As the weather warms and summer approaches I admit I’m thinking more about drinking chilled white wines than red wines. But, there are those occasions when I do look for a delicious red wine. I’m thinking about backyard parties held in the cool of the evening that include grilled tri-tip, lamb chops, skirt steak or sausages. Add a tomato-based barbecue […]
The Century Block vineyard is located on the east side of the Mokelumne River AVA (a sub-AVA of the Lodi Appellation) and was planted in 1905. The 3-acre vineyard is a tiny island among cherry orchards and much younger Zinfandel used for bulk wine production.
If someone says Rombauer Vineyards to you, what is the first thought that comes to mind? I’d be willing to bet it’s: Chardonnay. Even Rombauer Vineyards’ winemaker, Richie Allen, jokes that some people think Chardonnay is all that Rombauer produces.
We recently had the opportunity to taste the second vintage of the Lodi Native Project. This collaborative project is designed to showcase Lodi’s heritage Zinfandel vineyards by producing single-vineyard wines following a standardized protocol involving minimal intervention in the wine cellar. The idea is to show what the vineyard itself has to offer by taking the winemaker’s individual style out of the wine making process. The first vintage, 2012, was released in March 2014 and we tasted that first vintage as well.
Ryan Sherman loves to talk wine, but he loves making wine even more. He grew up in Lodi which means an exposure to vineyards and winemaking was inescapable. He grew up with kids whose parents were farmers and winemakers, though his parents were not. Ryan’s family was in real estate and he pursued a career in commercial real estate himself. He eventually circled around to winemaking, establishing Fields Family Wines with partner Russ Fields in 2008.
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.
The Lodi Native Project is the collaborative effort of six Lodi winemakers making Zinfandel from six heritage vineyards using a standardized, minimal-intervention style of winemaking. It is intended to showcase some of Lodi’s special Zinfandel vineyards, not the winemaking style. A unique concept which produces six unique and delicious wines.
Wine and cheese can be a great pairing. Read about our recent tasting of Lodi wines with cheese from around the world. It left us wanting more of both and planning a visit to downtown Lodi.
Tom Hoffman wasn’t always a winemaker. He used to teach, in South America. But, eventually he was drawn back to the family farm, to manage the vineyards. For a while he was a home winemaker. His interest in winemaking eventually became Heritage Oak Winery, located within the Mokelumne River AVA of the Lodi appellation. The winery opened in 2007.
Karyl Wilhelm, winemaker at Wilhelm Family Vineyards, is a woman on a mission. She makes an astonishing number and variety of wines. Her husband, Kevin, is the vineyard manager. They planted their vineyard in 2005. The quality and quantity of their vineyard has improved every year as Kevin learns what works best in the vineyard.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.