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.
The mystery of Zinfandel, part 2 – the long strange trip from… somewhere
Maley Vineyards Zinfandel (west side of Lodi’s Mokelumne River AVA) with telltale corkscrew-twisting spurs typical of vines grafted to St. George rootstocks
Continuation from The Mystery of Zinfandel, part 1 - a plot as thick as the wine
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Oct 29, 2013 at 4:22 PM
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The mystery of Zinfandel, part 1: a plot as thick as the wine
Kirschenmann Vineyard Zinfandel; east side of Lodi’s Mokelumne River AVA
For the longest time, Zinfandel was known as California's "mystery grape." It has also been long considered an “all-American” varietal; since as far as anyone knew, Zinfandel wasn't grown anywhere else in the world. Make that “all-California,” because virtually all of it is grown in the state of California – and most of that, in the American Viticultural Area of Lodi.
Continue » Oct 23, 2013 at 4:56 PM
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The new Macchia Primitivo — the milder, smoother identical twin of Zinfandel
Maley Vineyards Primitivo in 2013: note long clusters and uniform sized berries
Macchia Wines, which produces more single-vineyard Zinfandels than any other winery in Lodi, has just released their first-ever bottling of Primitivo: the 2012 Macchia Lodi Primitivo ($24) – a full bodied yet smooth, mildly tart edged red wine that has something of an "Italian" feel in its bright, upbeat, drink-me-with-food qualities. But like a good Zinfandel, this Primitivo is teeming with sun kissed berryish fruit; tinged with sweet peppercorn spice, and subtle touches of cedarwood-ish oak.
Continue » Oct 17, 2013 at 5:12 PM
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2013 Zinfandel harvest nearing end, with a little bit of drama
Piles of discarded Zinfandel clusters next to 97-year old Kirschenmann vines
Lodi grows a greater variety of grapes than any other wine region in California, but Zinfandel is still the specialty – the pièce de resistance. Tegan Passalacqua, the grower/winemaker of Turley Wine Cellars, manages his company’s Zinfandel plantings in Lodi, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, as well as Contra Costa and Amador County. So it's safe to say that he's seen a lot, and has a very broad perspective.
Continue » Oct 14, 2013 at 5:50 PM
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Lodi’s latest Cabernet Sauvignon releases
Gerardo Espinosa of Vinedos Aurora (2013 harvest)
Zinfandel, as everyone knows, has always been Lodi's big schtick; which is why it's easy to forget that this American Viticultural Area is easily California's largest grower of grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Lodi, in fact, crushes more Cabernet Sauvignon than Napa and Sonoma combined.
Continue » Oct 8, 2013 at 5:57 PM
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The latest releases of offbeat Zinfandel brands and varietals
Heritage Oak Winery owner/winemaker Tom Hoffman
Except for three strategically placed grape leaves, the depiction of the "hot babe" pin-up on the inaugural bottling of the 2012 Zin-Phomaniac Lodi Zinfandel (about $18) leaves little to the imagination. And the back label makes no bones either: The scantily clad bottle tempts you… remove the cork carefully, slowly, your desire building with every twist…
Continue » Oct 3, 2013 at 6:07 PM
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Lodi’s Mediterranean identity reflected by huge diversity of grapes
Alicante Bouschet, September 2013: Lodi still cultivates blocks of this unusual wine grape, whose heyday was the first half of the last century
Harvest is a great time of year for photographing wine grapes, which become the most identifiable by their colors, shapes and overall morphology during that fleeting window just before they are picked...
Continue » Sep 25, 2013 at 10:20 AM
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What an influential wine blogger thinks of Lodi wines
Elaine “Hawk Wakawaka” Brown, iPhone in hand, gets up close and personal with Silvaspoons Vineyards Torrontes grapes grown by Ron Silva (right) in Lodi’s Alta Mesa AVA
Elaine Brown, a.k.a. Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews, is a wine blogger, journalist, photographer and inveterate illustrator with a moderate yet rapidly growing, significant following. How significant? Somehow her observations, as she travels up and down the West Coast wine regions and (occasionally) the Old Country, always seem to pop up in places like Eric Asimov's New York Times wine articles, or in Jon Bonné's San Francisco Chronicle pieces. Brown, in other words, is influencing the influencers… messin' with the messers...
Continue » Sep 19, 2013 at 10:40 AM
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Abba Vineyard turns sunlight into Syrah perfection
Stunning Lodi Wine Country sight: Abba Vineyard Syrah hanging from meticulous Smart-Henry trellis, like brilliant Christmas bulbs on a tree.
Last week Friday (September 13, 2013) Michael McCay of Lodi's vaunted McCay Cellars picked his Grenache from Abba Vineyard – owned by second-generation Lodi farmer Louis Abba Jr., and farmed by his son Phil Abba. Mr. McCay's excitement is palpable – not only because his supply has increased, but also because 2013 looks to be "our best Grenache yet… the fruit was perfect, just popping with flavor coming right off the vine..."
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Comments (1)Maley harvest harnesses latest technology to produce “pure” Lodi Zinfandel
Through musical vines: Todd Maley sorting Zinfandel in his family’s Weget Vineyard
The Lodi AVA‘s leading winegrowers are no longer shooting just for “varietal” identity in their wines. They are even more focused on producing wines that taste of “Lodi” because, in the end, this is what will set the region apart — not wines that taste like they could come from any other wine region...
Continue » Sep 11, 2013 at 11:39 AM
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