Archive for "Oct 2010"

Old Ghost from Klinker Brick in Lodi – old vines yielding less than one ton per acre

The Lodi AVA (American Viticultural Area) is particularly recognized for old vine Zinfandel, although it produces other varietals, too. The Lodi AVA is sits at the northern edge of the San Joaquin Valley by San Francisco Bay. It includes parts of southern Sacramento County and northern San Joaquin County, and is bounded on the east [...]

Age is Relative … Old Vine Wines on Long Island

I’ve written before about “old” being a somewhat relative notion for vines. If your vines are the oldest in your area, they are perforce “old” by your area’s standards. I came across a series of “Old Vine” bottlings from Lenz, a winery in Long Island (New York State). I thought to myself, “How old could [...]

THREE MATARO SPINELLI … Century-plus vines surviving in urban Contra Costa County, California.

“Three” is a California North Coast winery owned and operated by Matt and Erin Cline. Matt Cline worked with his brother, Fred, to establish Cline Cellars, before he established his own winery, Trinitas. He sold Trinitas in late 2006 and started Three Wine Company. “Mataro” is an old-time California synonym for Mourvèdre, a classic red [...]

Dusted Valley Old Vine Chardonnay Yakima Valley

Dusted Valley is a winery in Walla Walla, Washington. They bottle an “Old Vine Chardonnay” which is made from the oldest Wente clone Chardonnay vines in Washington State. This vineyard was planted in the Yakima Valley in 1971. Not all that aged, maybe, but pretty old for Chardonnay, and old for Washington State, too. “Wente [...]