Kay and Joe Berghold purchased the land in 1986, and replaced the old Tokay grapes with Zinfandel. They built a showcase chateau in which to house their antiques and pour their wines. The bar was carved in the 1880s in New York City. The tasting room is filled with stained glass windows from Pennsylvania, chairs from the 1840s, and a piano from 1913. Kay is always glad to talk about these, and the other great antiques.
Joe is often beind the bar, pouring the wines made by winemaker Miles Berghold. The estate Zin really showcases the best of Lodi. It is 100% Zinfandel, coming in at 15.3% alcohol. It spends 12 months in American oak.
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Mitch Cosentino founded Crystal Vellay Cellars in 1980. It later evolved into the Cosentino Winery in Napa Valley. In 2001 it was re-established as a winery dedicated to producing wines from grapes grown ouside of the Napa Valley. The winery was opened in Lodi in 2004. The tasting room offers wines from all of the Cosentino wineries.
The tasting room in Lodi was pouring two Zinfandels made by winemaker Jason Fisher when I visited. THE ZIN is the reserve offering, with a Lodi designation. CIGARZIN carries a California designation. Both of these come in right around 15% alcohol.
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When Bob Hartzell retired as the president of the California Winegrowers Association in 1996, he and his wife Linda started Harmony Wynelands. The tasting room is designed to house a Robert Martin Pipe Organ that was originally in San Franscisco's Castro Theater. This 30' by 60' building has a 30' ceiling. The tasting room is surrounded by a rose garden, which features a customized gazebo. This site is often used for weddings.
The Zinfandels are all produced from a vineyard of 35 year old vines. Each year winemaker Shaun Mackay produces 200 cases, with each vintage receiving different treatments depending on the flavors present in each harvest. When I was tasting three vintages, the alcohol levels varied from 13.5% to 15.5%. One vintage was aged in neutral oak, one in Hungarian Oak and the last in both French and Hungarian oak. The latest vintages had 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Sirah. While the flavor profiles of each vintage varied, all three were nicely balanced offerings with distinctive fruit flavors. They also offer "Zinsation", a Zinfandel Port that was excellent with chocolate.
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Joseph Spenker purchased a 320 acre ranch in 1868 to grow wheat, the main crop in Lodi back then. In 1888 He planted the first vineyard. Some of these vines are still producing grapes today! His daughter Jessie, an environmentalist, set aside the 32 acre grove of oak trees that gives the winery it's name. This grove is being used today for concerts. The museum at the winery shows what life was like from the original wheat growing days to the present with photographs and displays.
All of the fruit comes from the estate. The large production Zinfandel, 25,000 cases, is "Earth, Zin and Fire", their "Front Row Zinfandel" with the name and labeling linked to the concerts. Three other low production Zinfandels are named after show horses, "Westwind", "Royal Tee" and "Vintner's Choice". They only produce 777 cases of the first and 500 cases of the others. They also produce a small amount of two Zinfandel Ports.
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Steve and Lori Felton are both 5th generation grape growers. The families have been in the Lodi area for over 100 years, growing mainly Zinfandel. In the early years most of the grapes were shipped to the East Coast and Canada to be used for home wine making. In the 1980s the estate vineyards were switched over to drip irrigation. This allowed much more control over the quality of the grapes, which combined with more sophisticated vineyard practices led to better control over the quality of the fruit. In 2000 they started their own winery, named after a style of bricks made in the 1920s. "Klinker" bricks are darker and heavier than normal bricks, and make a distinctive sound when banged together.
Klinker Brick Winery produces two Zinfandels. The first is the "Old Vine" Zinfandel. It is made with fruit from 13 different old vineyards throughout the Lodi area, 7 of which are estate vineyards. They expect to reach production of about 20,000 cases. The wine is aged for 12 months in American oak, and comes in at about 15.5% alcohol. The premium level is the "Old Ghost", made from fruit from a single vineyard. This low production wine, at about 1,300 cases, spends 12 months in French and American oak. While the alcohol level is about the same, this is a much more structured and complex creation.
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Layne Montgomery and Chris Matheny started making wine together in 2000 and started m2 Wines in 2004 with their first vintage. Their passion is "to create distinctive and different wines from premium vineyards throughout California." When I visited the winery, I was told it was the "smallest winery in Lodi." Layne and Chris are not only the co-owners, but the winemakers, bookkeepers, marketeers and whatever else needs to be done.
The "Old Vine" Zinfandel is made with fruit from the 55 acre Soucie Vineyard which was planted in 1916. The vines are all "Head Pruned" in the old style. The wine is aged in French and American Oak for 19 months, and comes in at just over 16% alcohol. They also make a late harvest offering called "Zinlady" from fruit sourced from 15 year old vines in Amador County. This spends 24 months in neutral French barrels. With a residual sugar level under 4% it makes a refreshing after dinner wine.
