The vinous labors of Chad Joseph
Lodi’s busiest consulting winemaker started off big, ended up small, and is lovin’ it… “You know what it’s like working with a million gallon tank?” asks Chad Joseph, talking about his first job as a winemaker, at E.&J. Gallo in Modesto. “You can’t even throw a football all the way across it.” E.&J. Gallo, of course, doesn’t just employ winemakers. They employ entire armies of winemakers. In the late nineties Mr. Joseph worked his way up the ranks of teams responsible for brands like Carlo Rossi, Livingston Cellars, Turning Leaf, and Gallo Sonoma; in the end, gaining valuable experience working..
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Jan 24, 2011 at 1:11 PM
PermalinkFood wine or not, Barbera kicks butt
In Northern Italy, the Barbera grape produces reds many consider to be the ultimate “food wines.” Sometimes this moniker is code for thin-and-boring-when-drunk-by-itself, but not in this case: anyone who has experienced top drawer Barbera from the Piemonte region knows what a dense, viscerally moving experience it can be. These are soulful, blood red wines usually stuffed with aromas and flavors of red (raspberry, cherry, cranberry) and/or black fruits (like blackberry without the jamminess of, say, Zinfandel), with handsome tertiary qualities suggesting charred red meat and/or soft, expensive Italian leather. It is the taste of Barbera on the palate, however,..
Continue » Jan 22, 2011 at 1:09 PMThe zin master’s long, dark night
m2’s Layne Montgomery knows the agony of ecstasy… Winemakers, we are sure you’ve been told, are half scientists/half artists. Not true. At least a quarter of every winemaker also needs to be a philosopher: as much as the profession requires a belief system of some degree of mental, or spiritual, stability. How else do you survive the stress of each vintage, when your fate is put into the hands of something completely out of your control: the forces of nature, the weather gods, Lance Randolph’s red shorts, or… whatever. Then, presuming most of your grapes come into the winery reasonably..
Continue » Jan 21, 2011 at 1:08 PMLodi’s uncommonly dark, intense Inkblots
If there’s one thing Lodi does very, very well, it’s red wines made from “alternative” grapes that are also extraordinarily rich, concentrated, and unique. Red wines that appeal to jaded palates looking for things other than the usual Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Wines that fulfill deep seated longings for ultra-dark and thick red wine sensations, but not made from Syrah or Petite Sirah either. This is what Michael~David Winery’s Inkblot program is all about. First, the name says it all: these are wines selected because they are so black, purplish, and wonderful that you not only want to write.
Continue » Jan 19, 2011 at 1:06 PMLodi reaps more Chronicle gold than ever
Earlier this month, 66 highly discriminating wine professionals and distinguished members of the wine media met to judge a staggering 5,050 wines as part of the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Although this is an annual judging of American wines, the vast majority of the Chronicle’s entries each year come from California, each vying to “out-competition” the other. Individual wines made from Lodi grown grapes earned 2 Best of Class distinctions (the absolute highest rated wines of their categories, notwithstanding price), 2 Double Gold medals (meaning, the entire group of judges, with no naysayers, voted to award a gold..
Continue » Jan 13, 2011 at 1:02 PMThe tower of strength behind Lodi's Heritage Oak
Tom Hoffman in his Block 14
When you meet Tom Hoffman, owner/winemaker of Heritage Oak Winery, he strikes you as a reluctant hero, a pensive cowboy, a knight of infinite resignation or eloquent quietude; steadily steering his family legacy, with roots planted firmly in Lodi since 1868, through ebbs and flows, rocks and hard places, while lashed to masts that typify the challenges and constraints of farmers seemingly perpetually endowed in undervalued products…
Continue » Jan 10, 2011 at 1:00 PMHarmony Wynelands’ meditative wines
Shaun MacKay did not take a direct path to his current position as winemaker of Harmony Wynelands, a gorgeous 17 acre winery estate on Lodi’s Harney Lane. First, like another young man named Gotama did some 1,500 years ago, he endeavored to bind his consciousness with his energy and place in the world. Otherwise, without that “mindfulness,” what’s the point of doing whatever you are doing in your life? If you’ve ever wondered what’s the point of a lot of wines — especially those that have the “taste” of a grape like, say, Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, without the tiniest..
Continue » Jan 7, 2011 at 12:59 PMWine & Chocolate Weekend in Lodi!
OMG, HUH, YGLT: the Wine & Chocolate Weekend in Lodi Wine Country, coming up February 12 & 13, 2011! wkewl… Okay, translation: omigod, have you heard, you’re going to love this… way cool… and we’re not exaggerating (i.e. NBS)! What better way to spend Valentine’s Day weekend than sipping fabulous Lodi wine while indulging in decadent chocolates with your BF, GF, BFF, or even BFFN (best friends for now)? Here’s how it works: Lodi grown wines and matching chocolates will be the tasting theme at over 40 participating wineries from 11 AM to 4 PM on both Saturday and Sunday,..
Continue » Jan 5, 2011 at 12:58 PM