This tour of Lodi was strung together by Marc Hinton of enobytes.com who reached out to myself, Andrew Lazorchak of VineyardVlog and Christophe Smith (@corkdork) and invited us to join a private tour around Lodi California, with one other writer.  Our host for the day was Mark Chandler the Executive Director for the Lodi Woodbridge Wine Commission, who showed us everything from a “locals” perspective.  What was also nice, is that our whole group would be judging the California State Fair – Home Wine Makers competition the next day, so we got know each other all pretty well over the 2 days.

While I will continue on with my own notes about this trip.  We have compiled some video and decided to extract the discussions of climate, soil, and personal outlook of what Lodi is up to in this year 2010.

My Take On Lodi:

Lodi is struggling to lose it’s identity as a bulk-juice wine production area.  Even the name Lodi Woodbridge, for me, connotes a brand name that is associated with big bottled value wines.   The lay of the land is flat.  There is one soil type, sandy loam, which is very fertile  They have access to water for irrigation, and they are blessed with a high water table.  Their climate is heavily moderated by an inland delta or the “Calinas Straits”.   And on their eastern the border, they have the Sierra Mountains that bring cool air down in to the the great valley.   In exchanging tasting notes with our group, there was a common thread of monotony in the wines.  While the wines were good, no wines in particular jumped out and showed us something personal or indicative of the land.  (something I and VineyardVlog are always on the hunt for).  But please let me stress that this does not mean the wines are not good, as there were many palatable wines.

120 yr old zin vines. 10' tall trees!

In this tour of Lodi, our first stop was Jessie’s Grove Winery.  Jessie’s Grove (JGW) was a great first stop

One of many amzing historical artifacts of the early farmers.

as it made the historical importance and depth of Lodi abundantly clear.   JGW boasts 120+ year old vines.  These vines looked more like trees than vines -  They were massive!  With a history dating back to the 1850′s JGW had a great narrative of  how this wine country was birthed by early settlers and self-made farmers.  JGW has a very special historic farming museum on it’s property showing these early machines and the evolution of their estate and the success story of their family and community.

We next went to Van Ruiter Winery.  Again the wines were palatable and a few notable wines were in their tasting flight.  Van Ruiter is in the midst of a large expansion, mostly to house 100% of their production and bottling line under one roof.

Michael~David winery was remarkable, as not only was their tasting room modest, but Michael Philips and his wife were humble and approachable people.  I don’t know about you but if I was running a 300,000 case production facility, I would be a lot less calm.  But Mike had a remarkable demeanor.  They have shown how a small family winery can make it big with lots of hard work, and probably some guidance from their larger neighbors.

Abundance Vineyards was our next stop which was a fun one.  They had a very diverse line up including a sparkling wine.  Again the small winery getting bigger was the discussion, and of course their wines.

All in all, Lodi left a humbling impression on me.  I am not in awe of the wines being made there.  But I am in awe in the amount of hard work and energy that the wineries there are pushing for.  I am confident that Lodi will prosper as a region, and I think they will start to come in to their own, in the next 20 years.  We’ll have to see how their plantings, consumer demand, and climate change  evolve.  But clearly they are on fertile land and have a great climate for grapes…which is  a powerful combination when hard work is added.

Don’t be afraid of Lodi Wines, but expect a good deal, until they surge in to  their grape-ological sweet spot.

Cheers,

Andrew

Man!!!  I can not tell you how much of a tizzy I am in, in anticipation of WBC10.  Sadly to say, this “family re-union” of bloggers, tweeters, sippers, guzzlers, and tweakers , is probably more exciting than perhaps a real family reunion.  Maybe that’s cause I’ll be in the company of many great wine drinkers and comrades that have been “in the trenches” with me IRL or virtually all year.

Did you say you wanted chardonnay?

I have been watching the #WBC10 Hashtag on twitter and am being kept well-aware of who’s on a plane, who’s on the double-decker, and who like me just can not wait to be there as well.   Amongst all of this chatter have come a few “interesting” comments, videos, and blogs about the WBC10 and what the state of the state for bloggers is going to be?    And as I have been  writing my presentation for our Top Gun Blogging panel on Sunday – I find myself constantly rotating ideas and shifting  importance of what to speak about.  This constant shift is a reaction to the very fluid  Zeitgesit of WBC2010.  What is going on in wine blogging and social media?  Well to know the status, you need to listen for the on-going Chorus coming from the many voices of  bloggers, wineries, and marketing firms.  This chorus will change with every tweet and post, and we’ll all hear a different tune.   And it is this tune, that I want to identify the rhythm of and illuminate it for all who are joining as listeners or singers.

