Lured by the promise of a delectable wine and cheese experience, my wife and I recently spent a lovely afternoon at Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi.

As expected, the wine and cheese experience was wonderful (head over to the IG account for the details). Inspired by the quality of the wine and cheese pairing experience, we decided to snag of bottle of wine.

Having been to Bokisch on numerous occasions, I fancied a bottle we hadn’t tried before, and ordered a bottle of the – 2016 Bokisch Vineyards Reserva Spanish Blend.

We were so impressed with their “Rioja style aged blend of Tempranillo and Graciano”, it’s my Wine of the Week.

This absolutely delicious and admirably structured wine was sourced from sustainably grown estate fruit that is both CCOF Certified Organic and Certified Green by “Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing Practices”.

It’s a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Graciano that is barrel aged a minimum of 3 years.

Tasting note: Medium ruby color with enticing dried Morello cherry, fresh black and red cherry, savory spice and hint of leather and black licorice aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and a very appealing supple texture. It shows layers of dried Morello cherry, fresh perfectly ripe black and red cherry, sarsaparilla, vanilla and spice flavors with a long finish. 254 cases|14.5% abv|SRP – $39|91pts

About Bokisch Vineyards

Markus and Liz Bokisch have been producing award-winning Spanish varietals since the early 2000s. With hearts and heritage of Spain, their inspiration to produce Spanish varietal wines began, creating Bokisch Vineyards, nestled in the Clements Hills of the Lodi AVA.  

Liz & Markus met at UC Davis and moved to Spain in 1992 traveling across the country in their 1967, blue VW Bus. Markus worked in the famous Cava producing town of Sant Saduri d’Anoia in the wine business, and Liz taught English classes. They soon fell in love with Spanish foods and wine and were determined to try producing domestic Spanish varietal wines upon their return to California.  

In 1995 they purchased their Terra Alta Vineyards property in the Clements Hills, and in 1998 they imported budwood from specially selected vineyards in Spain. They planted their Las Cerezas Vineyard of Spanish varietals with one acre each of Albariño, Tempranillo and Graciano (The first Graciano planting in the new world!)

They began making wine from their estate grown and organically farmed fruit in 2000. The Bokisch Vineyards label currently produces nine Spanish varieties including Garnacha Blanca, Verdejo, Garnacha and Monastrell. In 2012 they began experimenting with other unique small lot production by introducing the Tizona label which produces varieties such as Malbec, Petit Verdot, Old Vine Zin and specialty blends.

Diversity in action – Bokisch Vineyards collaborated with the Roots Fund to offer the 2017 Equilibri Red Blend. A portion of the proceeds of each bottle purchased will be donated to The Roots Fund.

Sources and resources:

• https://www.bokischvineyards.com/Discover/Our-Story
• https://www.bokischvineyards.com/Discover/Vineyards
• https://www.lodiwine.com/blog/How-Lodi-saved-the-wine-world-in-2015