Delta Landing Zinfandel Lodi 2014

Lodi, American Viticulture Area (AVA) – The Lodi AVA is located in the northern end of the San Joaquin Valley, Central Valley California, east of the San Francisco Bay. Lodi has warm days and cool nights, similar to the Mediterranean climate. The lower temperatures that occur in Lodi result in fruit with good acidity. A wide range of soils are found in the Lodi AVA, but they generally are deep, loamy, sandy, rocky soils similar to that found in southern Rhone valley.

The Lodi appellation totals almost one half million acres, and the approximately eight hundred growers farm roughly 90,000 acres. Lodi produces more Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Zinfandel than any other wine region in California, but it is probably best known for its old vine Zinfandel. The vines are often head trained giving them a classic old world appearance.

Zinfandel – The Zinfandel grape is a hearty variety that produces grapes with high sugar levels, often resulting in wines with a high alcohol content. Thought to be a relative of Primitivo that is found in southeast of Italy (the boot heel), Zinfandel can be made into a wide range of wine styles, including White Zinfandel, light or full bodied red wines, and even late harvest desert style wine. However Zinfandel, especially Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, is usually made into a full bodied, spicy red wine with characteristics of red fruit, raspberry, and cherry.

Produced in the heart of Lodi AVA.

Rubus Zinfandel Lodi is made from 98% Zinfandel + 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Bottled after aging in French and American oak for 9 months.

Rubus Zinfandel Lodi presents with ruby red in color, with red fruit, raspberry, and spice on the nose. This wine is medium in body, with notes of ripe cherry, cedar box, cinnamon, anise, black pepper, and hint of smoke on the palate. It has a long, silky finish.

Selected by Fran Kysela MS.

Sourced from several sites in the heart of the Russian River Valley, the grapes are vinified in our traditional style; with an extended soaking period. The vineyard lots were fermented on the natural indigenous yeasts, each lot fermented separately to highlight the distinctive characteristics and unique distinct flavor profiles of this world famous growing region. Dark ruby-garnet in color, this classic Russian River Zinfandel shows aromas of boysenberry, raspberry, brown spices, and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the Family Ranches Zinfandel is balanced with excellent acidity: a powerful, rich and concentrated wine, with flavors of nectarine, cherry and raspberry that build through the lingering finish. This lovely wine can be enjoyed now, and will continue to develop with bottle age over the next several years. 

Uvaggio Barbera Lodi is made from 100% Barbera - 50 years old

An oft misunderstood and vastly underappreciated grape variety, Barbera posseses charms just awaiting discovery. Consigned to life in Piedmont as the second banana to the more glamorous, special-occasion Nebbiolo that goes into Barolo and Barbaresco, Barbera is what the locals drink daily. Its low tannins and higher acidity amplify its fruit while supporting the grape’s savory nature. While here in California it should be so lucky to have this level of prominence, ours is full, flavorful and firm. It has aromas of vanilla, toasty oak and heady dark fruits, all becoming more evident on the palate with a small burst of flavor. Its inherent complexity allows it to pair with just about anything you’re cooking, Mediterranean or not.

This remnant vineyard is one of four 'test blocks' that was planted for Gallo many decades ago, to evalute Barbera in Lodi for a contribution in elevating the quality and style of their Hearty Burgundy.
Uvaggio Barbera is full, rich and structured with aromas of toasty oak and ripe berries, plus flavors of stone fruit like cherry and plum; it possesses a complex finish.

Our mature vines are grafted to an old clone which has been cultivated in California since around the 1880’s.

We used a yeast strain isolated in Barolo and immediately following the alcoholic fermentation and pressing, we filled the wine to barrels for a malo-lactic conversion in wood. It was minimally handled and racked just once during winter. Total aging in cooperage was eight months and it consisted of 24% new French oak, 30% once used French oak, with the balance in fairly neutral French oak.

Bottled in Jul 2015; 14.2% alcohol, pH 3.39 & TA 7.1 g/l

95% Barbera - Leventini Vineyard 
3% Barbera - Firefall Vineyard
2% Charbono - Arrastra Vineyard
95% Lodi AVA

Its inherent complexity allows it to pair with just about anything you’re cooking, Mediterranean or not.

Review:

Superfresh raspberry aromas, rich cherry flavors and a texture that helps all that fruit cling to the palate make this medium-bodied wine compelling. It feels firm and structured due to good acidity, which supports the surprisingly bright and layered fruit flavors very well. Wine Enthusiast 90 Points

Pure 100% cabernet Sauvignon, this vineyard continually astonishes. Loads of loamy soil notes followed by blue and black fruits give this cabernet massive depth and beautiful integrated tannins. Milk chocolate, crème de cassis and tobacco give this massive wine the depth you come to expect with Napa cabs, but it is all Sonoma County, all from our magnificent little private valley which sees sun all day! We buy no fruit; we sell no fruit.

