Global influences celebrated in Lodi’s vineyards
Lodi, once known primarily for its Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, is now globetrotting, capitalizing on its Mediterranean climate for distinctive grapes spanning many exotic varieties.
Think Old World Portuguese, like the Alvarinho, Souzão, Touriga Nacional and Tinto Cão grown at Silvaspoons Vineyards in the Lodi appellation of Galt in San Joaquin County. Or Spanish, such as the Tempranillo and Garnacha varietals crafted by Riaza Wines in Lodi.
Lodi is home to French, German and Italian grapes like the Riesling, Kerner, Bacchus and Gewürztraminer thriving at Borra Vineyards.
The Mettler family, meanwhile, has been farming grapes in Lodi since the late 1800s, and making wine since 1999. While best known for Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel, they also offer tiny batches of obscure wines like sweet Salice Bianco Muscat Canelli, originated in Greece and the oldest cultivated grape in France.
And why not? The Lodi region is prized for its warm summers balanced by significant diurnal swings and cooling breezes from the Delta, with nimble soil that’s known for nurturing a great variety of vines. Get a taste with these distinctive wineries:
BOKISCH VINEYARDS
Winemaker Markus Bokisch specializes in Iberian/Spanish grapes like Graciano and Albariño. His Bokisch Vineyards is now the largest grower of Iberian grape varieties in the state, also selling to more than 30 wineries, and several years ago, he expanded into two Catalan varieties, Macabeu and Xarello.
It’s been a rewarding adventure, he says, with such demand that he opened a tasting room at his winery last May.
All the bottlings are boutique, with just 144 cases produced for his crisp, tropical Certified Organic
2015 Mokelumne River-Lodi Las Cerezas Vineyard Albariño, for example. One of his largest bottlings, his Certified Organic 2015 Clements Hills-Lodi Terra Alta Vineyard Albariño, still rings in at only 1,100 cases.
The Las Cerezas Albariño, in particular, shows Bokisch’s longtime commitment to white grape, coming from the winemaker’s original “mother block” of Iberian varieties planted in 1999. The wine also showcases Bokisch’s dedication to green-growing, produced under the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing Practices third-party vineyard certification program.
This year, Bokisch also bottled a Vi de Panses Albariño dessert wine for the first time, grown at his Terra Alta Vineyard. Only 16 cases were produced, and quickly sold out after the release this April.
Part of the success of his interesting wines, the winemaker says, is an increasingly adventurous consumer who wants to explore new flavors and aromas. Once they taste and fall in love with a relatively unknown wine like the silky Vi de Panses with its notes of almond flowers, apricot, honey and caramel, they’re more willing to branch out past more mainstream wines.
ST. JORGE WINERY
Winery owner Vern J. Vierra gives a nod to his European roots with the Mediterranean design of his winery, complete with courtyard statues and fountains, and a tasting room interior resplendent with carved stone fireplaces, sconces, ceiling beams and – for a cheeky touch – portraits of reclining nude nymphs.
The building style may be more Italian Renaissance than Moorish, but indeed, the Vierra family arrived from Portugal in 1954, and here, they grow their homeland wines on their estate including tropical, pineapple-pear kissed Verdelho, Tempranillo rich with plum and vanilla, spicy purple Trincadeira and dark, elegant Touriga.
Souzão is an estate stand-out, as well, savory with layers of dark chocolate, raisin, black fig and coffee underlaid by violet and ripe cherry. One of Vierra’s favorite wines, though, is the lighter Vinho Cor de Rosa, as a blend of estate grown Tempranillo and Carignane that results in a Rosé singing with strawberry and honeysuckle.
Several of the wines feature grapes grown at Silvaspoons Vineyards in the Lodi appellation of Galt, such as Verdelho Seco, Tinto Cao and a Sobremesa dessert wine made from Torrontés.
And in another delicious salute to Portugal, Vierra makes Port style wines, including a Vinho Tinto Doce bursting with raisin, chocolate, and a hint of spice.
ACQUIESCE WINERY
For her Rhône wines, ownerwinemaker Susan Tipton looks straight to the source: the famed Château de Beaucastel of Châteauneuf du Pape, France. After securing her vine cuttings from the renowned winery, she planted her own, and with her first release in 2011, now makes wines such as Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Roussanne, Grenache Rosé and a Belle Blanc white blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Viognier.
Tipton’s white grape emphasis is a particularly interesting approach for the region, since Lodi is better known for its red wines. Even her Grenache red is made into a pale pink Rosé.
To sample the small-production wines, guests gather in her tasting room, a 100-year-old converted barn surrounded by 18 acres of wine grapes. The barn itself exemplifies Tipton’s bold vision. Defined with a curved, Quonset-style entry and a steep back roofline, it’s painted brilliant yellow-gold with a red roof, finished with a dramatic wrought iron decorated glass wagon wheel above the front door.