Lodi has come a long way as a wine region since establishing its Winegrape Commission in 1991. Its past decade has been particularly impressive. While the 100,000 acres of vines still provide fruit for hundreds of affordable, non-appellated, California wines, the region’s ancient vines, broad varietal offering, and high-quality wines have built a fine reputation for the Lodi AVA. In 2015, Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Lodi “Wine Region of the Year.” Fields Family is among the small, quality-focused wineries which have changed both reality and perception for the region.

About Fields Family

Russ Fields founded his eponymous vineyard in 2005. Soon thereafter, he coaxed Ryan Sherman, a realtor who had helped Fields find the property, to sign on as winemaker. That was a leap of faith and imagination, since Sherman wasn’t a winemaker. But the move couldn’t have worked out better.

Though Sherman remains self-taught as a winemaker, he makes wines which are not only among the best in Lodi, but among the best in California for varieties such as Zinfandel, Syrah, Vermentino, and Grenache Blanc. The wines are flavorful, yet have finesse and nuance. They take their character from site and fruit, rather than oak and manipulation.

Sherman isn’t the only winemaker in Lodi to have gone from novice-without-formal-training to skilled, taste-making producer. There’s a handful of them. They’ve worked together over the years, exchanging notes, tasting each others wines, and supporting each other in various ways. That core group continues to be a big part of Lodi’s newfound admiration from sommeliers and wine critics.

Minimal Intervention

Ryan Sherman was among the first winemakers to join the Lodi Native Project, a cadre of six wineries who produce terroir-driven Zinfandel from historic vineyards by making the wines without amendments or new oak. Though the Lodi Native is specific to one Zinfandel each from the member wineries, Sherman applies the same minimal-intervention philosophy to most of the Fields Family range. That approach, along with a nose for excellent vineyards and his out-of-the-box stylistic choices, produces wines which are not only delicious and drinkable, but unique and compelling.

Hooray for neutral oak!

Visiting Fields Family

The casual tasting room experience, which takes place inside the small, functional winery, is always enjoyable. And the wines are tremendous values. Fields Family is on the shortlist whenever I’m asked for recommendations on Lodi wineries to visit.

Tip: they have a release party coming up for new vintages of rosé and white wines on March 23.

Current Release Fields Family Wines

The reviews below are based on samples.

2016 Fields Family Grenache Blanc Delu Vineyard, Alta Mesa AVA, Lodi 91 13.5% 750ml $24

Like Lodi, Grenache Blanc has become more desired in the past decade. That’s down to new approaches from California winemakers. They bring the fruit in earlier and release wine unencumbered by lumber. And so Grenache Blanc here is often lighter and prettier than it is in southern France, where it runs to high alcohol and adds weight to blends. This wine from Fields Family is a perfect example.

The nose is pretty, with subtle pear and honeysuckle, delicate baking spice. The mouth-watering palate is nimble and complex: first saline mineral, then pear, green apple, honeysuckle, and green almond. Body is about medium and the mouthfeel is smooth upfront, then finishes slightly chalky. Now through 2023.

The juice fermented with ambient yeast in stainless and wasn’t allowed to go through ML. It aged seven months in neutral French oak barrels for texture and gentle softening. SO2 use was very limited.

2016 Fields Family Vermentino Delu Vineyard, Alta Mesa AVA, Lodi  92 12.0% 750ml $21

Vermentino is also seeing increased production and demand in California. Our collective palate has shifted from sweet, oaky, and buttery to juicy, food-friendly wines. Vermentino fits that bill, even in warm, Mediterranean climates. The grape is also adaptable, allowing winemakers to create wildly different, yet equally appropriate, versions from a single vineyard.

The 2016 Fields Family Vermentino is electric. Aromas of tangy stone fruit, lemon, and green apple carry through vividly on the brisk, refreshing, light-bodied palate. Mineral and a beautiful, silky texture hold their own though and persist throughout the very long finish. The bottle will be empty before you know it.

