Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/100792
or many decades the Lodi region, located 100 miles east of San Francisco near the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, has been known as a grower of high-production grapes for low-priced table wines. The region churns out 20% of California���s wine grapes, leading the state in the production of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier. Lodi is best known among wine lovers for its old-vine zinfandel. Despite these claims to fame, grapegrower and vintner Markus Bokisch envisions a different future for Lodi ��� one in which the region is also known as a producer of premium wine grapes for small- and medium-sized wineries, and the state���s best wine region for Spanish varieties such as tempranillo and albari��o. And to help make that vision a reality, he���s leading by example. Bokisch���s family business includes the Bokisch Ranches vineyard management company, which farms 2,000 acres exclusively in the Lodi region, and Bokisch Vineyards, a 2,500-case producer of Iberianstyle wines. To successfully run this multifaceted company, Bokisch (pronounced B��K-ish) must seamlessly move between the roles of production farmer, boutique winegrower and artisan winemaker. SPANISH ROOTS A California native, Bokisch spent his childhood summers in Catalonia, in the northeast of Spain, where his mother was born. It was there that he was introduced to wine. His interest led him to study viticulture at UC Davis, and in 1989, he became a viticulturist at Joseph Phelps Vineyards in the Napa Valley. While traveling around California in search of grapes for Phelps��� Rhone-focused Le Mistral program, Bokisch discovered the Lodi appellation. ���I went to this place and I saw a couple things that were very interesting,��� Bokisch recalled. ���I saw that it was a very tight-knit, multigenerational community, and that people there worked cooperatively very, very well.��� After three years at Phelps, Bokisch and his wife, Liz, moved to Spain, and Markus worked in the vineyards of Catalonia. ���I was dealing with albari��o for the very first time, I was dealing with graciano,��� he said. ���It was really exciting.��� His exposure to these varieties planted a seed in Bokisch���s mind, which would later grow into a winery business. w w w. v w m media.com Photo: Sam Harnack NAPA INFLUENCE After a year in Spain, the couple returned to California and set their sights on planting a vineyard. While working for Duarte Nursery, Markus traveled throughout California and into southern Oregon, and found that Lodi ��� the region that had first caught his attention at Phelps ��� had just what he was looking for: volcanic soils similar to those of the Vaca mountain range in Napa County. ���Lodi was most reminiscent of that Vaca range, but also had the climatic benefits of the coast through the Carquinez Straits,��� Bokisch said. In 1995 he purchased a property in what is now the Clements Hills AVA with volcanic soils ���nearly identical to the Vaca range,��� and planted 17 acres of syrah the following year. That vineyard became known as Terra Alta. In 1996, Markus and Liz founded Bokisch Ranches, which began when a neighboring cattle rancher asked Bokisch to plant a vineyard on the rancher���s land. ���In short order, we started putting in vineyards for all of our neighbors,��� he said. The success of the vineyard management business was both unexpected and gratifying, but it was only part of Bokisch���s vision. ���I���ve always wanted to be vertically integrated,��� he explained. Bokisch set that plan in motion in 1999, when he planted his first Spanish-varietal vineyard. In 2001 he produced his first Spanish varietal wines under the Bokisch Vineyards label. BOKISCH RANCHES Today, Bokisch Ranches farms 22 vineyards that range in size from 3 to 311 acres. Cabernet sauvignon is the dominant variety at 458 acres planted, followed by chardonnay at 284. Planted among the more traditional vines are smaller parcels of eight different Spanish varieties. All 2,000 acres are Certified Green under the Lodi Rules of Sustainable Winegrowing, and 80 acres are CCOF Certified Organic. In spite of the size of the operation, Bokisch Ranches has earned a reputation for high-quality farming, and its ability to customize practices to fit the protocols of each client. ���We became particularly well known for our ability to grow fruit in these Redding gravelly clay loams,��� Bokisch said. ���So we decided to develop our expertise in two AVAs in Lodi ��� the Clements Hills in the southeast and the Borden Ranch, directly to the north of it.��� The grapes are sold not only to giant producers such as E. & J. Gallo, but also to smaller wineries in Napa, Sonoma and Amador counties, including Mark Herold Wines, Turley Wine Cellars, Neyers J a n - F e b 2 0 13 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 43