit, notes of smoky cigar box, the grape's sweet mint/herbaceousness and subtle touches of cedar, and ending with deep, lush yet fluid sensations framed by sturdy tannin and a medium-full body. This is not "Napa Valley," which tends to produce edgier, more dramatic styles of Cabernet Sauvignon; nor "Paso Robles," where Cabernet Sauvignons that blast the palate with silken-sweet varietal sensations are frequently made. Rapture is very much "Lodi" in its gently rounded, luxurious texturing – couched in a wealth of French oak that Cabernet Sauvignon lovers crave – and therefore should be appreciated for being a top flight example of Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi as much as the entire state of California.

Best of California-Cabernet Franc & Gold

2013 Michael David, Inkblot Lodi Cabernet Franc ($35 ) – For most wine regions in California, it's darned near impossible to produce a thick, inky, fruit focused style of Cabernet Franc – a Bordeaux grape that, more often than not, wants to taste more like fresh-cut bellpeppers than berryish fruit, when grown in California's fertile soils. There are a few terrific examples, of course, grown in more rugged slopes in parts of Napa Valley, Lake County and Paso Robles; but in Lodi's deep, porous, sandy loam soil, the Phillips family has been proving, in recent vintage after vintage, that this grape can thrive and produce a wine of almost unexpected depth and sturdiness. The 2013 Inkblot is aptly named – a black purplish color, signaling a remarkable concentration and focus of raspberryish fruit enriched by mildly smoky oak spices

Best of California: Michael David’s Inkblot Cabernet Franc and Rapture Cabernet Sauvignon

Best of California: Michael David’s Inkblot Cabernet Franc and Rapture Cabernet Sauvignon

Best of California-Malbec & Gold

2013 Wise Villa, Alta Mesa-Lodi Malbec ($32) – Wise Villa is located on Wise Rd. in Lincoln, which falls within the Sierra Foothills appellation; but credit for farming of this Malbec goes to Ron Silva's Silvaspoons Vineyards in Lodi's Alta Mesa AVA. This is not a big, blustery style of Malbec most consumers are familiar with in Argentine bottlings; but rather, more of a finesse style, medium bodied Malbec, exuding ripe blackberryish fruit tinged with flowery, dried hibiscus-like notes and cedary oak, with moderate tannins shoring up a balanced feel.

Best of California-Other Red Varietal & Double Gold

2012 Bokisch Vineyards, Lodi Graciano ($23) – In Spain, the Graciano grape is grown as a companion to deepen Tempranillo based red wines, which was Bokisch Vineyards' original thought when they planted the two varieties in their Las Cerezas (in Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA) and Terra Alta (Lodi's Clements Hills AVA) Vineyards. To see Markus Bokisch talk about Graciano grapes, watch this video on All need to know about Graciano. But five or six vintages ago, Graciano began to emerge as a more-than-stand-alone varietal for the Bokischs; consistently producing a varietal red, like this 2012, of curvaceous, downright sexy layers of plummy, flowery scented fruit, with complexities suggesting Mexican spiced chocolate and sweet, almost cumin-like earthiness. Both tannin and body are moderate in scale, and so the wine is a delight just to sip and savor with easy aplomb as much as absorbing curiosity.

Best of California-Other White Varietal & Gold

2014 Wise Villa, Alta Mesa-Lodi Torrontes ($29) – Because of their multiple Gold and "Best of" award winners, Lincoln's Wise Villa Winery also took a Golden Bear trophy for being the California State Fair's 2015 "Winery of the Year." They also show impeccable taste by sourcing their Torrontés grapes from Silvaspoons Vineyards in Lodi's Alta Mesa AVA. Their 2014 edition is their most luscious rendering yet – gushing with tropical papaya and honeydew melony fruit with white pepper and musk spices, sliding onto the palate with lush, round, off-dry, easy-going sensations.

Best of California-Tempranillo & Double Gold

2010 Fenestra, Lodi Tempranillo ($22) – While located in Livermore Valley, Fenestra Winery has been sourcing Portuguese and Spanish grapes from Lodi for years. This one, grown by Lodi's Bokisch Ranches, is a suave, fruit focused rendering of this Spanish grape; couching red berry qualities in a medium body and smooth, suede-like textures.

