Scotto Cellars, Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel, 2022
Scotto Cellars, Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel, 2022
- 75cl
- 13.5%
- Red Still
- Zinfandel
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2029
Lodi is where California Zinfandel gets serious, and the Scotto family have been working this corner of the Central Valley long enough to know exactly what those old vines can do. This 2022 comes from fifty-year-old Zinfandel, hand-picked, fermented on skins for nine days, then aged for twenty-two months in older French oak — enough time to knit everything together without burying the fruit under wood. The result is a wine that's unmistakably Californian in its generosity: deep, ripe, and full of that blueberry-pie character Zinfandel does better than almost anything else.
What lifts it beyond simple crowd-pleaser territory is the structure underneath. Cinnamon and cracked pepper keep things honest, the fruit has real density rather than sweetness alone, and the finish has genuine length.
Right now, the 2022 is in a very approachable place — the fruit is generous and forward, the oak well-integrated, and there's no need to wait. Over the next two to three years, the primary blueberry and cherry character will begin to settle and deepen slightly, with the pepper and spice becoming more prominent. By 2027 or 2028, the wine may start to show a little more dried fruit and earthiness as it moves through its peak.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceDeep, inky ruby-purple with a bright, youthful rim.
NoseBlueberry pie and black cherry right up front, with cola, dark plum, and a warming undercurrent of cinnamon and black liquorice. The oak is present but well-integrated, adding a faint vanilla note rather than dominating.
PalateRich and full-bodied, with ripe berry fruit that's generous without being jammy — there's enough tannin and pepper spice to give the wine real backbone. Cranberry and red cherry brighten the mid-palate and stop the whole thing from feeling heavy.
FinishLong and warmly spiced, with the pepper and cinnamon lingering well after the fruit has faded.
Overall impressionA proper Lodi Zinfandel — ripe, powerful, and generous, but with enough structure to keep it honest.
Food Pairings
In the Central Valley, this kind of Zinfandel is practically born for the barbecue: slow-smoked beef brisket or pork ribs glazed with something sweet and smoky are a natural match for the wine's ripe fruit and peppery warmth. Lodi locals might also pair it with a hearty beef and bean chilli, where the wine's weight holds up against the depth of the dish. Grilled lamb burgers with sharp cheddar and caramelised onions work brilliantly, as do spiced lamb sausages with roasted red peppers. If you're keeping it simple, a good quality pepperoni pizza with plenty of cheese is hard to argue with.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at around 16-17°C — cool enough to keep the fruit lively, but not so cold that you lose the spice and warmth that make this wine tick. A thirty-minute decant is worthwhile; it opens up the nose and softens the tannins just enough to make the wine more expressive. Use a large-bowled red wine glass to give all that fruit some room to breathe.
The Scotto vineyards sit just east of the city of Lodi, where the soils are predominantly deep, nutrient-poor sandy loams that stress the vines gently and concentrate flavour over decades. The key climatic feature here is the Delta Breeze, a cooling afternoon and evening wind that rolls in off the San Joaquin Delta and moderates what would otherwise be punishingly hot summer temperatures. This diurnal shift extends the growing season considerably, allowing grapes to build sugar and ripeness slowly while retaining enough natural acidity to keep the wines fresh. Old vines, some over fifty years of age, send roots deep enough to find moisture without irrigation, producing small, intensely flavoured clusters.
Lodi is a large American Viticultural Area in California's Central Valley, positioned between Sacramento and Stockton, and it has been growing Zinfandel since Italian and German immigrants planted the variety here in the nineteenth century. The appellation contains a patchwork of sub-AVAs with varying soils and microclimates, but the unifying thread is that cooling Delta Breeze, which sets Lodi apart from hotter inland valleys and allows for a longer, more gradual ripening season. Lodi accounts for a remarkable proportion of California's old-vine Zinfandel, with some parcels dating back over a century. While it once supplied bulk wine for larger blending programmes, the past two decades have seen a shift towards single-vineyard and estate bottlings that make a genuine case for the region's quality.
California's 2022 vintage caught everyone off guard with its sheer unpredictability. After years of drought anxiety, the growing season delivered exactly what the vines needed: a wet winter that replenished water reserves, followed by a mercifully cool summer that stretched the ripening period well into October. The absence of major heat spikes meant grapes could hang longer without losing their natural acidity, whilst wildfire smoke — that unwelcome guest of recent years — stayed largely away from the key regions.
What emerged from the cellars has us rather excited: wines with a freshness and energy that feels like a return to California's more restrained past, yet with all the technical precision of modern winemaking. Cabernet Sauvignon shows remarkable balance between power and finesse, whilst Chardonnay displays the kind of mineral backbone that had gone missing in recent warm years. Pinot Noir, particularly from the coastal regions, captures that elusive combination of fruit intensity and structural elegance. Most 2022s are drinking beautifully now, though the best Cabernets will reward patience until 2028 and beyond.
FAQs
What does this Zinfandel taste like?
Think blueberry pie, black cherry, and cola, with cinnamon and cracked black pepper on the finish. It's rich and full-bodied but not syrupy — there's real structure underneath the ripe fruit.
When should I drink this wine?
It's drinking very well right now and will continue to do so until around 2029. There's no need to cellar it — the fruit is at its most vivid and expressive in the near term.
What food goes well with Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel?
Barbecued meats are the obvious match — beef brisket, pork ribs, smoked lamb — but it's equally good with a hearty chilli, pepperoni pizza, or spiced sausages. The wine's weight and spice mean it holds up to bold, flavoursome cooking.
How should I serve this wine?
Serve at around 16-17°C and decant for thirty minutes before drinking. A large-bowled red wine glass will help the fruit and spice aromas open up properly.
Is this wine worth cellaring?
Not really — it's built for pleasure in the near term rather than long-term ageing. Enjoy it between now and 2029 while the fruit is at its best.
What makes Lodi old-vine Zinfandel special?
Lodi has some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in California, many planted over fifty years ago. Old vines naturally produce smaller crops of more concentrated, complex fruit, and Lodi's cooling Delta Breeze means that richness comes with freshness rather than just raw alcohol heat.
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