Lodi Produces First-Class European-Style White Wine
What can’t Lodi grow well? Because the Delta’s moderate Mediterranean climate and rich sandy loams are so accommodating, the region grows the largest variety of classic wine grapes in the U.S. With such a plethora to choose from, inevitably unexpected wines are crafted by some of the more adventurous winemakers –such as Markus Niggli, the Swiss born winemaker of Borra Vineyards, Lodi’s oldest family winery (bonded in 1975). Mr. Niggli’s latest innovation is the 2013 Borra Lodi Artist Series- Limited Edition White ($19): a bone dry, medium-bodied white wine, bursting with refreshingly crisp lime/green apple/pear-like fruit; with sleek, silky textures punctuated by lightly tart, completely natural acidity. This is a 100% native yeast/stainless steel-fermented white wine (zero oak aging), crafted from 50% Kerner (a German white wine grape crossing), 25% Riesling and 25% Bacchus (another German crossing).
Because of his background, Mr. Niggli’s instinct has always been to fashion Europeanstyle wines – particularly naturally fermented wines emphasizing more acidity, and as much mineral or earthy qualities as the usual California-grown fruitiness – from the Borra family’s extensive plantings in Lodi’s Mokelumne River and Clements Hills appellations. It was also inevitable that Niggli would stumble upon a vineyard called Mokelumne Glen, located on a gently sloped, sandy, alluvial bend in the Mokelumne River, on Lodi’s east side. The vineyard was planted with, of all things, over 40 varieties of German and Austrian grapes by a retired schoolteacher named Bob Koth. Koth is a Lodi native who, it seems, caught an incurable grape bug after visiting his daughter Ann-Marie in Germany, who was studying in Mainz on a Fulbright Scholarship during the early 90s.
Returning home to Lodi, Mr. Koth, an academic at heart, decided to go full bore with all the exotic grapes he could muster: not just several clones of the famous Riesling grape, but also less popular grapes such as Silvaner, Gewürztraminer, and Grüner Veltliner; white wine crossings like Müller-Thurgau, Scheurebe, Rieslaner, Ehrenfelser, Kerner, Kanzler, Bacchus and Oraniensteiner; obscure black-skinned crossings such as Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, and Zweigelt; multiple varieties of “Pinot,” such as Spätburgunder and Frühburgunder (German clones of Pinot Noir), Weissburgunder (a Pinot Blanc), and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)… and more, much more.
Niggli makes no bones about Borra’s gravitation towards what he calls “Northern European”-style wine. “The point of theArtist Series is to go in a feminine direction;” says Niggli, “lighter white wines with a soft, approachable feel, appealing to feminine wine drinkers, or anyone who prefers that. We’re also picking the grapes at lower sugar levels – no more than 20° or 21° Brix – so that we can ferment with natural yeast, and retain completely natural acidity.
This is particularly important for grapes like Kerner and Bacchus, which can easily end up tasting flabby or fat if sugars are too high. Riesling gives us more acidity, but we don’t always get as much Riesling as we’d like from Mokelumne Glen.” Adds Niggli, “The result is wines that don’t taste like anything from Lodi.” Although the fact of the matter is, these wines do not resemble any other wine grown in California. “If anything,” adds Niggli, “it shows everyone what Lodi can do.” Randy Caparoso Randy Caparoso is the multi-award winning sommelier/restaurateur and longtime wine journalist who also pens the blog for the Lodi Winegrape Commission’s lodiwine.com.