Borra Vineyards’ 2016 harvest of old vine zinfandel at Gill Creek Ranch.

Borra Vineyards, bonded in 1975, is probably the Lodi AVA’s longest continuously operated, small producer. Founder Steve Borra had started making wine for family consumption in 1967. He founded the winery on the family ranch where his mother grew up. It’s still there today.

Borra Vineyards bought the 200-acre Gill Creek Ranch in 1992, already established with vines. It lies alongside the Mokelumne River in the Clements Hills AVA in the eastern part of the greater Lodi AVA. The fruit in this wine comes from a 40.7 acre, own-rooted Zinfandel block in that vineyard, planted in 1966.

Central Lodi has wide swaths of deep, sandy soil. However, Clements Hills is closer to the Sierra Foothills and, as a result, features more variety. This Borra Old Vine Zinfandel block alone includes eight different soils.

That variation, along with the vine age, creates complexity in the fruit. Borra Vineyards’ staff rigorously field-sort the Zinfandel bunches, making sure only the very best fruit even gets to the winery. After vinification in stainless steel tanks, the wine was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. 40% of those barrels were new.

2014 Borra Old Vine Zinfandel Gill Creek Ranch Clements Hills AVA Lodi 91 15.1% 750ml screwcap $22

A delightful and seamless Zinfandel brimming with black cherry and dark berry fruit. It’s flavorful but doesn’t shout. Dashes of cinnamon and cocoa accent the fruit on nose and palate.

The mouthfeel is lovely, medium+ body with very fine, soft, chalky tannins that are well-integrated with the viscous fruit. There’s excellent balance between that fruit and texture but also juiciness and alcohol. This Zinfandel will pair well with most of your favorite grilled foods, but won’t overwhelm roast chicken. The forward fruit and gentle texture make it a good drinker on its own too.

Copyright Fred Swan 2016. Photo courtesy Borra Vineyards. All rights reserved.