Lodi’s New World California Wine: Barbera, Syrah & Zinfandel
Many hobbyist California winemakers aspire to create a wine loved by others. Dave Dart & Helen Rommel started down that path in Lodi’s wine appellation 13 years ago when they opened up D’Art Estates, the 29th winery license in Lodi.
In those early days it was lonely. During our visit she told us they would sometimes sit in their tasting room all day with no visitors. But these days are different. The Lodi area is known for wine like Syrah, Zinfandel & Barbera. The area hosts 89 licensed wineries. We visited on a peaceful Monday afternoon (the quiet day at wineries) and there were a dozen couples in and out during our visit.
Co-owner Helen spent some time discussing her wine, Lodi and their branch manager and winery mascot, 14-year-old dog Abbie. Two things stand out from the conversation. First, how making wine became such a personal endeavor for her. Each bottle year has a personality, each vintage became something to remember and savor.
Then she spoke poetically about Robert Mondavi, the early California winemaker who believed New World wines of California should be labeled with their varietal name (Chardonnay, Zin, Cabernet, etc.) This contrasts with Europe’s method of labeling wine with the region, lacking information about grape making up the wine. When enjoying Euro wine you’re supposed to know what region produces a particular varietal and choose by location, rather than grape. This is why we enjoy New World California wine and shy away from Europe’s Old World wine. A later story will explore this difference between old & new.
What did we taste?
2022 Chardonnay $30 ✰+
2019 Grenache $30 ✰
2018 Barbera $30 ✰++ (90pts)
2018 Zinfandel $30 ✰+
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon $40 ✰
Non-Vintage Dog Day Red (port blended with every wine they make) $26 ✰
We also spent a lot of time talking about Haley’s Corker, a very common wine pourer and aerator used in California wineries. The Corker softens a tannic wine quite well. But used on softer varietals it changes them dramatically. As an example, pouring Chardonnay through Haley’s Corker strips out the oaky butter so many people enjoy.
But then, it’s all a matter of taste. As we always say, “The best wine in the world is the wine you enjoy!”
Some notes on our wine ranking system.
Bill & Erin Hodge write about California Wine, the estates & winemakers producing them and educational information about Vino. Living in California Wine Country provides a front row seat to the places you want to visit the most here in the Golden State.
– -✰ means -What’s next on your list of wines
-✰ means -Not liking it too much
✰ means -We’ll drink this wine, especially if it’s hosted!
✰+ means -You’ve got our attention and we might buy this wine.
✰+ + means -We’re hooked and we’re going to buy this wine.
When you see -✰/✰+ with a slash, it means we disagree.