Jersey Boys Vineyard (Kevin Kinsella is the largest individual investor in the hit Broadway show "Jersey Boys")

Jersey Boys is a six-acre vineyard that was replanted in 2008 with four different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, handpicked by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown.

“While it was the third consecutive year marked by limited rainfall, the 2014 vintage offered a perfectly temperate growing season characterized by long, moderate days and cool, clear nights. We began the year with warm spring conditions that gave way to an early budbreak and the consistent, dry weather afforded an optimal fruit set of small berries with incredible concentration. Crop yields were down a bit from 2013, but the quality was magnificent. It was a textbook growing season, every winemaker’s dream.”
- Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown

Any vegetable or meat in the grill. Delicious with Chocolate as well.

Review:

"There are 645 cases of the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Jersey Boys Vineyard (named after the fact that the Broadway Musical “Jersey Boys” was brought to the stage and screen by the owner of Kinsella). This wine and its siblings will do a lot to establish Dry Creek as more than another viticulture area better known for Zinfandel than Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a killer Cabernet Sauvignon with dazzling fruit levels and loads of loamy soil notes intermixed with black raspberry, blueberry and blackcurrant. The superripe and pure fruit hits the palate with a full-bodied crescendo. The wine offers up notes of underbrush, unsmoked cigar tobacco, pen ink and plenty of crème de cassis and blackberry, Drink it over the next 20-25 years. - RP"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #227, October 2016), 95 pts

Uvaggio Primitivo Lodi  is made from 87% Primitivo, 13% Barbera

As we traverse the highways and byways of the wine world, the number-one question we encounter is “are Primitivo and Zinfandel really the same wine?” Well, yes and no. After years of genetic research, ampelographers discovered both are clones of a Croatian grape called Crljenak Kaštelanski (aka: Tribidrag). This means they’re not exactly the same (but oh so very close). It’s lively and fruity, generally offering a brighter expression than typical Zin (think fresh blueberries, not blackberry preserves). Neither Croatian or Pugliese, ours is a perfect complement with America's farm-to-table cuisine.

Decades ago we helped pioneer an 'old vine' Zin revial in the Napa AVA, plus planted Napa's first Primitivo. We have moved-on to a more cost effective AVA, sourcing from a vineyard planted for the Prisoner program.

Fruity and engaging; having a briary aroma of blackberry, floral notes like violet and a hint of spices like clove; with berry and cherry flavors, it has a bold and firm finish.

Harvest in mid Sept was followed by several days of cold maceration, after which the must was inoculated with a fruit enhancing strain of yeast. Immediately following the primary fermentation and pressing, the wine went into older neutral barrels for a malo-lactic conversion. While only minimally handled, late spring of the following year it was racked and we blended in a small percentage of Barbera, to enhance its expression and add complexity. Aging continued for another three months in neutral oak cooperage.
Bottled in Aug 2016; 14.9% alcohol, pH 3.58 & TA 6.0 g/l

Review:

"A wine for grown-ups, this is big but balanced and dry in style. It matches impressive layers of just-ripe blackberry and black-plum flavors with a sturdy structure of fine-grained tannins that clean the palate easily. It has considerable depth and focus, indicated by how the dark fruits seem to keep increasing in intensity even on the finish. - JIM GORDON"

- Wine Enthusiast (October 2017), 92 pts - Editors' Choice

Uvaggio Primitivo Lodi  is made from 87% Primitivo, 13% Barbera

As we traverse the highways and byways of the wine world, the number-one question we encounter is “are Primitivo and Zinfandel really the same wine?” Well, yes and no. After years of genetic research, ampelographers discovered both are clones of a Croatian grape called Crljenak Kaštelanski (aka: Tribidrag). This means they’re not exactly the same (but oh so very close). It’s lively and fruity, generally offering a brighter expression than typical Zin (think fresh blueberries, not blackberry preserves). Neither Croatian or Pugliese, ours is a perfect complement with America's farm-to-table cuisine.

Decades ago we helped pioneer an 'old vine' Zin revial in the Napa AVA, plus planted Napa's first Primitivo. We have moved-on to a more cost effective AVA, sourcing from a vineyard planted for the Prisoner program.

Fruity and engaging; having a briary aroma of blackberry, floral notes like violet and a hint of spices like clove; with berry and cherry flavors, it has a bold and firm finish.