The Lodi Native Project is a brilliantly conceived project, designed to highlight Lodi’s heritage Zinfandel vineyards by producing low-intervention wines reflective of the site and not the winemaker’s style. Pre-1962 plantings of Zinfandel (or field mixes) with native yeast fermentation, no inoculation to initiate malolactic fermentation, no acidification or de-acidification, no additives, no new oak and no fining or filtering. Did I forget anything? These are the high points. Anyway, you get the idea, the point is to taste what the site contributes to the fruit.
The wines of the Lodi Native Project were introduced to the public at a seminar and tasting on March 29. The event was held at Wine & Roses in Lodi and sponsored by Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) and LoCA (Lodi Winegrape Commission). We attended the event and wrote about the wines in a prior post where you can also find all of the details about the winemaking process.
As part of the continuing promotion, we were invited recently by Charles Communications Associates and LoCA (Lodi Winegrape Commission) to participate in an online tasting of the 2012 Lodi Native Zinfandel with a group of wine bloggers. We were all sent the six Lodi Native Project Zinfandels to taste along with the discussion.
Using the Brandlive platform we were connected to a live video stream that included all six winemakers of the Lodi Native wines: Layne Montgomery of m2 Wines, Tim Holdener of Macchia, Michael McCay of McCay Cellars, Todd Maley (grower) of Maley Brothers, Chad Joseph of Maley Brothers, Ryan Sherman of Fields Family Wines. The discussion was moderated by Stuart Spencer from St. Amant Winery, the sixth winemaker of the group. We all had a chance to ask questions, make comments and talk about the wines.
Part of the conversation took place on Twitter and we thought, since we have already shared our impression of the wines, it would be fun to share with you a sampling of what the other participants thought about the Lodi Native wines via their Tweets. So, here is a selection of Tweets describing each wine. Reading through them will give you an abridged version of the tasting.
If you are interested in the details of the tasting, you can view the recorded video stream at the Brandlive link. It lasts an hour and is full of information. In the mean time, here is the speed dating version of the tasting.
Lodi Native: 6 growers, representing 6 select #Zinfandel sites, w/ the goal of expressing the land. #LodiLive pic.twitter.com/UxAN0nY43W
— Dezel Quillen (@myvinespot) April 22, 2014
#LodiLive http://t.co/EgrcDzWLqv @Lodi_Wine Stuart Spencer now telling about the #LodiNative project.
— Peter Bourget (@pullthatcork) April 23, 2014
First wine up tonight will be Maley Brothers Wegat Vineyard 2012 Zinfandel. #LodiLive #LodiNative
— Lodi Wine (@Lodi_Wine) April 23, 2014
We are starting off w/ the Wegat Vineyard Zinfandel from Chad Joseph, winemaker for Maley Brothers. Vineyard was planted in 1958. #lodilive
— Bella McDowell (@SonomaBella) April 23, 2014
Maley Brothers 2012 Wegat Vineyard Zinfandel: big nose, deep fruit/mineral interplay. #LodiLive
— NowAndZin (@randyfuller1) April 23, 2014
Uninoculated, partial whole cluster fermentation, the Wegat vineyard has herbal notes typical of west side of Lodi #lodilive
— Xandria (@brixchik_xan) April 23, 2014
Maley: Wegat Vineyard: Black cherry, blueberry interwoven w/ background earth & spice over a spine of juicy acidity. BBQ ready. #lodilive
— Dezel Quillen (@myvinespot) April 23, 2014
@lodi_live #lodilive West side soil lends herbal notes to warm cherry flavors and aromsa say Wine Shepherd Stuart Spencer We concur
— BrixChick_Liza (@BrixChick_Liza) April 23, 2014
https://twitter.com/Hawk_Wakawaka/status/458761008496926720
Now tasting Soucie Vineyard Zin by M2 wines Lodi. Very rich nose, slightly smokey w/ crisp raspberry finish #LodiLive
— Big Nose (@BigNoseWino) April 23, 2014
Lodi Native Project: 2012 Soucie Vineyard Zinfandel planted in 1916 – vines are own-rooted and head trained #LodiLive
— Kovas 50StatesOfWine (@50StatesofWine) April 23, 2014
M2 Wines: Soucie Vineyards-earthy; w/ a bit of smoke and amazing complexity #lodilive
— D' Vine Wine Time (@dvinewinetime) April 23, 2014
Soucie Vineyard zin by @m2wines is like a cashmere sweater. Plush and cuddly. #LodiLive
— Wine Harlots (@WineHarlots) April 23, 2014
M2 Wines: 2012 Soucie Vineyard: Black currants, black cherries, earthy loam, rich, broad-shouldered, yet nicely balanced. #lodilive
— Dezel Quillen (@myvinespot) April 23, 2014
https://twitter.com/Hawk_Wakawaka/status/458761844467847168
Next up is McCay Cellars Trulux 2012 Zinfandel… #LodiLive #LodiNative
— Lodi Wine (@Lodi_Wine) April 23, 2014
Tasting Trulux from McCay>blackberry, plum, bramble and spice character. Ample fruit. Dusty tannins. #LodiLive
— Martin Redmond (@martindredmond) April 23, 2014
@lodi_live #lodilive Trulux welcoming waft of blueberry cobbler can't wait to pair with Oakland BBQ!
