2018 Aglianico – River Ranch Vineyard

The River Ranch is our home ranch. Our lives are rooted here and our memories start here. Roughly 108 acres, the River Ranch is located alongside the Mokelumne River and has the Gill Creek Slough running through it. These native areas boast quail, river otter, deer, kingfisher, and beaver (just to name a few) that we often see when we are checking the six vineyard blocks, that are comprised of five unique varietals. Each varietal takes advantage of the waterways and microclimate, producing distinct wines that are truly reflective of this special place.

Weather is a key element of farming – it plays a crucial role in the health of our vines and winegrapes. Daily temperatures and rainfall come together to dictate the growing season, making each vintage distinctive. 2018 was a long and even season with moderate conditions and mild summer weather. This allowed the winegrapes to mature slowly with even ripening, pushing our start of harvest to August 6th, 10 days later than the previous two years. The overall moderate-to-cool harvest conditions were good for flavor development, but on October 3rd we endured rain showers. Luckily the following two weeks were dry and sunny helping finish the sugar accumulation in our mid-to-late ripening varietals. We ended harvest in November, one of the latest in recent memory, with particularly good quality and spectacular color in the red varietals and white varietals with sound flavor and acid development.

Jahant AVA – Located in the center of the Lodi AVA, the Jahant AVA is geographically the smallest of Lodi’s seven AVAs – a total size of 28,000 acres, with roughly 9,000 acres planted to vineyard. It sits on highly dissected river terraces and old floodplain deposits. The classic Mediterranean climate has Delta fog influence, and receives cold air drainage and entrapment within our vineyards.