Cliffs Wine Picks – Lodi Summer Wines – Vol 1

2016 Markus Wine Co. Zeal

2015 Heritage Oak Sauvignon Blanc

2015 Harney Lane Albariño

2016 Peltier Rouge Rosé

2016 Acquiesce Grenache Blanc

2015 McCay Cellars Rosé

This post is based on samples that were provided to me. I have the samples clearly marked and supply the suggested retail price for the wines.

For a great, all inclusive look at Lodi, visit the Lodi Wine site.

2016 Markus Wine Co. Zeal – SRP $22

Markus Wine Co. started in 2014 as a sub-venture of Borra Vineyards. Markus is Markus Niggli, the Swiss born winemaker for Borra. Borra Vineyards produces fuller bodied red wines from the winery’s vineyards in Lodi and Clements Hills. For Markus Wine Company’s wine, they went the opposite direction. These are generally lighter bodied, lower alcohol white wines containing the tasty but lesser known varietals, at least in Lodi, such as Torrontes, Traminette, Kerner, Riesling, Bacchus and Gewürztraminer. Everyone who thinks Lodi only produces big red wines should check out Markus, they will be in for a BIG surprise.

Much more information and the ability to order Markus (and Borra Vineyards) wines are available on their website by clicking here.

This is a blend of 64% Borra Gill Creek Ranch Syrah and 36% Borra Church Block Carignane. This wine was fermented in 100% Stainless Steel using only native yeast. The wine did not go through malolactic fermentation to retain the crisp acidity. Only 55 cases were produced and bottled on January 13, 2017.

The wine is a bright pink color. The very inviting nose has cherries, strawberries, dusty minerals, orange blossoms, lime zest and white pepper. This is dry with a medium body and very nice acidity. On the palate strawberries, cherries and dusty minerals quickly grab your attention with orange blossoms and white pepper slipping in on the back end. The finish has very good length with mouthwatering lime zest providing depth and leading you to grab another sip. This is another wine that proves Lodi does a lot more than just produce big bodied red wines. I really like this one! This has 13.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure. (93 pts)

2016 Markus Wine Co. Zeal

2015 Heritage Oak Sauvignon Blanc – SRP $18

Heritage Oak Winery is located on an isolated stretch of Woodbridge Road six miles east of Lodi on 106 acres that nestles up against the north bank of the Mokelumne River. The winery was built beneath a towering blue oak tree that dominates the landscape for miles around. The winery produces crisp whites and fruit driven red wines and is owned by Tom and Carmela Hoffman. The land has been in Tom’s family for five generations.

More information on the winery and their wines, as well as the ability to order wine, is available on their website.

The wine is a very light, pale straw color. The refreshing nose has tart green apples, lemon zest, orange blossoms and a hint of leafy herbs. This has light to medium body with crisp acidity. On the palate tart apples and lemon zest jump out on the front end with under ripe pineapple and orange blossoms coming in later. The finish has very nice length with mouthwatering lemon zest and a touch of leafy herbs providing nice depth. This is crisp with nice fruit making it very easy to sip on a sunny day. This one is hard to resist. This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork. (91 pts)

2015 Heritage Oak Sauvignon Blanc

2015 Harney Lane Albariño – SRP $20

Harney Lane Winery is a family owned winery that has been in existence sine 2006. For the previous 100 years the Mettler family farmed the area and vineyards in the area. I love the following quote from their website – “Meet our most valuable ingredients in our bottles-our family.” In Lodi family and friends mean everything.

Much more information on the winery, family and their wine is available on their website.

The wine is a pale yellow with a slight green tint. The fresh and invigorating nose has green apples, lemongrass, melon, white peach, pineapple, lime zest, dusty minerals and a touch of leafy herbs. This has medium body with crisp acidity. On the palate tart apples, melon, white peach and lemongrass quickly jump out on the front end with pineapple and lime zest coming in later. The mouthwatering finish lingers very nicely with an herbal note and minerals providing good depth. After trying a few different Lodi Albariño wines, this region is turning out some of the best ones from California and they can compete with versions from anywhere in the world. This is top notch! This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork. (93 pts)

2015 Harney Lane Albariño

2016 Peltier Rouge Rosé – SRP $18

Peltier Winery is an innovative, cutting edge winery and custom crush facility. Their mission is to produce and create outstanding wines from our sustainably farmed, certified green, estate grown vineyards. The owners are Rodney and Gayla Schatz, third generation grape growers. The couple purchased the 40 acres that would become their first vineyard and home to the winery in 1985, shortly after graduating from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Even though the couple are relatively new to growing grapes it is not a strange venture for them. Rodney’s family farms 1,200 acres of vineyards in the region.

In 2001, Rod and Gayla built a custom crush facility to allow numerous other growers in the area to produce their own wines.

Much more information on Rod and Gayla, their winery and their wines is available on their website.

