Lobo Loco Wines

Lodi is the new Sonoma when it comes to well-priced Syrah. While one is hard-pressed to find even a $20 retail bottle in Sonoma, and twice that in Napa, many of equal caliber in the $10 range are coming from the Lodi appellation, and, most importantly, from small, family-owned Lodi wineries.

Lobo Loco is a great example of this new breed. This Syrah, priced at $12, could easily sell for twice that. The winery is certified in “Lodi Rules,” one of the country’s most progressive sustainable farming programs, and has received the California EPA award for innovative “Integrated Pest Management.”

Lodi has had a bad rap for so long, clumped into the Central Valley and thought of as no different than bulk wine producing regions of the south. The cooler, gentler growing conditions of the Sacramento River Valley, however, along with beneficial soil and many old vine plantings, have had insiders including many famous Napa producers clamoring for this under-appreciated fruit.

Bright, opaque purple, and viscous, this wine is grapey and fresh with dark, brambly berry, mocha, tar, smoke, and game notes. Round and creamy with bright berry, plum, cherry, pink peppercorn, and gentle spice, it finishes a bit taut but is otherwise balanced. I love the spicy, zesty black fruit finish.

Reviewed April 20, 2007 by Catherine Fallis.