Klinker Brick Winery
Klinker Brick’s Old Ghost flagship bottling isn’t tied to any particular vineyard in the Mokelumne subappellation of the Lodi AVA, but is made from fruit selected as the highest quality from several vineyards. In fact, each vintage of Old Ghost may be from different vineyards. ‘It could be a different set of vineyards next year,’ says Steven Felten, who owns the winery with his wife Lori. ‘But we’re always looking for elegance and the best-quality fruit.’
The winery is named for the old, burnt-surfaced bricks that ring with a ‘klink’ when struck, characteristic of brick buildings in the area. What the chosen vineyards have in common is age – from 40 to more than 100 years old – and restricted yields of about 30hl/ha, lower than the average 50-60hl/ha typical of the Lodi AVA.
The result, says Felten, is ‘more like a fine wine’: ‘Elegant and smooth, not peppery or spicy. It tastes more like a Cabernet Sauvignon.’ The quality of Lodi’s old-vine Zinfandels made a leap forward at the end of the 1980s, when drip irrigation replaced flooding ditches between rows. Less water meant smaller berries, greater skinto-juice ratio, and better wines. The Old Ghost is evidence of that.
Klinker Brick, Old Ghost, Lodi, San Joaquin County 2016 91
£ 35 Daniel Lambert
This wine carries its luscious flavours of brambles, vanilla, caramel, dried cherries and herbs from start to finish, accented by aromas of anise and cloves. It’s 100% inland Zinfandel, but remarkably graceful. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 15.9% ➢