Sandlands Lodi Zinfandel 2023
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The Land
Most people dismiss Lodi as too hot for serious wine. The reality is more complicated. During summer heat waves, St. Helena in Napa and parts of northern Sonoma regularly run hotter than Lodi, and the Delta breeze sweeps the region each evening, cold Pacific air funneling east through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and dropping temperatures dramatically after dark. More telling is what the soils reveal. Kirschenmann Vineyard sits on the east side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA in silica-rich, white decomposed granite sand, porous enough that grapevines survive on their own rootstocks for over a century. Phylloxera never established itself in this kind of sand. The vines planted here in 1915 are still producing on their original roots, head-trained and dry-farmed, and that sandy soil produces wines that are fine-grained and detail-oriented, not the heavy, overripe profile that Lodi's reputation has long suggested.
The Wine
100% Zinfandel from Kirschenmann Vineyard, destemmed, fermented with native yeast in neutral vessels, and aged entirely in neutral French oak (3-8 year old barrels). No acid additions, no water, no new oak. Passalacqua picks early, targeting lower Brix for suave tannins and a genuine acid backbone. The 2023 vintage cooperated: a wet winter brought 32 inches of rain (more than double Lodi's 14-inch annual average), delayed budbreak by two to three weeks, and pushed harvest well into fall. Physiological ripeness came at lower sugar levels than a typical Lodi year. Bright Bing cherry and herbes de Provence aromas open the wine, shifting toward violet with air. The palate has savory drive, meaty and prickled by acidity, with wild fennel and licorice threading through from mid-palate to the finish.
The People
Sandlands is the personal project of Tegan Passalacqua, a Napa Valley native who built his career working in cellars across three continents. He worked with Eben Sadie in the Swartland of South Africa, with Alain and Maxime Graillot in the Northern Rhone Valley, and at Craggy Range in New Zealand before spending more than 20 years at Turley Wine Cellars, rising from harvest intern to Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. Sandlands launched in 2010 around a single premise: forgotten classic California varieties from own-rooted, head-trained, dry-farmed vines in sandy soils, from vineyards farmed for generations but largely ignored by the broader wine world. Passalacqua purchased Kirschenmann Vineyard in 2012, though the first Sandlands Zinfandel from the site did not appear until 2018. The wine carries no vineyard designation on the label, just "Lodi Zinfandel." That restraint is intentional.
Food Pairing
The wine's savory, herb-driven character and bright acidity make it a natural fit with richly flavored food. Lamb chops with rosemary and garlic, grilled merguez with harissa and flatbread, wood-fired mushroom pizza, or pappardelle Bolognese all work well. The acidity keeps everything in check without requiring the food to do any work on the wine's behalf. This is Zinfandel for people who actually cook dinner.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Lodi and the Sierra Foothills, while distinct regions, share a common thread as areas of California that offer a different experience from the state's more famous coastal appellations. Lodi, located in the Central Valley east of San Francisco and just south of Sacramento, is characterized by a Mediterranean climate with warm days and cool nights, benefiting from delta breezes. The Sierra Foothills, as the name suggests, lies further east, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, with varied elevations and a warmer, drier climate. Both areas have a large quantity of old vines, proof of a long history of grape growing. Often seen as an insider's secret, these areas are garnering increased attention for their ability to produce Zinfandel, along with other varieties, offering distinct expressions of California terroir.
California - Lodi & Sierra Foothills
Zinfandel, a red grape variety with a somewhat mysterious past, is most closely associated with California, where it has become a flagship grape. Genetically equivalent to Italy's Primitivo and Croatia's Crljenak Kaštelanski (and Tribidrag), Zinfandel's journey to California likely occurred in the mid-19th century. The grape thrives in California's warm climate, producing wines that range from sweet rosés (often labeled "White Zinfandel") to bold, full-bodied reds with flavors of blackberry, raspberry, and peach yogurt, often accompanied by higher alcohol levels. Zinfandel's ability to reflect its terroir, along with its versatility in winemaking, has made it a beloved and iconic grape in the American wine landscape.
