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In 2009, in a Jack Kerouc sort of way, 22-year-old Michael Klouda traveled from Ohio to Los Angeles with a suitcase and the money he had scraped together while working as a restaurant cook in Burton, Ohio (population 1,500). The inspiration for the move was simple: sharing bottles of wine with his coworkers and friends, and the memories and friendship that followed gave Michael an appreciation for wine. He was so moved by these experiences that he completely uprooted his life to pursue winemaking on the other side of the country, away from his friends, his family, and the only town he’d ever known.
Once in Los Angeles, he purchased a clunker of a car – a baby-blue 1982 Subaru hatchback that leaked oil whenever he made a left-hand turn, to be exact – for $500 and drove all the way up to Lodi. When Michael finally made it to Lodi, he secured a position as an assistant viticulturist at Michael David Winery, where he still works today. Michael’s first vintage of wine was produced in 2010, but his path to making that first barrel of wine wasn’t without a pretty significant misstep along the way.
As the story goes, in one of his first assignments, Michael was driving a tractor between the narrow vineyard rows of the Schulenburg Vineyard, and a minor miscalculation resulted in a prized 60-year-old, gnarled zinfandel vine being knocked over by the tractor. There was no saving that old vine, and the impact of losing such a special piece of Lodi history was devastating to the young viticulturist.
Michael told the vineyard owner about the dead vine and finished the harvest, but that wasn’t the end of the Schulenburg grapes story.
At the end of harvest, as the grapes were being crushed at the winery, Michael fell in love with the flavor profile of Schulenburg zinfandel. He loved these grapes so much that he started saving money to purchase enough fruit to make a single barrel of wine. He would go on to dub the wine ‘Broken Vine’ Zinfandel.
This first ultra-small vintage garnered acclaim among local Lodi winemakers, and Michael Klouda Wines was born.
Today, Michael makes two zinfandels, a red blend crafted with cab franc and cab sauvignon, and, in an ode to wine days of yore, a dry-style white zinfandel called ‘Retro Rosé.’
The grapes used in Michael Klouda Wines are cultivated in conjunction with the 100+ rules of the Lodi Rules sustainable farm growing standard. The sustainability certification started as a way for farmers and winemakers in Lodi to preserve the soil integrity of the Lodi AVA for future generations of grape growers and winemakers. You see, Lodi is one of California’s most historic grape-growing regions; the vines here are among the oldest producing vines in the state. Most of the vineyards and wineries are still family owned and operated, so it was with this eye towards the future that in 2000 a group of viticulturists and growers created “The Lodi Winegrower’s Workbook”, a workbook that would later evolve into Lodi Rules.
This guide also acted as a blueprint for the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices.
The Lodi Rules seal is so popular in the wine community that it has grown to include “…23,506 acres located outside of Lodi in 13 other California Crush Districts — including parts of Sonoma County, Napa Valley, Lake County, San Francisco Bay, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Yolo County, and the Sierra Foothills,” according to the Lodi Wine Commission.
Bottles that fall outside of Lodi carry the California Rules label, which uses the same rules and standards as Lodi Rules.
USA
California > Central Valley > Lodi > Hatterle Vineyard
Zinfandel
14.5
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Large Bordeaux
1 Hour
2022 to 2027
This old vine zinfandel, made with 90-year-old vines from the Hatterle vineyard in Lodi, is a wonderful expression of what California Zinfandel should taste like. Needless to say, enjoying this wine was an effortless exercise. The nose was bright and full of dark fruit in the form of plums, black currants, and raisins. Graphite, licorice, and cinnamon were layered over the abundant fruit.
Because old vine zinfandel vines must work harder to produce fruit, the yields are lower, and the flavors are supremely concentrated. Well-produced bottles are balanced and medium-bodied, just as this vintage of Michael Klouda Hatterle Zinfandel is. Bottles like this are such a treat. The palate of this wine is ripe with plum, black currant, and swirls of nutmeg and cinnamon spice. The finish has a good amount of cinnamon spice, and the effect is just great.
Overall, this is a really interesting and complex wine from a winemaker who we will continue to follow.
Michael Klouda produces a limited number of bottles each vintage, so if you see one of his wines on a wine list or at your local shop, you’ll want to grab it.
