VINEgeek

Producer: Michael~David Winery Grapes: 84% Syrah and 16% Petite Sirah Appellation: Lodi (AVA, California) Vineyards: no info Vintage: 2007 Winemaking: The wine spent 20 months in French oak (% new unknown) Alcohol: 15% Price: $17 at the online store My tasting notes: The wine starts off with sweet blueberry and blackberry cobbler aromas along with [...]

Michael~David Winery Petite Petit 2007 Lodi This wine was a press sample provided by Michael~David Winery. Which came first the name or the wine? That’s what I wonder when see that this wine is called Petite Petit for it’s combination of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot (and oddball blend to be sure). Clever name, but [...]

I always feel a little guilty when I buy a wine from Cameron Hughes and their ilk. If you aren’t familiar with the model, Cameron Hughes calls itself a “modern international negociant.” Negociant is French for “Man Without Dirt”. OK, I just made that up. But a negociant owns no vineyards and buys up various “lots” [...]

I don’t know what it is about me and Lodi Zin. I did a series on Lodi old vines Zin a few months ago and only really liked 1 out of 5. Zinfandel has always been one of my favorite grapes, but maybe my palate has shifted away from what these moderately-priced examples can deliver [...]

I should have known better than to buy this wine. I generally avoid wines with such gimmicky names/labels. But a few months ago I was planning a series of posts on Lodi old vines Zinfandel and was picking up just about every bottle of it I saw. I realized later that this one doesn’t say [...]

I picked this up while browsing at Spec’s when I saw that it had Viognier in the blend. It’s not very common for white and red grapes to be blended together – the biggest exceptions being old-school Chianti and Côte Rôtie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Zin/Viognier blend. Let’s see what it’s like. [...]

I tasted through 5 old vines Zins from Lodi over the past week or two hoping to find a few winners and learn a bit about the style. Part 1: Spellbound Old Vines Zinfandel 2005 Lodi Part 2: Ravenswood Old Vines Zinfandel 2006 Lodi Part 3: Gnarly Head Old Vines Zinfandel 2006 Lodi Part 4: [...]

This is Part 5 of my Lodi Old Vines Zin series. Part 1 was Spellbound 2005, Part 2 was Ravenswood 2006, Part 3 was Gnarly Head 2006 and Part 4 was Campus Oaks 2007. In the next few days I’ll post my overall takeaways (pardon the corporate-speak) from this series. The last wine I picked [...]

This is Part 4 of my Lodi Old Vines Zin series. Part 1 was Spellbound 2005, Part 2 was Ravenswood 2006 and Part 3 was Gnarly Head 2006. Campus Oaks Old Vines Zinfandel 2007 Lodi Producer: Campus Oaks (Gnekow Family Winery) Grapes: 100% Zinfandel Appellation: Lodi Vineyards: The grapes are sourced from vineyards averaging 90 [...]

This is Part 3 of my Lodi Old Vines Zin series.  Part 1 was the Spellbound 2005 and Part 2 was the (great value!) Ravenswood 2006. I have a few more bottles to try out so check back or subscribe to the RSS feed.  If you have some Lodi OVZ favorites, leave a comment. Gnarley [...]