The wine is a beautiful bright cherry red color. The inviting nose has cherries, raspberries, dry loamy soil, orange zest, wild flowers and white pepper. This has light to medium body with crisp acidity. On the palate bright cherries, dry earth, minerals and wild flowers quickly grab your attention with white pepper coming in later. The finish has very nice length with mouthwatering orange zest and raspberries providing good depth. I like this wine and absolutely love the bright red color. This is very easy to sip on the deck on a sunny day. This has 12% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork. (92 pts)

2016 Peltier Rouge Rosé

2016 Acquiesce Grenache Blanc – SRP $25

Acquiesce Winery was originally considered to be a long-shot to survive. In the middle of a region that relied on full bodied Zinfandel and Petite Sirah wines, Susan Tipton started a winery based on the white grapes from France’s Rhone region. The winery produces crisp and nuances wines from Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Roussanne and Viognier as well as a Grenache Rosé. The vines for the vineyards were sourced from the famous Château de Beaucastel of Châteauneuf du Pape in France. The winery is so popular that there is a waiting list to join their “wine club”.

As usual more information on the winery and the ability to purchase these marvelous wines is available on their website.

The wine is a very light pale straw with a slight green tint. The impressive nose has green apple, melon, white peach, chalky minerals, leafy herbs and lime zest. This is barely medium body with very nice acidity. On the palate tart apples, melon, white peach and minerals quickly grab your attention on the front end with a nice herbal note coming in later. The finish has very nice length with more minerals and a healthy dose of tart lime zest leaving your mouth watering for another sip. This is a crisp and lighter bodied wine perfect for a light meal on the deck or patio on a sunny day. This has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork. (91 pts)

2016 Acquiesce Grenache Blanc

2015 McCay Cellars Rosé – SRP $18

We met Michael MaCay and his Syrah/Grenache grower Phil Abba and had a “side of the road” tasting at Phil’s Abba Vineyard. Just like every grower we met you could “feel” Phil’s dedication and pride in the grapes that come out of his vineyard. I bought this wine as well as McCay Cellars’ Syrah and Grenache wines made from the fruit from Abba Vineyard. This was fantastic on the side of the hot, dry and dusty road and I could not wait to open a bottle to sip at home.

McCay Cellars is owned by Michael McCay. McCay moved to Lodi in the mid 1980s and started to grow grapes. He started making wine in 1994 and launched McCay Cellars in 2007. Much more information is available on the winery, history and most importantly their wines by visiting the McCay Cellars webpage.

This wine is mainly Carignane (from 102 year old vines) with Grenache. The wine was produced with a “native fermentation” in stainless steel. The wine is a bright salmon color. The fresh smelling nose has strawberries, peaches, dusty minerals and lime zest. This has a medium body with good acidity and just a hint of sweetness. On the palate strawberries and minerals immediately grab your attention with peaches in the background. The finish has nice length with a hint of lime zest leading you to grab another sip. This has just a hint of sweetness making it an easy to enjoy companion to a warm day in the sun. This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap. (90 pts)

2015 McCay Cellars Rosé

Conclusion and recommendations

These are all wines made with pride by families who either grow their own grapes or buy them from “friends”. The over riding thing I learned during my visit is this region performs like one big team. Everyone from the grape growers to the winery owners are equals when it comes to producing these world class wines. The wines in this post are generally not available at you local wine store. They are available via the winery’s websites or from the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center.

If you want to plan a trip to Lodi, which I highly recommend, your first step should be to visit the Lodi Wine Site. If you find yourself in Lodi and want to sip some wine, buy some wine or look for recommendations, I encourage you to visit them at:

Lodi Wine & Visitor Center

2545 West Turner Road

Lodi, CA 95242

Phone: (209) 367-4727

Email: lwwc@lodiwine.com

This is also a great place to buy Lodi wines. They have an extensive inventory of wines that you can have shipped to your home.

Lodi Information

Lodi is just east of San Francisco and has provided grapes for producers all over the world since the 1800’s. The Lodi area has provided grapes for producers all over the world for decades, and many families in Lodi have been growing grapes for six and seven generations. Today, there are approximately 85 wineries and tasting rooms, over 750 growers and more than 100,000 acres planted to vineyards. The wines we tasted commemorate the heritage of Lodi and are not only exquisite, but tell a narrative.

It is a well-known fact that Lodi is predominantly a red wine region, proudly holding the self-proclaimed title of “Zinfandel Capital of the World”. What is lesser known is that Lodi’s unique Mediterranean climate allows for over 75 different varietals to thrive.

Tons of great and useful information is available on the Wines of Lodi, LOCA website. I highly encourage you to read about the area by clicking here. You can also follow Lodi on Twitter at @Lodi_Wine.

Lodi Green Program

The Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing is California’s first 3rd party-certified sustainable winegrowing program. Originally launched in 2005, over the past two years the program went through and extensive review to update and make standards more rigorous.

The Lodi Rules takes a comprehensive approach to farming that goes beyond just pest management to promote practices that enhance biodiversity, water and air quality, soil health, and employee and community well-being. This allows us to produce higher quality wines more reflective of the places and people that grow them. It gives you the opportunity to promote responsible farming by enjoying the great wines from these vineyards.

When you drink a certified sustainably grown Lodi wine, you are supporting a farmer, a vintner, and a community that embraces its responsibility to take care of the environment.

Visit the Lodi Certified Green site for more information on the region’s sustainable winegrowing.

Calhoun & Company enjoys a diverse portfolio of wine and spirits clients. From family owned to corporate managed, luxury to everyday priced, small lot wines to nationally distributed, Napa to Oporto, we thrive on the varied media opportunities each of these categories presents. We are exceptionally proud of the breadth and depth of our practice, as illustrated by this partial list of brands we have worked with over the past 13 years. For more information, visit their website.

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but always check out the sale and close out items when in a store. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.