{"product_id":"klinker-brick-old-vine-zinfandel-2020-375ml","title":"Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2020 375ml","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLodi 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eZinfandel 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSteve 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maverick Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51247924084959,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8220171.jpg?v=1787526007","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/klinker-brick-old-vine-zinfandel-2020-375ml","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}