Late summer finds perfect pairing in Lodi wines

Lodi is a place where winemakers can embrace their creative side, preserve old vine sites and make absolutely amazing wines.

We put a lid on summer in style, by celebrating Labor Day with Lodi. It was a stunning exploration within one of California’s largest appellations, at 550,000 acres 90 miles east of San Francisco Bay.

Although nights are getting longer, there’s still warm weather, concerts in the park, tailgating at the stadium, fall festivals and loads of outdoor activities where friends and family can share a bottle of wine.

There’s no better time to discover Lodi wines. Lodi’s paradigm-shattering plantings transformed my preconceived notions. Long had I thought of it as a land of zinfandel – still awesome there – old vine heritage grapes and some maverick plantings. What I learned was that varieties known for being stars in Europe are even tastier in Lodi.

Susan Tipton, owner and founding winemaker at Acquiesce, grew up in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood. The lifelong Cubs fan accidentally planted what is now my favorite domestic picpoul blanc, normally found in France where it’s high in acid. She stumbled into a stand-alone wine of character.

“I initially planted only 100 vines of picpoul, assuming I’d need to use it only as a blending grape,” Tipton said. “Our picpoul blanc was a surprise with beautiful fruit-forward character, which is why I now have over two acres of this grape.”

At Perlegos Family Wine Co., brothers Jeff and John Perlegos embraced their Greek heritage with a variety that calls the island of Santorini home. Jeff said the assortment of plantings is a strength of the appellation.

“Having a diverse collection of grape varieties allows for freedom and exploration,” Jeff Perlegos said. “We tend to grow everything well here, and quality to price is very high in Lodi. Winemakers and brand owners can create their own destiny here and find anything they need for their brand.”

John Perlegos joked that “like any good sons of Lodi, we are mostly known for growing zinfandel,” as they farm 35-, 50- and 100-year-old zin vineyards. But, they also grow merlot, vidiano, another Greek variety grown on Crete, and old-vine Tokay.

As fifth-generation Lodi farmers, the Lerner family has seen expansion. But Jorja Lerner of Harney Lane Vineyards noted it is family wineries that now call Lodi home.

“In recent decades, the Lodi region has experienced significant growth, particularly in the number of small, family-owned wineries,” Lerner said. “Many of these wineries, including ours, have chosen to vertically integrate, taking control of the entire winemaking process from vineyard to bottle. My husband, Kyle, and I pitched the idea of starting our own winery to my parents in 2005, and we released our first vintage in 2006.

“This constant evolution is exciting and rewarding,” she said. “Additionally, the growth of the region has provided us with the opportunity to explore more unique grape varieties and clones, aligning with our goal of producing the best possible wines from our vineyard rather than selling the grapes to a larger winery.”

For Gerardo Espinosa at Anaya Vineyards, Lodi is a laboratory for wine grape farmers and winemakers. But, it’s also a place with a diverse terroir where different wine grapes can thrive.

“It’s true that many Lodi growers experiment with a variety of grapes, but there’s always a balance to strike,” Espinosa said. “We consider both the agricultural viability and our personal passion for certain varieties. While it’s important to plant varieties that will thrive in Lodi’s unique climate and soil, we also believe in taking calculated risks to grow something that we are passionate about and that we think will add value to our vineyard’s portfolio. With nebbiolo, it was a bit of both. We saw the potential for it to do well here.”

Lodi is the most exciting appellation in the country. It’s the perfect time to explore all it has to offer.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.

LODI TASTING NOTES

Acquiesce, Mokelumne River, Lodi, Picpoul Blanc 2022 ($36.50): In the entire U.S., there’s about 75 acres of this white wine grape dotting vineyards in California, Washington and Texas. Until now, I’d associated it domestically with Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, but Susan Tipton absolutely nailed it here. She took the varietal to new heights, tailoring the California sunshine to tame the harsh acidity it shows in the cooler Languedoc region of France. On the nose, there’s green pear and a mineral note in the form of mossy rock. Flavors of tart grapefruit, fleshy pear and hints of honeysuckle come forth on a refreshing white.

Anaya, Clements Hills, Lodi, Nebbiolo 2019 ($49): Nebbiolo normally is found in Italy, but there’s 140 acres in California, Washington, Oregon and Virginia vineyards. Mexico has 440 acres and its potential shines there, as well. But, winemaker Gerardo Espinosa has planted my top nebbiolo of 2024. There’s sweet cherry, pine, balsamic, fig and earthy spice notes. It’s medium-bodied, comparable to a lighter-bodied pinot noir, but diverging in its flavor profile, which really pulls the varietal into a spotlight that lets it shine brightly.

Harney Lane, Lodi, Henry Ranch Zinfandel 2021 ($32): The nose is a prelude to bigger flavors to come; ripe black fruit and flavors of raspberry, blackberry, vanilla and nutmeg emerge. Rambunctious and fun-loving mid-palate with jammy red and black fruit flavors. The family are fifth-generation Lodi farmers. They’ve grown grapes since 1907 in Lodi, where hot days and nights that can dip to 30 to 40 degrees produce fruit-friendly zins with an added dimension of underlying acidity.

Perlegos, Clements Hills, Lodi, “Thera Block” Assyrtiko 2023 ($29): The grape hails from the Greek island of Santorini. Golden-colored, the wine had ripe peach aromas and flavors, with a big, juicy peach kiss and a weight in the mid-palate that lets the peach flavors percolate. The pH of Santorini’s volcanic soils is similar to that of Lodi; this is another varietal that’s spectacular in Lodi.