Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2020 375ml
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The Land
Lodi is not the sun-baked Central Valley most people picture. It sits directly east of the only real gap in California's Coast Ranges, which means cool Pacific air funnels through San Francisco Bay and the Delta most evenings and settles over the vineyards. The Victor weather station in the Mokelumne River AVA records average diurnal swings of 37 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit from June through August, with nights dropping into the 40s and low 50s. The vines grow in Tokay fine sandy loam that runs 50 to 90 feet deep, laced with granitic minerals carried down from the Sierra Nevada by the Mokelumne and Cosumnes rivers. Free-draining sand, granite, and genuinely cold nights are why old vine Zinfandel from Lodi holds its acidity instead of collapsing into jam.
The Wine
Zinfandel from head-trained, dry-farmed blocks the winery describes as up to 120 years old. Yields run 2 to 3.5 tons per acre, and as little as a quarter ton in the oldest blocks. Barrel fermentation builds structure into a thin-skinned grape that can go soft without it. At 15.4 percent alcohol the wine carries dark cherry, baking spice, plum, cranberry, and black pepper through a finish that stays dry. The 2020 season was the twentieth vintage of this bottling and a demanding one. Lodi received 39 percent of normal rainfall, May rain during bloom cut the crop about 10 percent, and August 16 topped out at 109.5 degrees in what became California's hottest August on record. Smoke from the SCU and LNU complexes crossed Lodi, but those fires burned 39 to 45 miles away and Central Valley growers saw very few smoke-related rejections.
The People
Steve and Lori Felten are fifth-generation Lodi grape growers. The family came by way of Germany and Russia, then the Dakotas, then California's Central Valley, where they farmed watermelons before the land showed what it really wanted to grow. After nearly a century of selling fruit for other people's labels, they founded Klinker Brick in 2000 and released exactly one wine: this Old Vine Zinfandel. The name comes from the dense, dark bricks used in Lodi's older buildings. The family now manages between 15 and 24 separate old vine Zinfandel blocks across the Mokelumne River and Clements Hills appellations, spanning 40 to 122 years in age. Klinker Brick is LODI RULES certified sustainable, an independently audited program covering more than 100 farming practices.
Food Pairing
This is a half bottle, which changes the arithmetic. Two glasses is a weeknight, not a commitment. Pour it alongside grilled tri-tip rubbed with garlic, black pepper, and smoked paprika, where the char meets the pepper in the wine and the acidity handles the fat. Carnitas tacos with pickled red onion work the same way, the onion's acid picking up the cranberry. Slow-smoked pork shoulder with a vinegar-based sauce stands up to 15.4 percent alcohol better than anything sweet. Or keep it simple with two-year cheddar and Marcona almonds. This is the bottle for the Tuesday you want something serious with dinner and no intention of opening a full 750.
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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.
