Old Vines, Your Way: A Lodi Wine Weekend

Lodi has the largest concentration of old vines in California, many planted more than a century ago and passed down from one generation of growers to the next. Most of these historic vineyards are working farms, closed to visitors, but you can experience them through the wines they produce. And every bottle poured gives growers one more reason to keep those vines in the ground.

From century-old Zinfandel to Carignan and other historic varieties, there’s plenty to discover at Lodi wineries. These six stops offer a chance to taste wines from remarkable old vineyards, learn a little about the people who farm them, and explore Lodi along the way.  

Mix and match to fit your weekend, and check ahead before you go, since hours and tasting options vary.

Harney Lane Winery

Lizzy James Vineyard was planted in 1904 on what may be the sandiest ground in the Mokelumne River AVA, and it came close to disappearing. The land was considered for development, and the vines were being farmed for White Zinfandel, when the family behind Harney Lane acquired the vineyard in 2001 and began the long work of bringing its old, head-trained Zinfandel back. Its name comes from the middle names of Jorja and Kyle Lerner’s children, Kirsten Elizabeth and Ian James.

Featured wine: 2022 Old Vine Zinfandel ($45), Lizzy James Vineyard. Blackberry, dark cherry and plum, with notes of cedar and baking spice.

Also worth seeking out: 2022 Scottsdale Vineyard Zinfandel ($42), a 2.5-acre block from the early 1900s nicknamed the “blueberry vineyard” for its fruit. Taste it alongside the Lizzy James Zinfandel: two historic vineyards, the same grower, two distinct expressions of Zinfandel.

Visit: 9010 E. Harney Lane, Lodi
Open daily, 11:00AM – 5:00PM

Klinker Brick Winery

Rauser Vineyard is a reminder that Lodi’s old vine story includes more than Zinfandel. Located in an area east of Lodi known as the “Victor Triangle,” where some of the region’s oldest vineyards grow in particularly deep, sandy soils, the 8-acre vineyard was planted in 1909, mostly to own-rooted Carignan, with equally old Alicante Bouschet and Zinfandel scattered through the rows. The vineyard belongs to Jeannie Rauser and is farmed by Klinker Brick’s Felten family, who have worked to rehabilitate vines damaged by tractors and introduced drip irrigation to support new plantings. They pick it twice each harvest: once early for rosé, and again about six weeks later for red wine.

Featured wine: 2021 Carignane ($30), Rauser Vineyard. Cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of tobacco, with blackberry and dark fruit on the palate.

Also worth seeking out: 2022 Marisa Vineyard Zinfandel ($30), from vines planted in 1928. Boysenberry and vanilla, with juicy blueberry and pomegranate.

Visit: 15887 N. Alpine Road, Lodi
Monday-Thursday, 12:00-5:00PM
Friday, 12:00-6:00PM
Saturday and Sunday, 11:00AM – 5:00PM

Fields Family Wines

Several wineries produce wines from Stampede Vineyard, and that demand helps keep its historic vines in the ground. Planted in 1928 on the old southern bank of the Mokelumne River, with more vines added in the 1940s, the Perlegos family’s vineyard is an own-rooted Zinfandel field mix scattered with Mission, Mourvèdre, Alicante Bouschet, Grenache and Flame Tokay. 

Fields Family winemaker Ryan Sherman is one of several winemakers who bottle it, alongside vineyard owners Jeff and John Perlegos of Perlegos Family Wine Co., Haarmeyer Wine Cellars, Maître de Chai, Little Trouble and others. Fun fact: Stampede Vineyard sits right next to the historic Clements Stampede rodeo grounds, home to a rodeo tradition dating back to 1942.

Featured wine: 2022 Old Vine Zinfandel ($30), Stampede Vineyard. Elegant and structured, fermented with native yeast and aged in neutral French oak.

Also worth seeking out: 2024 Mule Plane Vineyard Carignan ($30), from vines planted in 1927 and 1930 and named for the mules that were used to level the ground before planting. Bright red berry, rich texture and a tart finish.

Visit: 3803 E. Woodbridge Road, Acampo
Open daily, 11:00AM – 5:00PM

Drava Wines

For decades, Nicolini Ranch was an afterthought. Its Carignan, planted in the early 1930s, was farmed for volume and sold off for blending, pushed so hard the vines nearly gave out while weeds grew taller than the canopy. In 2021, winemaker Markus Niggli began bringing it back. The vines were re-pruned and thinned, excess fruit was dropped, and the vineyard moved from furrow irrigation to drip. Today Nicolini’s old vines go into single-vineyard wines, including a small-lot Carignane from brothers Steve and William Carson, who named their winery Drava for the river that runs through Maribor, Slovenia, home to what’s believed to be the world’s oldest grapevine.