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Phillip's Farms as started in the 1860s by Andrew Harshner and his wife Lucille when they homesteaded 160 acres near Lodi. During prohibition Phillip's Farms shipped 15 different grape varietals throughout the country, along with instructions on "How Not To Have The Grapes Turn Into Wine." Today fifth generation winegrowers Michael and David Phillips have over 350 acres of grapes. The tasting room is located in a Farmer's Market, with a wine bar in one end, and fresh vegetables throughout the rest of the store.
The highest production Zinfandel they make is the "7 Deadly Zins", produced with grapes from 7 different growers. Next come the "Earthquake Zin", followed by "Lust". These last two came in at 15.9% alcohol, showing much darker fruit notes that the first.
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In 1979 Tim and Barbara Spencer started grafting 5 different Portuguese varietals onto 2 acres of Zinfandel rootstock so that they could produce quality Port. Two years later they had their first vintage and St. Amant Winery was started. In 1996 they moved to Lodi and added Zinfandel to their production of Mediterranean varietals. With their own vineyards in Amador Country and purchased fruit from Lodi, they rely on low yields with intense fruit flavors and simple methods to express the terroir of each of vineyard.
St. Amant produces two single vineyard Zinfandels from Lodi fruit. The first, Marian's Vineyard, is a small 150 case production from vines planted in 1901. The second is from the Muhr-Fry Vineyard. This 7.5 acre vineyard, yielding just over 900 cases, was planted in 1944, and is certified as "Sustainable".
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As a young man in Holland, John Van Ruiten dreamed of growing grapes and making outstanding wines. After coming to the States in the 1940s he saved his money, and was able to buy some land in the 1950s. He planted that first vineyard with Zinfandel. The winery, which was completed just in time for the 2000 harvest, now has over 800 acres of vines.
The "Old Vine" Zinfandel spends 24 months in American Oak, and with a low 14.5% alcohol pairs well with food. The "Sideways" Zinfandel gets it's name from the way the wine changed from what was intended. A late harvest picking that wouldn't stop fermenting until it was completely dry! With 16.5% alcohol, and big ripe fruit flavor, this is not a food wine, but a course by itself. The Reserve Late Harvest Zinfandel is a true late harvest wine, with 2.2% residual sugar and 16% alcohol. It spent only 10 months in French Oak so the fruit and spice are dominant.
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Mike and Renae Matson own Vino Con Brio, with Mike running the winery and Renae running the Bed and Breakfast that is on the same property as the tasting room. Their daughter Anne manages production, sales and marketing for the winery. Their other two children, Kent and Amy can be found pouring at many of the wine events. The Zinfandel fruit comes from the Locust Tree Vineyard, which is an estate vineyard that was planted in 1943.
Paul Wofford, the winemaker since 2003, produces two Zinfandels. The first is "Matzin" Estate Old Vine Zinfandel, which contains 85% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah and 5% Pinotage. This food friendly offering spends 15 months in French and American Oak, and in at 15.5% alcohol. The second is the "Matzin" Late Harvest Zinfandel, with 15.3% alcohol and 6.2% residual sugar. This is 100% Zinfandel, with 14 months in French and American Oak.
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Vino Piazza, or "Wine Plaza" in Italian, is not a winery, but a 25 acre site that now houses a dozen small wineries, a theater and a restaurant. From 1946 to 1978 the Lockeford Winery owned the buildings, complete with a number of 60,000 gallon wine storage tanks constructed with 12" thick concrete walls. U.S. Gasahol took over, but abandoned the property in the early 1980s. Don Litchfield and a partner bought the property at a county tax auction in 1998. When the partnership dissolved in 2000, Don began cleaning up the property and converting it into its present form. Plans for the future include adding a deli, a clock tower and a Tuscan style courtyard.
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Tim Holdener spent 10 years as an amateur winemaker before he, and his wife Lani, started Macchia Winery. Italian for "the spot", they are located in Vino Piazza. They have searched out some of the best vineyards in both Lodi and Amador County for their Zinfandels. Tim's strategy for making wine can be summed up by "Remember, it's all about the grape!"
Single vineyard, old vine offerings from Lodi are "Luxurious" from the Rous Vineyard, "Outrageous" from Norma Ranch, "Generous" from the 91 year old Soucie Vineyard and "Voluptuous" from the Maley Vineyard. "Mischievous" is a blend of five old vine, Lodi vineyards. From Amador County they have "Prestigious" from the 140+ year old "The Original Grandpere Vineyard", "Notorious" from the D'Agostini Vineyard and "Adventurous" and the Zinfandel Port "Dangerous" from the Linsteadt Vineyard. A late harvest offering is the "Flirtatious". The majority of the oak is American, with more than 50% new.
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Don and Karyn Litchfield made the Olde Lockeford Winery the centerpiece of Vino Piazza. It is named after the winery that started this complex in 1946. The back of tasting room comprises a museum showing a extensive fossil collection, as well as many mineral displays.
They produce two Zinfandels, a Lodi bottling and the reserve bottling, called "Raw Zin Reserve". They also have a late harvest Zinfandel called "Late Cretaceous" and a Zinfandel icewine called "Fire and Ice". The icewine was only made after the 1995 grapes froze on the vines, an extremely rare event in Lodi.
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