Cheers from the Vineyard
October 10, 2007
Cheers from the Vineyard
Link to full story: http://ourtown.tracypress.com/cheers-from-the-vineyard-7.html
A column by Jack Eddy
Lodi has a wine event about once a month. As one of the leading grape-growing and wine-producing appellations in California, it makes sense to celebrate often.
Last Sunday’s Taste of Lodi was a little more ritzy than the typical street wine fair. I likened it to an upscale Tracy Wine Stroll. The park-like atmosphere around the host Wine & Roses hotel, restaurant and spa created the perfect environment for food and wine tasting.
Instead of the Wine Stroll’s 50 wines and 50 catered dishes at 50 locations for 2,000-plus visitors, Taste of Lodi sold out to 1,500 wine enthusiasts, with 38 wine booths and about a dozen or so caterers. Admission to the Wine Stroll is cheaper ($25), so you must really enjoy wine, or the delicacies, to attend the $40 Taste of Lodi.
Wine remains the saving grace of the Lodi event — the lines for the appetizers were too long, and the dishes were mediocre.
One of the surprises was the quality of the inexpensive Campus Oaks wines, especially the 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel ($15 a bottle), chosen as one of the best 12 zinfandels of Lodi by professional judges. It was extremely meaty to the taste with a blackberry flavor and a leathery finish. I was disappointed that the 2004 cum laude Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel ($30) wasn’t uncorked. It got a 98 rating out of 100 points en route to a double gold and best of class at the 2007 California State Fair.
The Taste of Lodi is always a great spot to find newcomers to the wine industry. One of the most talented is Vic Mettler, owner and winemaker of vMv. The Mettler family has grown grapes for more than 90 years in Lodi, and Vic’s 2005 Locust Tree Vineyard Merlot ($15) has me saying “yes” again to this under-appreciated varietal. The Mokelumne River edge grapes produce bright raspberry flavors, with a mild vanilla flavor coming from 11 months of aging in French and American oak barrels.
It is a soft merlot with a medium toast finish, unusual for Central Valley merlots. No wonder it received silver medals this year at the Riverside International and West Coast wine competitions and a silver at the Grand Harvest Awards.
A mainstay at the Taste of Lodi is Steve Borra and his line of Rhone wines. His 2006 Borra Vineyards Fusion White Rhone blend ($18) of marsanne, rousanne and vignior is a poor man’s chardonnay and is crisp, yet with flowery aroma. My favorite is the 2006 Borra Vineyards Rose ($16), a 50-50 blend of grenache and syrah. This rose has an excellent spice finish that isn’t completely dry.
The wine has 0.3 percent residual sugar, a product from when the fermentation stuck. The Borra Vineyards 2005 Red Fusion ($18), a mix of petite sirah, syrah, zinfandel and alicante bouchet, is a complex, bold wine with an unfathomable berry flavor.
Last Sunday, I had a huge taste of Lodi.
Last Sunday’s Taste of Lodi was a little more ritzy than the typical street wine fair. I likened it to an upscale Tracy Wine Stroll. The park-like atmosphere around the host Wine & Roses hotel, restaurant and spa created the perfect environment for food and wine tasting.
Instead of the Wine Stroll’s 50 wines and 50 catered dishes at 50 locations for 2,000-plus visitors, Taste of Lodi sold out to 1,500 wine enthusiasts, with 38 wine booths and about a dozen or so caterers. Admission to the Wine Stroll is cheaper ($25), so you must really enjoy wine, or the delicacies, to attend the $40 Taste of Lodi.
Wine remains the saving grace of the Lodi event — the lines for the appetizers were too long, and the dishes were mediocre.
One of the surprises was the quality of the inexpensive Campus Oaks wines, especially the 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel ($15 a bottle), chosen as one of the best 12 zinfandels of Lodi by professional judges. It was extremely meaty to the taste with a blackberry flavor and a leathery finish. I was disappointed that the 2004 cum laude Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel ($30) wasn’t uncorked. It got a 98 rating out of 100 points en route to a double gold and best of class at the 2007 California State Fair.
The Taste of Lodi is always a great spot to find newcomers to the wine industry. One of the most talented is Vic Mettler, owner and winemaker of vMv. The Mettler family has grown grapes for more than 90 years in Lodi, and Vic’s 2005 Locust Tree Vineyard Merlot ($15) has me saying “yes” again to this under-appreciated varietal. The Mokelumne River edge grapes produce bright raspberry flavors, with a mild vanilla flavor coming from 11 months of aging in French and American oak barrels.
It is a soft merlot with a medium toast finish, unusual for Central Valley merlots. No wonder it received silver medals this year at the Riverside International and West Coast wine competitions and a silver at the Grand Harvest Awards.
A mainstay at the Taste of Lodi is Steve Borra and his line of Rhone wines. His 2006 Borra Vineyards Fusion White Rhone blend ($18) of marsanne, rousanne and vignior is a poor man’s chardonnay and is crisp, yet with flowery aroma. My favorite is the 2006 Borra Vineyards Rose ($16), a 50-50 blend of grenache and syrah. This rose has an excellent spice finish that isn’t completely dry.
The wine has 0.3 percent residual sugar, a product from when the fermentation stuck. The Borra Vineyards 2005 Red Fusion ($18), a mix of petite sirah, syrah, zinfandel and alicante bouchet, is a complex, bold wine with an unfathomable berry flavor.
Last Sunday, I had a huge taste of Lodi.
Cheers from Jack Eddy
• To reach Jack Eddy about his column, Cheers from the Vineyard, which runs weekly in Our Town, call him at 830-4233, fax to 835-0655
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