Featured wine: 2022 Old Vine Carignane ($29), Nicolini Ranch. Medium-bodied with an herbes de Provence edge. Only 50 cases were made.

Also worth seeking out: 2022 Wegat Vineyard Zinfandel (planted 1958) and 2024 Choral’s Vineyard Zinfandel from the Clements Hills, planted between 1929 and 1935. Both $29.

Visit: 1378 E. Turner Road, Lodi
Thursday-Monday, 11:00AM – 5:00PM
Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment

St. Amant Winery

St. Amant’s partnership with Mohr-Fry Ranches began with a handshake in 1996. After the winery lost its vineyard to phylloxera, Jerry Fry of Mohr-Fry Ranches offered seven tons of old vine Zinfandel, asking only that St. Amant show what Lodi Zinfandel could be. Three years later, Jerry and St. Amant founder Tim Spencer collaborated on a single-vineyard Zinfandel from the ranch’s oldest block, which Jerry named for his mother, Marian Mohr Fry Zimmerman. Planted in 1901, Marian’s Vineyard is 8.3 acres of own-rooted, head-trained Zinfandel, farmed today by Jerry and his son Bruce Fry. The vineyard typically yields less than two tons per acre annually. In 2025, it was named California State Fair Vineyard of the Year.

Featured wine: 2024 Reserve Zinfandel, Marian’s Vineyard ($40). Vibrant red and black fruit with bright natural acidity, made with native yeast and aged in neutral oak. 

Also worth seeking out: 2023 Mohr-Fry Ranches Zinfandel ($24), from own-rooted blocks planted between 1901 and 1944. Raspberry, blackberry and spicy earth. Also available: 2022 Lloyd Martel Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($26; planted 1974), whose grapes went into what was likely the first Cabernet Sauvignon bottled with “Lodi” on the label, in 1982. Winemaker Stuart Spencer has made it at St. Amant since 2012, and 2026 was likely the vineyard’s final harvest, as declining production has made it increasingly difficult to maintain.

Visit: 1 Winemaster Way, Building I, Lodi
Thursday-Monday, 11:00AM – 4:00PM

m2 Wines

For more than a century, Soucie Vineyard grew Zinfandel on the far western edge of the Mokelumne River AVA, in sandy loam so fine it feels like powder. Its oldest block dated to 1916, and three generations of the Soucie family farmed it. Soucie has been part of m2 since the winery opened in 2002, and the vineyard’s fruit also went into Michael David’s Lust and the original 7 Deadly Zins. Today, those century-old vines are gone, but their final vintages live on in wines made by winemaker Layne Montgomery at m2. Taste them while you can.

Featured wine: Soucie Vineyard Zinfandel. m2 has produced several vintages from this historic vineyard, including a special Select Block bottling. The 2023 ($34; just 176 cases made) is aromatic and full-bodied, with red and black berry fruit and a loamy, earthy edge.

Also worth seeking out: 2023 Bishofberger Vineyard Carignan (planted 1936) and 2022 Schmiedt Zinfandel, from a 4-acre vineyard block planted in 1902 and farmed by fourth-generation grower Galen Schmiedt. Both $34.

Visit: 2900 E. Peltier Road, Acampo
Open daily, 12:00-5:00PM

Worth a wander

Lodi’s history shows up all over town. Between winery visits, add a stop or two:

• Lodi Mission Arch. Built in 1907 for Lodi’s first Tokay Carnival, a celebration of the region’s famous Flame Tokay grape, the arch is still the classic Lodi photo stop.
• A&W Birthplace Plaque. A&W root beer got its start in Lodi in 1919. Look down to find the plaque next to the Mission Arch, near the fire hydrant on the north side of Pine Street
• San Joaquin County Historical Museum. Explore the region’s agricultural history at Micke Grove Regional Park.
• Historic Train Depot. Lodi’s 1907 depot, a reminder of the railroad that helped build the town.
• Carnegie Forum. Lodi’s first library, built in 1910.

Can’t get to every winery?

The Lodi Wine Visitor Center at 2545 W. Turner Road is another good place to discover Lodi’s old vine wines, including bottlings from producers you may not have time to visit. The Center stocks wines made exclusively from Lodi-grown grapes, from dozens of local producers. Open daily, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, it’s an easy last stop before heading home.

Keep them in the ground

Soucie is a reminder that old vineyards can disappear. The ones still producing are here because families kept farming them, year after year. Every bottle you seek out helps keep that going. Explore more of Lodi’s historic vineyards at Save the Old, and start planning your weekend.