As with the Grenache Blanc, the juice fermented with ambient yeast in stainless and wasn’t allowed to go through ML. It aged seven months in neutral French oak barrels for texture and gentle softening. SO2 usage was very limited.

2016 Fields Family Syrah 100% Whole Cluster, Estate Vineyard, Mokelumne AVA, Lodi 93 12.8% 750ml $25

Syrah meets cool-climate Pinot Noir in this wine of red cherry, rose petal, lavender, and dried basil. Color and palate weight are also Pinot-like, but chewy, fine-grained tannins remind us it’s Syrah. The flavors of red cherry skin, red and purple berries, and dried flowers—and meager alcoholic content—transport us from Lodi to places like the Sonoma Coast or Willamette Valley. Palate intensity and length are very good and the fruit grows bolder with repeated sips. Drink now through 2026.

Per the name, none of the grapes were de-stemmed. Ambient-yeast alcoholic fermentation followed semi-carbonic maceration. All the French oak barrels were neutral.

2014 Fields Family Syrah Estate Vineyard, Mokelumne AVA, Lodi 92 13.8% 750ml $25

More than four years from vintage, this Syrah is still purple with a nose that’s balanced between fruity (black cherry and blackberry) and savory (dry eucalyptus and salty black olive). In the mouth, body is medium-plus and the tannins teeter between velvet and silk. Though that fruit recurs on the palate, and there’s dark plum too, the overall personality is savory, with flavors of gravel, ferrous earth, garrigue, dried leather, and salty black olive.

20% whole-cluster fruit fermented with ambient yeast, then aged in 20% new and 80% neutral French oak barrels and puncheons.

2016 Fields Family Zinfandel Kirschenmann Vineyard, Lodi 94+ $TBD

Despite all the new attention to previously unsung varieties in Lodi, it’s still Zinfandel country. With the recent crash in demand for White Zin, a lot of old vine Zinfandel is being torn out. But there are still thousands of acres of twisted, old vines producing magnificent fruit. Champions of historic vineyards, such as Tegan Passalacqua who is winemaker for Turley and owner/farmer of the Kirschenmann vineyard, make great, honest wines from those grapes and also dole out some fruit to like-minded winemakers.

Ryan Sherman used the Lodi Native protocol for this wine. And it isn’t a shouty Zinfandel. It’s nuanced with a nose of gorgeous fruit, especially raspberry-strawberry jam, and scintillas of fresh herb and sweet spice. The palate offers more of that red fruit jam, and adds cocoa, spice, and a few drops of caramel. Velvety texture frames those flavors through the very long, juicy finish. Stellar Zinfandel. Now – 2028, though you’ll have to wait until the wine is actually released.

2014 Fields Family Zinfandel Stampede Vineyard, Clements Hills AVA, Lodi 92+ 14.3% 750ml $28

An almost delicate Zinfandel, pretty as it complex, with fresh fruit aromas—blueberry, tart red cherry, and boysenberry—complemented by undertones of cocoa, tarragon, and sweet spice. The medium-bodied palate displays a good-natured tug-of-war between fine tannins and ripe-fruited acidity. Flavors match the nose, adding some spicy, dried bay leaf. Drink now through 2025.

Made using the Lodi Native Protocol with fruit taken mostly from 75 to 85-year old vines.

2014 Fields Family Tempranillo Lot 13 Vineyard, Mokelumne AVA, Lodi 91+ 14.9% 750ml $28

The nose is spice-driven with red cherry and plum at the heart. The palate is chocolate on top of spice, bay leaf and riper red cherry. Medium body and Tempranillo tannins, fine-grained but chewy. Who’s got the lamb stew? Best 2020 – 2030.

The fruit came from a vineyard of deep, sandy loam farmed by Michael McCay, another one of Lodi’s finest winemakers. Fermentation was native and aging all in neutral French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Copyright Fred Swan 2019. Photos courtesy of Fields Family Wines. All rights reserved.