Tag: rose

Ruby Magdalena Vineyards 2016 Rose of Garnacha Tinta

I came into contact with Marty Johnson, winemaker and co-owner of Magdalena Vineyards, when doing research for an article about the lesser-known varieties growing in Washington’s wine regions. Marty hails from the Rattlesnake Hills AVA near Zillah, Washington. All his wines produced (a modest 200-plus annual case production) are made from grapes grown on his petite 1-acre vineyard that he manages with his wife and co-owner Ryan.

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McCay Cellars 2017 Grenache Rosé

I was in town for the Lodi Vineyard & Wine Economics symposium, and decided that I would spend some time getting to know the wines of Lodi. The region has a bit of a bad reputation, known to produce excessive amounts of grapes (namely Zinfandel and Cabernet) that ultimately end up in “bulk” wine. At various other tasting events, I’d had the opportunity to taste a handful of smaller producers from the region who are focused in on creating a new reputation for Lodi—one of infinite variety, producing, yes, sometimes Zinfandel, but more often lately “other,” lesser-known varieties that seem to thrive in Lodi’s climate and soil.

So I came to town early on that day, a Wednesday. Unfortunately many wineries and tasting rooms were closed, saving their hours for weekend tour-goers. But thank goodness McCay Cellars was open (and staffing a very friendly hostess, I might add). I’d heard glowing things about their wines and, well, all of them were true. I came away with two wines—both Grenaches. I’d never considered Lodi a Rhone-style region. But, as I said, these small, often family-run wineries, are putting new grapes to the test and, thus, Lodi on the (legit) wine map.

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