Uvaggio Primitivo 2010
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Wine Enthusiast
If only more California Primitivo could be made in this style - soft, lower in alcohol, modestly showing its fruit - there would be more converts among Zin fanatics, who would be wowed by the subtle black cherry and licorice flavors and dry finish, minimally aged in oak.
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2015-
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Wine
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Wine
Enthusiast
Based on our theory - if we grow the right grape in the right place, we can manage to get by with our respective degrees in psychology and geography. (If one of us gets lost then other can figure out why.) However, when you grow grapes in the wrong place, you probably need a Master's Degree from UC Davis to make the wine taste good (if you are lucky). We think we have found the right places in Lodi for growing our grapes and urge you to discover this for yourself and try our wines.
Simply put - we are passionate about wine and we craft ours for people who want to experience something different than your typical California product. While our experience is well steeped in California's traditions, our product is contemporary. We produce these wines somewhat anonymously, relatively inexpensively and eschew the corporate, cookie cutter approach.
Our wines are for people who appreciate expressive flavors delivered with a classic style. You will not read anything about "the right wine is the wine you like” or “find the wine you like and stick with it." You will not find wines from Uvaggio with 16% alcohol and residual sugar (unless, of course, it is intentional) in our portfolio. Our whites are fresh, crisp, dry and rarely exceed 12.5% alcohol. Our barrel-aged reds are rarely over 14.5% alcohol.
Loved for its inky, brambly, fruit-driven wines, the Primitivo grape actually has Croatian origin. Primitivo landed in Italy in the late 1800s and became an important variety in the hot, dry, southern region of Puglia. Here it was named from the Latin word, primativus, meaning "first to ripen." Somm Secret—No one knew Primitivo and Zinfandel were the same until 1994 when DNA profiling at UC Davis finally revealed the link. The grape goes by the name of Tribidrag in Croatia and is a parent to Plavac Mali.
Positioned between the San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Lodi appellation, while relatively far inland, is able to maintain a classic Mediterranean climate featuring warm, sunny days and cool evenings. This is because the appellation is uniquely situated at the end of the Sacramento River Delta, which brings chilly, afternoon “delta breezes” to the area during the growing season.
Lodi is a premier source of 100+ year old ancient Zinfandel vineyards—some dating back as far as 1888! With low yields of small berries, these heritage vines produce complex and bold wines, concentrated in rich and voluptuous, dark fruit.
But Lodi doesn’t just produce Zinfandel; in fact, the appellation produces high quality wines from over 100 different grape varieties. Among them are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc as well as some of California's more rare and unique grapes. Lodi is recognized as an ideal spot for growing Spanish varieties like Albarino and Tempranillo, Portugese varieties—namely Touriga Nacional—as well as many German, Italian and French varieties.
Soil types vary widely among Lodi’s seven sub-appellations (Cosumnes River, Alta Mesa, Deer Creek Hills, Borden Ranch, Jahant, Clements Hills and Mokelumne River). The eastern hills are clay-based and rocky and in the west, along the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers, sandy and mineral-heavy soils support the majority of Lodi’s century-old own-rooted Zinfandel vineyards. Unique to Lodi are pink Rocklin-Jahant loam soils, mainly found in the Jahant sub-appellation.