Winemaker Notes
1924 – The heart of the prohibition era and wine’s darkest hour when it was deemed illegal. It was also the year our winery first planted vineyards in California and farmed grapes that were sold to friends and neighbors. Story goes some of these grapes might have been used to make wine. For those that dared to toil in the black-market of winemaking, full-bodied red wines were the wine of choice and a crowd favorite at speakeasies across the country. Crafted from the finest fruit grown in select Lodi vineyards, our 1924 wines deliver dark, rich flavors in a style reminiscent of the prohibition era.
Lodi is justifiably lauded for its old vine Zinfandels, but it is a production powerhouse when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon. Lodi and its surrounding area (San Joaquin County) rank third in the state in acres planted to Cab, behind Napa and Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo County. But in total tons crushed Lodi is number one by a wide margin, surpassing Napa and Paso combined. In other words, Lodi produces more Cabernet Sauvignon than anywhere else in the U.S. This more volume-driven approach to viticulture makes possible the value-oriented bottlings that so many wine drinkers reach for on an everyday basis. These offer the varietal’s classic profile of dark fruit, oak influence, subtle herbal and green pepper notes and solid structure. Try Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon from wineries like Cosentino, Ironstone, Lapis Luna and The Federalist.