So what is the tune I am hearing and what am I seeing as a topic of importance and inspiration for our panel attendees?   Well,  I have seen a few posts and this post (about who is “big” or more influential at WBC10 and what does that mean to you as an attendee) got my wheels spinning with no firm conclusion.  I have also been corresponding with my co-panelists about our topics and seeing reactions to their posts and our general thoughts.   These influences plus the #WBC10 column is giving me a full chorus, and one thing is certain the playing field is a tabula rasa.  I am not sure what to bet on, but I am willing to bet that we can anticipate a hell of a conference.  Great people.  Great Wines.  And an IRL and real-time expose of what is the wine 2.0 zeigesit.

The weekend will be fast & furious.  Game-changing dynamics will be in full force.  Meeting lots of incredible people will be the standard.  And I will be excited to quell my  anticipation and excitement that has been mounting since last year.

This video will give you a solid understating of what to expect at our Top Gun Blogging panel and don’t worry if you don’t get it – you will Sunday! (Featuring Joe Herrig http://www.suburbanwino.com/ & Ben Simons (http://www.vinotology.com ) & Me (Andrew Lazorchak)

History For The Future -  One year ago at#WBC09

This time last year,  I probably had 110+/- twitter followers, and Vineyard Vlog was 3 months old.    I was  fresh to social media and blogging, but somehow I was able to get a foothold.    I did however have one feather in my cap,  I knew a few bloggers.  I got to know a few bloggers from my correspondence with them about my day job – Soiree.  This interaction with bloggers was easy, straightforward, and was always exciting.  But  this experience in getting to know bloggers, working in the trade, marketing Soiree, and just starting a vlog gave me good insight to wine 2.0.  Insight, that I realized not many people had.

I realized my infantile experience was already leaps and bounds ahead of the common wine trade person.  On Saturday last year there was a Q&A and a winery employee asked, “How do we reach-out to bloggers?”  It became very clear that this whole interaction of wineries, bloggers,and PR firms was uncharted territory for most.  So much that there is a panel that will be discussing that this year.  I welcome you to visit my re-cap from WBC09 – Day 2.   At that time,  Hardy Wallace was not officially with Murphy Goode.  Rick Bakas just soft-started for St Supery, FourSquare did not exist, and I decided it was time to engage and not just poke in from the outside.

The playing field was and still is far from being defined, which is the other amazing opportunity in front of all of us (marketers, social media-mongers, and bloggers alike).   We should all be thankful for the crappy economy in 2009, because if the economy had been like it was  in 1999 the marketing budgets and emphasis to compete on all levels would have blown the social media bubble in record time.

Recession

The reality is that wineries have had hoover pockets and the last thing they need is SocialMedia to put food on the table.     But then again, there was something great that happened in the last 12 months, and that was:  nothing.

Historically, recessions are great for academia.   People are unemployed or don’t see pay-raises in the works, so they go back to school.   Likewise, people stay at home more, blog more, tweet more, read more, drink more, and experiment with business ideas and opportunities.

This lull in the industry is something we should all be thankful for.   We have an abundance of latent effort that is mounting and very potent.  It is this moment in time that communication, tech, and inter-connectivity are getting ready to sprout.  Journalism, branding, and marketing will forever mutate to our chorus, and we are at the core of it all.

Now, more than ever, you need to know your inner-maverick and need to understand the mutating playing field that we are all pioneering – some better than others.

(Top) Ward Kadel (Middle) Crocker & Starr (Bottom)Steve, Beth, Ward, Seth, Andrew, & Jill {behind camera}

The Napa River is uncharted territory and for good reason – it is no pleasure cruise.  The river is a casual-sporting one that shares many fun obstacles complimented by some occasional minor rapids and waterfalls.  The obstacles typically present themselves as trees and brush across the river that you can sometimes limbo under.  At other times, these trees have resulted in a major dam across the river with dangerous downward currents ripping under them.  These self-constructed dams are a giant patchwork of logs, branches, and anything else floating in the river, they are 5-10 Ft tall!  There was even one spot that had giant nest of tree limbs over 15 Ft tall.  The mass of these dams not only makes them a pain to carry kayaks over, they are also evidence that this river can get very big and move with lethal speed into massive obstacles.

