Lodi Harvest: Early, Big and Good

(Wines&Vines) - Harvest in Lodi, as in most of California, is early this year. “We’re a couple weeks early on everything,” said Tom Hoffman of Acampo, Calif.-based Heritage Oak Winery in the Lodi-Woodbridge AVA. 

Hoffman grows 180 acres of grapes on property his family has farmed for nearly 150 years. In the 1860s, his great-great-grandfather James Christian, born 1827, homesteaded a 400-acre farm along the Mokelumne River near Lockeford. Hoffman sells most of his grapes but keeps 40 tons for his own brand. 

Wine grape harvest

Hoffman started harvesting Sauvignon Blanc two weeks ago, Chardonnay about 10 days ago and is now finished with the whites. He uses them, plus some Chenin Blanc he buys in Clarksburg, for his own wines. 

He’s now picking early reds—Grenache and Sangiovese—but said that the sugars stalled a bit during the heat on the “stout” red varieties.

Hoffman said he’s especially impressed with the Zinfandel, Lodi’s signature grape. “The weather has been cool, and we’ve done some dry farming.” He’s also dropped crop on the blocks of Zinfandel he makes himself, and reports that sugar content on these vines is 3 points higher than what he delivers to Gallo and Bear Creek, which blocks are irrigated and not thinned.