Borra Vineyards — Making More Than Zinfandel in Lodi

As the folks at Borra Vineyards put it, “Yeah. We make nice Zin. But there’s more to Lodi than Zinfandel.” It’s a good thing to remember, actually, to always keep an open mind with regard to wine and wine regions and what they have to offer.

As with so many family-owned wineries in Lodi, Borra Vineyards can trace their farming history in the area back several generations. Current owner Steve Borra’s grandfather first came to Lodi over 100 years ago. Steve began as a home winemaker and eventually Borra Vineyards became a bonded winery in 1975. Fast-forward to 2006 when current winemaker Markus Niggli joined Borra Vineyards. Markus is Swiss and brings a European point of view to his winemaking, not only in choice of varieties but in winemaking style as well.

We recently had the opportunity to taste three of Markus Niggli’s Borra Vineyard wines. The samples are a lovely introduction to his style of winemaking and some very enjoyable wine.

2013 Artist Series — a subtle combination of white flowers, lime zest and melons combine in both the aromas and flavors to produce a wine with abundant flavor, crisp acidity and a surprisingly long finish. Over time, you will taste a hint of nutmeg in the finish as well. Spend some time with this wine, you will be rewarded by its complexity.

This is just the kind of wine that tastes especially good in the warmer months. It is easy to sip on its own and its tongue-tingling acidity is a natural contrast to fatty food and cheeses not to mention sea food.

This unique blend of 50% Kerner, 25% Riesling, 25% Bacchus is produced from fruit grown by the Koth family of Mokelumne Glen Vineyards in Lodi. By Niggli’s account, Mokelumne Glen Vineyards is the only source of Kerner in California, and Borra Vineyard crushed the entire 4.7 ton harvest in 2013.

Kerner and Bacchus are varieties you likely have not tasted, they are uncommon outside of Germany where the varieties were developed. According to Robinson, Harding and Vouillamoz in Wine Grapes, Kerner is a cross between Schiava Grossa and Riesling. Bacchus is a Silvaner x Riesling and Müller-Thurgau cross. These two varieties play beautifully together with the Riesling in this blend.

One more note for you wine geeks out there: cold fermentation took place over a three-week period using only native yeast, followed by cellaring in stainless steel. Only 42 cases produced. ABV13.5%. Natural cork closure. $18.99

2013 Nuvola — tropical-fruit aromas are followed by stone-fruit and citrus flavors, stony minerality and bright acidity. A bit of citrus pith lingers in the flavors. It’s light in the mouth and has a medium length finish.

The tropical-fruit flavors in this wine will transport you to the beach. Serve this wine before dinner with appetizers, it will pair well with about anything you serve. It is easy to sip and enjoy.

This 100% Gewürztraminer is made in a dry style from grapes also sourced from the Mokelumne Glen Vineyards. Markus harvested the Gewürztraminer early, at 21º Brix, “to achieve his ideal light and fresh wine.” A 10-day fermentation with native yeast was followed by five months in stainless steel before bottling. Only 71 cases produced. Natural cork closure. $18.99

Borra Vineyards’ winemaker Markus Niggli has a natural affinity for these German varieties. What you will taste in these wines is the flavor of the fruit, they are made with minimal intervention. He harvests early to preserve freshness and acidity in his wines. Refreshing wines in every sense of the word.

To learn a bit more about the many German and Austrian grape varieties planted at Mokelumne Glen Vineyards and tended by the Koth family in Lodi, have a look at our prior post about the family and their vineyard.

2011 Heritage — bright ruby-red in the glass, with aromas of caramel and barrel toast and underlying bright fruit. Raspberry, blackberry, plum and earthy flavors combine to produce complex fruit flavors with a bit of sweetness and vanilla. The tannins are smooth and well integrated into the flavors of this light to medium-bodied wine.

The combination of complex fruit flavors reminds me just how delicious a blend can be, especially one with modest alcohol. Drink this wine year round, it’s not too heavy for warmer weather.

This “field blend” is harvested by hand from the Church Block, a head-trained vineyard more than 90 years old. This old vineyard is a field planting of Carignane, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. These grapes are combined with Barbera harvested from another vineyard, itself 30 years old, and then co-fermented. And only free-run juice, the best quality juice that is released from the crushing and de-stemming process, is included in the fermentation. Once again, only native yeasts are used in the fermentation. Wood aging, 30% new French oak for 20 months, preceded bottling in June 2013. 180 cases produced. ABV is only 14.2%. Natural cork closure. $25.

These three wines are clearly made with care. It takes additional time and attention to use native yeast fermentation as they often proceed more slowly. And as Markus notes, the fruit must come in from the field very clean and not too ripe. This style of winemaking suits Markus just fine. As he continues, “Only good fruit makes good wine, quality control is everything in the wine world, at least were I am coming from.”

Thank you to Borra Vineyards, and to Markus for providing PullThatCork with an introduction to your wines. You have provided us with three great reminders that in addition to Zinfandel, a lot of interesting wine (from unusual varieties) is being made in Lodi. That’s a very good thing for those of us who love good wine!

Cheers!