Of Lodi, Lorenza, and the Victor Book Club

An except from "Of Lodi, Lorenza, and the Victor Book Club"
by R.H. Drexel for JebDunnuck.com

Kearney is eager to try her first Lorenza Cinsault at the site of its provenance, so she pours a little for each of us out of lab sample bottles. By the time this article goes to print, the wine will be in-market. Crunchy, fresh, balanced, with great natural acidity and length, it’s a refreshing, invigorating young wine. Kearney, a former restauranteur and successful wine marketer, heads up winemaking at Lorenza and has expanded their portfolio to include Picpoul Blanc and Cinsault. “In 2021, the amount of fruit was so small, and I didn’t have a crusher or press small enough, so we destemmed by hand. This is basically free run delicately handled. When it came time to press, we just drained it. Did a little foot-treading, but it’s just a very delicate expression of this vineyard. It’s our first [Cinsault], and I love the aromatics.” Strawberry. Rhubarb. Cardamon. White pepper. “It’s aged in stainless and neutral barrels,” she adds.

“We feel honored to be a very small part of this vineyard,” Ouellet says. “We’ve been lucky to work with this vineyard for over a decade, so that’s just a tiny part of its history, but it feels like a privilege and honor,” Kearney adds, “It’s always held a small, but powerful portion of our Rosé blend. It gave our Rosé some gravitas. This vineyard gives our Rosé a more elegant, pear-like quality.” With the Cinsault, she says, “it holds a different place in the spectrum of red wine. It’s on the lighter side.” She is also quick to add that the Bechthold Vineyard is farmed organically. “When we visit and migrate through, there’s a feeling we get with this vineyard, like, ‘Hello, friend. We’re happy to be here and how are you doing this year?’” Her daughter adds, “It’s very grounding.” The vineyard is teeming with life; all around us is birdsong, and we spy a few ladybugs on this cloudy day.

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