Most locals close to me, when they think of Tempranillo, (if they even think of it), they probably think of the Lodi AVA as you can definitely find this variety there in many great wineries. Over 100 acres of Tempranillo grows in the Lodi AVA, and the grape itself doesn’t even register 1,000 acres across the entire state. There is something special about the Tempranillo club of winemakers in this part of Northern California, and it is worth a deeper look.
Tempranillo is often called Spain’s noble grape, and I certainly agree with that, I have tasted enough Spanish Tempranillo to know this can be $100 wine that is actually worth $100. But still you don’t need to spend that kind of money, you can get close to a case for ~$300 because Tempranillo is simply not a big money variety in the state of California. Lodi winemakers are much more humble with their wine prices. If you are travelling the center of California you should look carefully at the Lodi region both for better prices, a deep bench of wineries, many varieties, and a perfect gateway into the niche that is Tempranillo or even Spanish varieties in general. That’s not to say great Tempranillo isn’t also located in Amador County. Most certainly it is, as the two counties, San Joaquin and Amador (barely) border each other so Sacramento, and Calaveras can be thrown in, as a “grand” region that has Tempranillo to discover.
One winery that has significant love towards both Portuguese and Spanish varieties is St Amant. This winery is worth a visit as they have scored a plethora of 90+ scores from Wine Enthusiast over the years and across the collection. With their Tempranillo you’ll be drinking Amador County (technically Foothill grapes) in the process. Their Spencer vineyard is their largest vineyard and that is located just on the western edge of Amador County. Another winery out of Lodi that sponsors a Tempranillo tour in November, is Bokisch Winery, and they helped sponsor the Lodi Spanish wine tour, that hit 8 wineries just for their Tempranillo. If you are looking for a list to do your own tour use the page I just provided.
Within Amador County I have to mention a relative newcomer winery that has lots of potential. Casino Mine Ranch has a good amount of (Tempranillo) grapes planted in Amador more along Shenandoah Road, which is the heart of Amador County wine country. I can’t say Tempranillo is their flagship grape, this winery takes a lot of pride in diversity, but the Marcel flagship blend uses Tempranillo to its perfection. This wine is both very bold and highly complex in its characteristics so you get what most people are looking for in this wine. Marcel is a bold wine, and a very complex wine. I see that Casino Mine Ranch also doesn’t release the Marcel till its ready, a few years on, and even then you can tell it needs some more time (at least 2 more years) to develop into something tremendous and perhaps a bit softer.
Tempranillo varietals in the Foothills (Amador/Lodi) regions is often big, high in tannins and simply “strong, bold wine”. If you prefer a more medium bodied wine I advise that you be patient and look around more, to find that balance that this variety can provide. It is both exceptional and truly noble in a way only a many generation Spanish wine-making family can truly understand. To take a closer look with great graphics about Tempranillo, step into the world of Wine Folly and their comprehensive, yet easy to consume guide on Tempranillo. My takeaway is that this grape and wine provide medium body and color, and do best when the wine is crafted in the middle of that elegant to bold scale, where the fruit can really show its many faces in the glass.
So glad that Tempranillo has begun to shine out from under the excellent and dominant Old Vine Zinfandel shadow of the southern parts of my (favorite Foothills) region.
You’ll need to figure out what kind of (Tempranillo) you really like.
Cheers!