— BrixChick_Liza (@BrixChick_Liza) April 23, 2014
McCay: Trulux Vineyards-smooth, a bit less acid but awesome fruit & earthiness. Plums & spice. #lodilive
— D' Vine Wine Time (@dvinewinetime) April 23, 2014
Next up tonight is St.Amant Winery Marian's Vineyard 2012 Zinfandel. #LodiLive
— Lodi Wine (@Lodi_Wine) April 23, 2014
Wine #4 Marian's Vineyard Zin St Amant Winery; lite spice nose w/ dusty mocha element that is surprising #lodilive
— Big Nose (@BigNoseWino) April 23, 2014
St. Amant: 2012 Marians Vineyard: Ripe plum, blackberry, mocha, white pepper, streamlined acidity. BBQ ready! #lodilive
— Dezel Quillen (@myvinespot) April 23, 2014
Marian's Vineyard is farmed in accordance with the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing program. #LodiLive #EarthDa
— Lodi Wine (@Lodi_Wine) April 23, 2014
Next #wine is @fieldsfamwines "The Century Block Vineyard" Zinfandel #LodiLive
— Bella McDowell (@SonomaBella) April 23, 2014
Lodi Native Project: 2012 Century Block Vineyard Zinfandel: 3-acre patch own-rooted Zinfandel planted 1905 #LodiLive
— Kovas 50StatesOfWine (@50StatesofWine) April 23, 2014
The 2012 vintage is the first vineyard designate on record for the Century Block Vineyard. #LodiLive
— Lodi Wine (@Lodi_Wine) April 23, 2014
@DVineWineTime Exactly! The @FieldsFamWines is very "pinot-like." Luved it! #LodiLive
— Wine Harlots (@WineHarlots) April 23, 2014
Fields Family: 2012 The Century Block: Pretty red berry fruit, earth tones, round, supple texture, good acid balance. Delightful. #lodilive
— Dezel Quillen (@myvinespot) April 23, 2014
The next wine up tonight is Macchia Noma Ranch 2012 Zinfandel. #LodiLive #LodiNative
— Lodi Wine (@Lodi_Wine) April 23, 2014
Wine#6 Noma Vineyard> Kirsch, boysenberry, red currant and soft spice character. Juicy, and damned tasty #lodilive
— Martin Redmond (@martindredmond) April 23, 2014
wow. Macchia's Noma Ranch zin clocks 15.8% alcohol and carries it like 12%. fresh, juicy, tingly on the teeth. really tasty. #LodiLive
— Kate MacKay (@KLMacKay) April 23, 2014
Macchia Wines: 2012 Noma Ranch: Ripe plum, boysenberry, touch of dried tobacco leaf, big and balanced, fruit-driven finish. #lodilive
— Dezel Quillen (@myvinespot) April 23, 2014
It wasn’t all serious wine tasting. There was plenty of joking going on and everyone had a great time.
Lodi Native: sensible viticulture, minimalist intervention, native yeasts (aka "winemaking without a net") Good s*** #LodiLive
— Paige Granback (@Scoldilocks) April 23, 2014
https://twitter.com/Hawk_Wakawaka/status/458768219763769344
@cuvee_corner @michaeljmccay Dang it! I forgot the picture! #lodilive pic.twitter.com/RDF3YgzM0e
— m2 Wines (@m2wines) April 23, 2014
Is there anything wrong w/ one girl opening 6 Bottles of Zinfandel for herself? I think not. #lodilive #lodinativeproject
— D' Vine Wine Time (@dvinewinetime) April 22, 2014
In summary:
Drinking a Zinfandel from sustainably farmed vineyard. Love the Lodi Rules for sustainability! #LodiLive #EarthDay
— Jenna Francisco (@thismyhappiness) April 23, 2014
https://twitter.com/Hawk_Wakawaka/status/458762538901983232
The #LodINativeProject Zins are easy pairing partners with many different food types and styles. #lodilive
— Bill Eyer (@cuvee_corner) April 23, 2014
These are Zins I would love to pair with Seared Ahi Tuna #LodiLive
— Martin Redmond (@martindredmond) April 23, 2014
So, so true! RT @WineHarlots: Thank you. It's not about the alcohol level. It's about balance. #LodiLive
— Bill Eyer (@cuvee_corner) April 23, 2014
And when I say the higher alcohol caught me off guard…I mean I would have thought much lower. #lodilive #bliss
— Wine Julia (@WineJulia) April 23, 2014
There you have it. A collection of six well-made Zinfandels that are a unique reflection of place. They will challenge your expectation of a Lodi Zinfandel. Each of these wines changes with time in the glass, becoming more complex. We were unable to appreciate this change in the original tasting in March, simply because of time constraints. That was part of the fun of this tasting, being able to spend time with these wines. We followed the online tasting with dinner and were able to sample all of the wines over several hours with food. Very instructive. All were exceptional the next day as well. Always a good thing.
And yes, the project is continuing. 2013 wines are progressing and all winemakers are planning a 2014 vintage as well. The wines are available in six-pack boxes for $180 at the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center.
The Zinfest Wine Festival is happening in Lodi May 16-18, 2014. The Lodi Native wines will be part of the Zinfest Wine School series of seminars. If you are curious to taste these unique and delicious Zinfandels, this is your opportunity. You can find information about Zinfest Wine Festival on their website.
Many thanks to Charles Communications Associates and LoCA for including PullThatCork in this tasting. We enjoyed the samples and as a result have put our money where our mouth is. We made the short trip to the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center and purchased our own box of the 2012 Lodi Native wines. We will keep it, I don’t know how long. Eventually we will open the bottles and enjoy the evolution of flavors.
We look forward to the future vintages of Lodi Native as well. This is truly an exciting and interesting winemaking project from Lodi.
Cheers!