A-Hunting We Will Go - Lodi?

Greetings all!

Strange days in our household with the converted closet “cellar” shelves on the verge of being devoid of bottles. With that said, I am curious to know what the Wine Berserkers collective thinks of the possibilities associated with Lodi. We are a already becoming familiar with one producer, but for the most part we are in the dark when it comes to this region. Any thoughts, impressions, suggestions? I suppose I should also add that one of the BIG reasons we have allowed our stocks to dwindle is our move toward cost-conscious driven acquisition. Fact is, all of those offerings and allocations of $50+ bottlings just won’t fly at this time. Thanks all! [cheers.gif]

Craig,

I’ve enjoyed more than a few Lodi Zins, they are usually a good value.

Craig,
Lodi is a region that is enjoying a real renaissance these days. It’s not just jug wine country these days. The Zins and PiteteSirahs (often old vine stuff) and Syrahs
can sometimes be on the soft side. They have been embracing Iberian varieties w/ a passion and making some really good stuff. Some of the recent whites have been
excellent. I particularly like Borra and Bokisch. JonBjork’s Pantheon Syrah is outstanding, but pricey for Lodi. And Odisea up in NapaVlly makes some excellent
wines from Lodi grapes.
Tom

If you are ok with low acid wines you should find some good values in Lodi. The area is perhaps most famous for its old vine zins.

I like the wines from Peirano. I had their Zin (big, rich, oaky) and their excellent Moscato this year. Have requested my ITB friend who distributes these to get me a bottle of their Petite Syrah which I suspect will be quite interesting.

Perhaps that may be true of the Zins & Cabs, Berry. But most of the whites and Iberian varieties don’t seem to show that soft/soupy
character that many of those Zins/Cabs can often show.
Tom

I knew I could count on you guys! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Lucas is an excellent winery in Lodi, both in terms of the quality of wines (primarily zin and chardonnay) and the winery visit experience. It’s a lovely place, with extremely nice people (who were very accomodating to our young kids as well). It’s just a few miles off I-5 and easy to find. http://www.lucaswinery.com/

Contrary to the general image of Lodi, Lucas makes both the zins and chardonnays in more of an AFWE / lower alcohol / higher acid / more ageworthy style – maybe somewhat comparable to the top Ridge zinfandels and zinfandel blends. I’ve had Lucas zinfandels from the late 1980s and early 1990s in the last few years and they were truly outstanding.

But with that in mind, when you try the current release zinfandel (which is the 2008), you have to allow that it still will need a number of years to lose some of its hard edges. The chardonnay, as well, is fairly lean, minerally and acidic and made more for ageing than immediate consumption.

The only other winery I’ve been to there is Spenker, which makes a good, everyday zinfandel and petite sirah in the $15 price range. It’s about as unfancy as it gets as far as visiting there, but if you’re looking for good QPR and value in a zin or PS that you could buy by the case, it’s worth a look.

Good point. I was indeed thinking of the reds. Ive had very little white from Lodi.

We did a trip to Lodi some years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Very low key and at the time no tasting fees.
Well known for Zin but you can find some Cab as well.
From what I remember I liked the Zin at Macchia the best.

Chris, here is a cheesy update on Spenker Winery and Creamery:
https://www.recordnet.com/news/20190804/spenker-winery-completes-farm-with-sj-countys-only-goat-creamery
Note: I am neither related to these ladies nor have any financial interest in their enterprises.

Favorites in Lodi include Bokisch, St. Amant, Fields Family, Acquiesce, and Riaza. Klinker Brick and Dancing Coyote are also good. You can check the index of my Grape-Nutz articles for ones on Lodi, which have more info on most of the above places.

I stop by Lodi usually on my way to Healdsburg. My favorite is Fields Family Wines. I have heard great things about Mettler, Bokisch, and Markus Wine Co.

Just visited Klinker Brick and Prie. Klinker Brick had a really cool hang out / outdoor space, decent Albariño and Zin. Highly recommend Prie, especially the Carignan and Picpoul Blanc, nice grounds too.

Bedrock, Carlisle, and Turley make superb wines from Lodi, which showcase the region’s potential.
I’ve had some nice Spanish varieties at Riaza as well. If I recall, they have a tasting room in town.

I’ve been enjoying a terrific vermentino passito from Lodi fruit made by Uvaggio Di Giacomo, a label in which Mel Knox is involved. Lovely light/medium body, perfectly balanced, and with multiple layers. Quite complex.
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My favorites from Lodi have been:
Bedrock Kirschenmann Zinfandel (although it looks like that may have ended in 2014)
Sandlands and Scholium Project Kirschenmann Chenin Blancs
Ferdinand Albarino
Scholium 1MN Bechtold Vineyard Cinsault
Bedrock Schmiedt Road Zinfandel

Cheers!

Steve

Should also add Markus.

I got some of that uvaggio from Wally’s a few years ago, was pretty good!

I agree with Ken’s recommendations and would add m2 to the list.