An Unadorned Taste of Lodi's Old Vine Vineyards

I recently had the opportunity to taste The Lodi Native Project wines after an old vines tour of the area. In 2012, the Lodi Wine Grape Commission asked winemakers to make a more naked style of 100% Zinfandel wine from designated vineyard areas. These vintners were asked to create low intervention wines made with native yeasts, no new oak barrels, no fining or filtering and no adding acid or water to the wines. The goal was to give a true reflection of these special terroirs.

Wegat Vineyard sits on the west side of the Mokelumne River AVA. The vines were field grafted onto St Augustine rootstock in 1958. This wine is made by Chad Joseph of Maley Brothers. The vines here produce loose clusters with an intense fruit character. This wine had a fruity blueberry/blackberry flavor with an earthy touch of mushroom.

Stampede Vineyard is on the east side in the Clements Hills AVA. The vines are on their own rootstock in sandy loam soil and range from about 80-100 years of age. This wine was crafted by Ryan Sherman of Fields Family Wines, it is more structured, more tannic with cherry and red berry aromas and flavors.

Trulux Vineyard is located on the west side of the Mokelumne River AVA. The vines were originally planted on St Augustine rootstock in 1940's and were head trained and are now over 6 feet tall. The vines produce long loose clusters. The wine is made by Michael McCay of McCay Cellars and also has red fruit flavors but is more savory with dried herbs and a spicy nutmeg note in the finish.

Marian's Vineyard was planted in 1901 and the vines remain on their own roots. It is also located in the Mokelumne River AVA. It is currently farmed by father/son team Jerry and Bruce Fry, the vineyard was named after Jerry's mother. The wine is produced by Stuart Spencer at St Amant Winery. The well draining sandy soil helps to create a bolder Zinfandel with more concentrated dark fruit flavors. This wine was more floral with a slightly peppery finish.

Soucie Vineyard is also located in he Mokelumne River AVA. It is the most western and enjoys more of the cooling effects of the Delta Breeze. Sourced from a vineyard block planted in 1916, the vines are on their own roots in a fine silt soil. This wine was produced by Layne Montgomery of m2 Wines, it was a bit more lush and a little earthier.

Schmiedt Ranch is an 8 acre site located in the bend of the Mokelumne River. It was planted in 1918 and the vines are dry-farmed and sit on their original roots in deep sandy loam. This wine is by Tim Holdener of Macchia Wines, it has concentrated fruit flavors with a silky smooth feel and a long finish.

The next release is the 2014 vintage in November. A six-pack containing one of each is priced at $180 at the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center. These wines are highly recommended.

"The Zen of Zin" Tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks

On Friday evening, my husband and I attended the Zinfandel wine tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks. My husband gets totally pumped up for any and all things Zinfandel but what I found really intriguing in the line up of wines were the aged offerings. Brent Sloan, managing partner at Houston's premier wine storage facility Nos Caves Vin, had provided Fleming's with four 18 year old bottlings and one 17 year old bottling from his collection of some of his favorites. I found this interesting because 1. I don't believe that I have ever had an 18 year old Zinfandel before this evening and 2. From various wine classes, I had always heard that at best Zinfandel had very limited aging ability. So, I was definitely excited to give these wines a taste. There were also an additional five younger Zinfandel wines that are some of Fleming's best sellers. The entire tasting line up for the evening included: 2009 Orin Swift Saldo - California 2007 Schulz "Lampyridae...

Spanish Wine under a Houston Sunset

I was asked to speak about Spanish wine and to conduct a tasting at the 30th birthday party of Kyla Kennedy on the rooftop patio of her and her fiancé, Jonathan Garrett's home this past Saturday. They invited a great group of friends with a new interest in wine tasting. Jonathan had the idea after the two had watched the movie "Somm" and had become interested in learning more about the wines of the world. For our tasting tour of Spain: Anna de Coderniu Brut Cava * - Guests loved this Spanish sparkler! They found the history of the winery interesting and enjoyed the refreshing style of the wine. The birthday girl named the subtle tropical and citrus aromas like a pro. 2012 Burgan's Rias Baixas Albarino - Guests talked about the fresh peach aromas and the crisp taste. Many felt this could be their summer sipper. 2012 Raimat Costers del Segre Albarino* - Guests were interested in learning about this lesser known area, the innovative winery and how ...

A Tropical Staycation with Spy Valley E Block

After a fair amount of traveling this summer with more still to come, I was looking forward to spending time at home with my family this week. Both of my millennial children have recently moved back to Houston but the home-cooked meals have been few and far between. I had recently received a sample of the Spy Valley E Block Sauvignon Blanc 2017 along with an invitation to participate in an on-line tasting with the Wine Pairing Weekend group (find them online under the hashtag #Winepw), this became the inspiration for this family gathering. I gleefully sent out a group text, "I'm grilling poolside tonight, be home by 7:30 p.m. to eat, come earlier if you want to swim." I am surrounded by funny people as the responses reflect, "Who is this?", "What have you done with my mom?", "Not a good night, Bachelor in Paradise is on." I was undeterred, I knew that they would come. I pulled the bottle out of the wine fridge to investigate what I was ...

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