It has become quite a common proverb that in wine there is truth. - Pliny the Elder (A.D. c. 23–A.D. 79)

Lodi’s Treasure Island Wine Festival Takes Flight

By John Koetzner   & Photography by Margie Koetzner

We often talk about doing flights of wine when tasting. Well, forty-five wineries were pouring at the Lodi Treasure Island Wine Festival on October 8th during fleet week. It coincided with the air show where the Blue Angels performed from 3-4 PM. One of the more spectacular aircraft to swing over the event was a stealth bomber around 1:30 PM.  While the aircraft could go undetected, the Lodi Wineries could not. The action inside the two big tents for the event was where we got a nice sense of how much Lodi has grown over the past several years as a wine destination rather than just a growing region.

Upon entering the first tent, we strolled to Acquiesce where we tasted a 2010 Grenache Blanc ($22.00 retail) that had a great mouth feel, nice acid balance, and citrus fruit.  We also had a 2010 Belle Blanc ($24.00 retail) that was a blend of about 33% each of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Viognier. It had floral aromas, tropical fruit with a light citrus fruit taste, and a very pleasant finish.  Both are well worth seeking out.

Next, we ambled over to Barsetti Vineyards where the owner, Richard told us that he bought an expensive bottle of Stag’s Leap Chardonnay and told his winemaker he wanted his Chardonnay to taste similar. Not only was the 2009 a crisp, clean Chardonnay, it had that tropical fruit and roundness in the mouth that lingers for minutes after.  The kicker is that it retails for $10.99 at Lucky’s in the Central Valley and some Bay Area Lucky’s supermarkets,but currently it is on sale for only $6.99. This is a load up opportunity.

Another stop during our white wine tasting was Estate Crush, where we sampled the 2010 Estate Crush Chardonnay ($18.00 suggested retail). Completely fermented in stainless steel and without any malolactic fermentation, this wine is a bit more austere, but it is a great example of how the varietal can stand on its own without any cellar magic. They also have programs for people to get involved with custom crush winemaking down to the half-ton level.

Our last stop for white wines (at least we thought it was), happened at Fields Family Wines where we tasted the 2010 White Cuvee ($18.00 suggested retail) that is a blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Muscat Canelli. It had a very floral nose thanks to the very small percentage of Muscat, but it had the crisp fruit of the Viognier that lingered well in the finish. 

The other great thing about this tasting is that it includes more than just cheese and crackers. There were salads, fruit, some pasta, and a variety of olive oils to taste too. We also had a couple chocolate tastings that we’ll go into once we move to part two next week, covering some of the red wines we tasted.

So, by the time we hit the second tent, it was time for a dessert white wine and Ripken Vineyards & Winery had a Late Harvest Viognier (suggested retail $20.00) that delivered. It reminded me of a sauterne in some respects, but it was more floral in the nose and had wonderful sugar and acid balance. It still made me want to pour it over pancakes or ice cream, but solo it was delightful and would be a nice after dinner sipping wine.

The jets cruised by and we started getting ready for red wines, which we’ll cover next week. 

In the meantime, start marking your calendars for visiting Lodi for these events: First Sip Lodi Harvest Celebration on November 12 & 13, as well as the Wine & Chocolate Weekend, February 11 & 12, 2012.

John Fogerty, may have been stuck in Lodi. After tasting the wines, we know why.