LangeTwins kicks off 2013 harvest with picking of Sauvignon Musqué

Last week Friday and Saturday (August 9-10), LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards kicked off their 2013 harvest in Lodi by picking their 50-acre Jahant Rd. vineyard planted to Sauvignon Musqué – a clonal variant of Sauvignon Blanc that produces more flowery, less herbaceous white wines than other varieties of Sauvignon Blanc.

Aug 12, 2013 at 10:53 AM Permalink

Michael David picks 2013 Chardonnay (early spring leads to one of Lodi’s earliest harvests)

This past Monday, August 5 Lodi’s Phillips Farms (the agricultural arm of Michael David Winery) began its second week of harvest 2013 with a picking of Chardonnay at their Bare Ranch property on Woodbridge Rd.  “In my lifetime,” says Kevin Phillips, the Phillips family’s VP of Operations and vineyard manager, “2013 is only the second time we ever started picking in July… the first time was in 2003.”

Aug 7, 2013 at 10:48 AM Permalink

Having a “Dream” International Albarino Day (August 3)

TAPAS – the Tempranillo Advocates Producers & Amigos Society – has announced that this Saturday, August 3, 2013 will be the second International Albariño Day, during which wine lovers around the world are encouraged to show a bottle of Albariño some love, while sharing the experience via Twitter with the hashtag #AlbarinoFiesta .

Aug 1, 2013 at 10:42 AM Permalink

Pictorial guide to what makes Lodi Zinfandel so unique

Note the small, loose berried Zinfandel cluster from the +100-year old Noma Ranch Zinfandel, growing on its own natural roots in the porous beach sand-like soils of Lodi/Mokelumne River’s east side

So you think you know Lodi Zinfandel? If you are ready to get your geek on, let’s delve into the six major reasons why Lodi grown Zinfandels are the way they are: so compellingly lush, round, gentle, bright, and often distinctly earthy…

Jul 30, 2013 at 10:39 AM Permalink

The 10 most interesting Lodi grown wines of 2013

So far in 2013 a number of winery releases have come out that are just begging to be cobbled together in one group.  We’ll call them exactly what they seem to us:  The 10 most interesting wines in Lodi.

We’re not saying the “10 best,” mind you.  “Best” is always subjective, and anyone would be totally correct to say that any list of Lodi’s “best” would probably be dominated by Zinfandels produced by Harney Lane, St. Amant, Macchia, or any number of Lodi’s heralded, artisanal producers.  Zinfandel, after all, is the most natural wine grape to grow in Lodi’s Mediterranean climate – it loves the warm yet moderated weather, and it loves the deep, rich yet well drained sandy loam soils – which is why Lodi grows more Zinfandel than any other wine region in California...

Jul 23, 2013 at 10:29 AM Permalink

Forlorn Hope produces stunning Lodi grown “orange” wine

What do you think of orange wines?  Even longtime wine lovers and “experts” get thrown for a loop the first time they are asked that question.  The first thing you think, of course, is, “I didn’t know they make wine from oranges.”

Orange wines, however, are exactly that:  wines made from the usual wine grapes, but finished with an orange-ish color.  Many of the better orange wines have been made from commonly known white wine grapes – like Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot gris or Gewürztraminer – but are fermented on their skins, rather than without their skins the way white wines are usually made.  This, essentially, is treating white wine grapes the exact same way as black skinned grapes used to produce red wines:  red wines are always fermented on their skins, which is where they get their color, tannin, and most of their flavor components...

Jul 5, 2013 at 10:11 AM Permalink

Why the “R” Grenache, voted “Best Red Wine in Lodi,” may be among California’s finest

This past June the judges at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition voted on 2013’s “Best Red Wine in Lodi”:  the 2012 Jeff Runquist “R” Alta Mesa-Lodi Grenache ($20), sourced from Ron Silva’s Silvaspoons Vineyards.

Has Grenache “arrived?”

First, let’s look at exactly what it is about the Grenache produced by the Amador County based Jeff Runquist Wines that had the State Fair judges so enthralled:  vivid violet-red color; gushy, high toned, strawberry coulis-like fragrance with smidgens of hazelnut-like wood complexities seeping out from the seams; and sharply defined, silky-fine texturing, giving the wine’s plump red berryishness a soft yet notably snappy, lip smacking, bright and lively feel...

Jul 2, 2013 at 10:04 AM Permalink

Onesta releases wines from Lodi’s oldest historic vineyard

This past May there was much ado about a wine event taking place in Healdsburg called the Seven % Solution, highlighting wines made from grapes other than the 93% (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, etc.) to which most of California’s vineyards are planted.

Although the emphasis of Seven % Solution was on the products of wineries sourcing from California’s North Coast, the grapes that were celebrated happened to be grapes that are also planted extensively in Lodi:  including Sémillon, Montepulciano, Chenin Blanc, Picpoul, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Mourvèdre, Vermentino, Counoise, Barbera, Cinsaut, Carignan, St. Laurent, Albarinõ, Tinta Cão, Tourigna Nacional, and Verdelho...

Jun 21, 2013 at 8:46 AM Permalink

Ripken’s award winning Pinot Noir, home grown in the Delta

Attention, fine wine shoppers:  Lodi is now growing some first class Pinot Noir!

At least, this is what a discriminating panel thought about the 2010 Ripken Vineyards Lodi Pinot Noir ($20) when they awarded it a Gold medal and “Best of Class (of Lodi)” earlier this month, during the judging process of the 2013 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

Jun 19, 2013 at 8:42 AM Permalink

Six sexy Lodi rosés for summer sips and nibbles

Nothing screams “summer” better than a good, well chilled bottle of rosé, and American grown rosés are hotter than ever.

Just ask Randy Lange, co-founder/co-owner (with brother Brad) of Lodi Wine Country’s LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards.  The family’s 2012 LangeTwins Family Lodi Sangiovese Rosé ($14) is dry as a bone, yet stunningly lush, bright and juicy.  “The good news,” says Lange, “is that our 2012 Sangiovese Rosé is a wonderful wine to drink right now, in the heat of summer.  The bad news is that the wine sold out in a matter of days after it was released, so even we don’t have any left to enjoy this summer.”

Jun 11, 2013 at 8:37 AM Permalink