However, we smartly never went near the river when it was in a rage, and I strongly recommend everyone to respect the river, especially in the late winter months.  Our sessions on the river were late in the rain season and we found it to be an overall VERY FUN time and great learning experience.  The major obstacles tend to come in clusters and absorb time, but are quickly forgotten as the majority of the river is easy flowing.   These smooth flowing stretches of the river are very easy to navigate and give a priceless view on the valley,  The “Spine” of the Napa Valley.  And hence, the Napa River Terroir Project has begun.  Our exposé of this dynamic arterial system influencing the landscape, air movement, wildlife, and water; is designed to ultimately inform us if there is any terroir implications from the Napa River. (Our hunch says yes)

And this is the beginning of a really exciting endeavor.  Here are 2 trips that we posted via EveryTrail.com.  The sideshow shows the pictures with their corresponding location on the map.  Please have a look through these 2 trips.

Part 1 started at Tudal Winery and we launched at Bale Lane and ended at Zindandel Lane.  We stopped at Titus Vineyards, Crocker & Starr, and are appreciative of the invites from Ramsay Vineyards and other wineries.

Napa River Terroir Project – Part 1

Our second trip from Zinfandel Lane to Oakville Cross Rd. we stopped at Round Pond Estate and on the river edge behind Alpha Omega, Peju, St Supery.

Napa River Terroir Project -Part 2

Below is our “just for fun” Point of View video of what it is to be on the Napa River.  We have found the river to be refreshing, fun, and a remote sanctuary amidst the great Napa Valley Floor.   As you will see the river is at points very well enclosed and isolated.  And at other occasions, the land slopes gently to the river edge.   I would not say that people have turned their backs on the river, but at the same time.  The Napa river is a major natural feature of the valley and is typically overlooked and rarely referenced.   We should also note it is a thriving ecosystem, we saw many ducks, cranes, turtles, and some smaller fish – amongst other wildlife.

Where do we go from here?

Our next steps are to gather our various impressions and collective notes from the river trips.  We have tied in some of the video and most of the pictures we took.  As you can imagine, bringing cameras and equipment on the river is a risk, and we lost 2 video cameras to the cause.  Luckily, we found gear for protecting our iPhones, which have made the base documentation above possible.  We will assemble our data in our next steps, and we will start researching the points below:

Edge Conditions: What are the profiles of the edge conditions? And how does this change, shift, or be leveraged.

Soil Compostion: A mapping of the soil composition river bed

Varietal Planted: A mapping of the varietals planted along the river

Tributary Influx: A coordination of the influencers of the river.  We noted that Tributaries were of considerable factors to the river

Information Trade: Share info with Vineyard Management Companies, Preservation Societies, RDUST society, Vineyard Surveyors, & Wineries.

River migration: The river has moved and was re-directed when the rail road to Calistoga was built.  The river changes considerably  when traveling down it, and this query should inform us of soil changes and nuances in the vineyards .  The river bed also changes dramatically at spots which is another point of interest.

Historic River Engagement: There are several points where old foundations are on the river and man-made residuals are apparent.

Summation

The above info will allow us to arrive at an educated guess of how the terroir may reveal itself  throughout the valley.  The river is a unifying thread that links most the AVA’s from top to bottom of the valley and is a sinuous connection and artery for the valley.  Our grand scheme is to gather support from the wine trade and culminate data and stories.  This info will bring the river to the foreground of discussion for the first time in Napa’s history.  I hereby propose: The Napa River Terroir Alliance and to have a Terroir Tasting fundraiser and preliminary showcase in 2011.

Thanks for reading!  If you or anyone you know has interest, stories, or wants to contribute, please contact us.  This is an open-ended project done as a hobby/passion/fun way to explore the valley and wine.

Andrew(at)VineyardVlog(dot)com

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Ward Kadel