Further proof that Grenache absolutely sings in Lodi's Mediterranean climate terroir

Abba Vineyard Grenache on the east side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA.

Lodi always wins more than its share of top awards in blind tasting competitions manned by professional wine judges. So much, it's hard to keep up with them. 

We have to make special mention, though, of one result from the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition announced just this past January, in which the 'Red Sweepstake Medal" winner was the 2023 Rippey Family Vineyards Abba Vineyard Lodi Grenache ($34).

"Sweepstake" is the award given when judges decide on the most impressive of all wines selected as "Best of Class," consisting primarily of varietal categories. Each year, over 5,000 wines from across the country (although mostly Californian) are entered into the SFCWC judging. The Rippey Family Grenache was singled out as the "best red wine" among these thousands of wines, although in 2025 there was also a "co-winner" among the reds (a Calaveras County Barbera).

What was it that enthralled the 2025 judges? The wine itself, of course. The Grenache by Rippey Family Vineyards is finely balanced and smooth as a baby's bottom, while as sweetly scented as the top of a newborn's head. The judges found it irresistible.

Mike Dunne—the former Sacramento Bee wine columnist and now the official wine reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition—has had a lot more specifics to say about the wine:

Husky with oak and sunny with fresh fruit suggestive of strawberries and pomegranates, the Rippey would be a crowd pleaser from the moment the cork is pulled for its exuberance, tenacity and flexibility at the table. One crowd it pleased was the judges of the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, where it tied with a Barbera for best red wine. And judges did that without pairing the wine with an Alice Waters pizza that includes onion confit and walnuts, for which it would be a gold-medal combination.

Rippey Family Vineyards owner Tyson Rippey (right) with winemaker Joseph Smith.

The "win" came as a little bit of a surprise to Rippey Family owner Tyson Rippey and winemaker Joseph Smith. They both knew it was an impressive wine the moment it went into bottle, though maybe not "Sweepstake" good.

According to Rippey, this was the brand's first venture into Grenache. The grapes, grown by Lodi's Abba Vineyard, came to them almost on a lark; although, says Rippey, "in 2023 we were on a look-out for something a little different that we could do as vineyard-designate wine."

Says Smith, "When the grapes arrived at the winery they were beautiful, each berry perfect. Everyone in Lodi knows what a meticulous grape grower Phil Abba [son of Abba Vineyard owner Bonnie Abba and the late Louis Abba Jr.] is, so that came as no surprise. The surprise to us was more the wine...

Cluster of Grenache in Lodi's Abba Vineyard.

"Grenache makes such a delicate red wine, we didn't want to obliterate it with too much oak. We aged it in once-used French oak, but even that seemed a little too much. So we bottled it quickly, after just four months in the barrel. Our entire winemaking team immediately fell in love with it."

"The 2023 was so good," adds Tyson, "we asked Phil for more grapes in 2024. The response to the Sweepstake award—in the press, from the guests in the tasting room, the requests for more cases from key retailers—has been so tremendous, we'll definitely be asking for even more grapes in 2025."

The hitch, though, is that only 9 acres of Grenache (ENTAV clone 362 and Alban clone 10) are planted in Abba Vineyard, which have been in something of a demand since its original planting in 2009. Says Phil Abba himself, "The award is good news for Lodi. We've been doing very well with Grenache, but as you know, lately the region as a whole has been struggling. We'll take all the good news we can get!"

In Abba Vineyard (from left), Tyson Rippey, Phil Abba, Bonnie Abba and Joseph Smith.

Why is Lodi Grenache so good?

Lodi, of course, is most famous for its Zinfandel (about 40% of the state's annual crop) for the simple reason that the region enjoys a quintessential Mediterranean climate, and Zinfandel as a grape originated in the Mediterranean Basin (Croatia and Southern Italy, to be precise).

Grenache is another quintessential Mediterranean grape; probably originating in Spain (where you find the most clonal variations), and thriving for hundreds of years in Southern France, Corsica, and other regions with a similar Mediterranean climate (besides California, notably South Australia and South Africa).

Consequently, over the years we've written a lot about Grenache. At the moment, it is not nearly as popular a varietal as Zinfandel. As California varietals go, it is still a relative obscurity in comparison to, say, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir. 

Abba Vineyard Grenache cuttings just after winter pruning.

Yet there are some vintners in Lodi who have been calling the grape "Lodi's Pinot Noir"—not because it makes a red wine that tastes like Pinot Noir (no grape makes a wine like Pinot Noir, although Grenache is typified by a light, soft palate-feel not unlike Pinot Noir's), but because the grape is so suitable to Lodi's climate. 

To be specific: Grenache ripens very easily during Lodi's warm sun-soaked summers while effortlessy retaining a perfectly natural balance of acidity and freshness in its fruit profile (the same way that Zinfandel does).

Although we are talking about Grenache as a red wine varietal, the grape, in fact, is grown in California primarily to produce rosés, which is its exact same primary purpose in Southern France, where over 30 million cases of dry pink wine are produced each year. Some of Lodi's best dry rosé are made from Grenache (see our 2024 post A summary of the full range of Lodi dry rosé by grape variety and brands).

As a red wine, though, Grenache produces lighter colored and lighter styles of red wine—in that sense, attributes similar to Pinot Noir—with a nose suggesting strawberry and other red berries, often with a touch of peppery spice. 

Just-pruned bilateral cordon trellised Grenache in Lodi's Abba Vineyard.

Consequently, in France as well as Spain, Grenache is often blended with darker, deeper-flavored wines made from grapes such as Syrah and Mourvèdre, as well as Carignan. This is such a classic formula, it is widely known as "GSM," especially in countries such as Australia and South Africa

Increasingly in California, however, more and more producers are beginning to produce varietal reds from Grenache made 100% from the grape. This is a recent trend we are also starting to see with varietals such as Zinfandel, which in the past (and still today) was typically blended with Petite Sirah, just to add color and body to varietal bottlings.

The only reasons the recent trend toward pure Grenache in California has been happening is...

1. More and more consumers are appreciating red wines that are lighter in color, tannin and body—in other words, dark color and "big" body are no longer considered the only marks of "quality."

2. More consumers are appreciating wines with a sense of place—that is, sensory attributes that are direct reflections of their respective region or vineyard.

Lodi Grenache during veraison (i.e., mid-summer changing of colors).

Hence, the triumph of a wine such as the 2023 Rippey Family Abba Vineyard Grenache in a big-time judging such as the San Francisco Wine Competition. Professional wine judges are no different from everyday consumers: It's taken time even for them to finally giving credence to red wines meant to exemplify lighter qualities (as opposed to judging wines mostly on the basis of "bigger-the-better").

This evolution also bodes well for regions such as Lodi precisely because of its Mediterranean climate and sandy soils: Aspects of terroir (the French word for "sense of place") that are, in fact, predisposed towards lighter style red wines with an intrinsic acid balance and lots and lots of fragrance, to the point of delicacy as opposed to raw power or intensity. 

Finally, you can say, regions are being appreciated for the wines they produce rather than for the way they are compared to other regions. Now that delicate red wines are better appreciated, Lodi can be considered among the very best of wine regions because it produces wines of this style so effortlessly.

Abba Vineyard Grenache harvest.