Wise Villa Torrontes: Best of California-”Other Varietal” White

Wise Villa Torrontes: Best of California-”Other Varietal” White

Tweet
Pin It

Comments

Commenting has been turned off.
Blog Search
Recent Posts
  • January 19, 2021
    French students break down Lodi winegrowing, marketing, and its Alta Mesa appellation
  • January 13, 2021
    Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 2, new interpretations of heritage grapes
  • January 11, 2021
    Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 1, an unfamiliar white and red
  • January 5, 2021
    Discerning wines of the immediate future through what we know about the past and what's going in Lodi
  • December 29, 2020
    Lodi 2020: The year in pictures
  • December 27, 2020
    The small steps of Lodi growers led to giant leaps for Lodi wine country
  • December 22, 2020
    Looking on the bright side of fading old vine plantings in Lodi
  • December 17, 2020
    Our list of nice Lodi reds, rosés and fortified dessert wines for Christmas gifting and sipping
  • December 15, 2020
    A Lodi white makes the world's Top 100 list, and other Lodi whites for Christmas shopping and sipping
  • December 9, 2020
    The 1980s and 1990s — start of Lodi wine country's modern era
Our Writers
  • Randy Caparoso (804)
Blog Archives
2021
  • January 2021 (4)
2020
  • December 2020 (7)
  • November 2020 (7)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (7)
  • August 2020 (7)
  • July 2020 (7)
  • June 2020 (8)
  • May 2020 (8)
  • April 2020 (8)
  • March 2020 (8)
  • February 2020 (6)
  • January 2020 (6)
2019
  • December 2019 (7)
  • November 2019 (6)
  • October 2019 (6)
  • September 2019 (5)
  • August 2019 (5)
  • July 2019 (7)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (6)
  • April 2019 (6)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2019 (5)
  • January 2019 (7)
2018
  • December 2018 (7)
  • November 2018 (7)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (6)
  • August 2018 (7)
  • July 2018 (8)
  • June 2018 (7)
  • May 2018 (9)
  • April 2018 (8)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (8)
  • January 2018 (8)
2017
  • December 2017 (6)
  • November 2017 (8)
  • October 2017 (10)
  • September 2017 (5)
  • August 2017 (6)
  • July 2017 (7)
  • June 2017 (6)
  • May 2017 (5)
  • April 2017 (7)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (5)
  • January 2017 (7)
2016
  • December 2016 (7)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (7)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (5)
  • July 2016 (7)
  • June 2016 (7)
  • May 2016 (6)
  • April 2016 (6)
  • March 2016 (7)
  • February 2016 (6)
  • January 2016 (5)
2015
  • December 2015 (8)
  • November 2015 (6)
  • October 2015 (7)
  • September 2015 (5)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (7)
  • June 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (5)
  • April 2015 (6)
  • March 2015 (6)
  • February 2015 (7)
  • January 2015 (5)
2014
  • December 2014 (8)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (7)
  • September 2014 (5)
  • August 2014 (3)
  • July 2014 (5)
  • June 2014 (6)
  • May 2014 (7)
  • April 2014 (7)
  • March 2014 (5)
  • February 2014 (4)
  • January 2014 (7)
2013
  • December 2013 (8)
  • November 2013 (6)
  • October 2013 (7)
  • September 2013 (5)
  • August 2013 (6)
  • July 2013 (4)
  • June 2013 (4)
  • May 2013 (4)
  • April 2013 (5)
  • March 2013 (2)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (4)
2012
  • December 2012 (7)
  • November 2012 (9)
  • October 2012 (9)
  • September 2012 (7)
  • August 2012 (9)
  • July 2012 (8)
  • June 2012 (8)
  • May 2012 (9)
  • April 2012 (8)
  • March 2012 (9)
  • February 2012 (7)
  • January 2012 (9)
2011
  • December 2011 (7)
  • November 2011 (8)
  • October 2011 (7)
  • September 2011 (7)
  • August 2011 (8)
  • July 2011 (8)
  • June 2011 (9)
  • May 2011 (7)
  • April 2011 (9)
  • March 2011 (8)
  • February 2011 (8)
  • January 2011 (7)
2010
  • December 2010 (8)
  • November 2010 (6)
  • October 2010 (2)
  • September 2010 (6)
  • August 2010 (5)
Additional Resources
  • Media & Trade
  • Lodi Winegrape Commission
  • Donation Requests
  • Returns & Cancellations
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Contact

Lodi Wine Visitor Center
2545 West Turner Road Lodi, CA 95242
209.365.0621
Open: Thursday - Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm

Lodi Winegrape Commission
2545 West Turner Road, Lodi, CA 95242
209.367.4727
Open: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

Have a question? Complete our contact form.

  • © Copyright 2021 Lodi Winegrape Commission
  • Winery Ecommerce by WineDirect