April '12 Central Valley Pit Stop - Van Ruiten

Being that my wife and I both have family in NorCal, we drive through the Central Valley with frequency. Even though it doesn't have the same wine cache as the Sonoma and Napa regions, the Central Valley is a prolific growing region for all sorts of agriculture, including wine grapes. Lodi has a rich history of wine growing, thanks to the influx of Gold Rush era immigrants who brought grape vines with them - particularly Zinfandel. I've thought during the past few trips to visit family that we should stop and check out the area.

Van Ruiten Family Vineyards ($5 tasting, wines $13.99-$34.99)
'11 Pinot Grigio, '10 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc, '10 Chardonnay, '08 "Double Barrel" Chardonnay, '10 Clarksburg Pinot Noir, '10 Cab-Shiraz, '08 Cabernet Sauvignon, '10 "Lot No. 498" Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 Petit Sirah, Winsome '08 Old Vine Zinfandel, Glory Days '09 Zinfandel, '07 Late Harvest Viognier
Upon entering the tasting room, we were warned that they were out of their Old Vine Zin, which I guess can be an issue for folks if they don't find out immediately. Not a big deal for us, we take on all wines equally. The ambience was quite nice. In the warmer months, the winery hosts a band every Sunday afternoon, and there were a bunch of folks digging the music outside on the patio drinking bottles that they had purchased inside. Everyone was very friendly. Strangers struck up conversations with us and the staff person who attended to us was very talkative. The place had a mellow and welcoming vibe. We've never tried Lodi wines before. My expectation was that the wines would be high in alcohol, that all of the reds would taste the same, and that they would serve White Zin. I have to give more credit to Van Ruiten.  I was not blown away by the wines - none were refined or complex, but they showed some balance and definitely were not the high octane bombers that I expected. The reds generally had flavor variences between them, some good, some not so good. The Petit Sirah was the most emblematic of this experience. My tasting note on this one reads: "mediocre melted Boysenberry sorbet." That generally fits with most of the Van Ruiten reds because most of the wines had a clear, decent flavor to them, but that's the most of it. The good reds had a basic good flavor, while the bad reds, had a less-enjoyable basic flavor to them. And we were not served a White Zin - so that's a good thing. The Pinot Grigio was enjoyable, and the Winsome Zin (Winsome is one of Van Ruiten's budget labels) was tasty for the price. The '08 Cab, the Cab-Shiraz, and the Late Harvest Viognier were definite lowlights.
Experience: B- / Wines: C+

It's a long drive between LA and Sacramento. It's long and it's curious, because along those seemingly empty 384 miles there is actually a lot going on. Even though California sees itself as a cosmopolitan touchstone, it is at root an agricultural state. Along I-5 or the 99, food is being grown. Wine is my kind of agricultural product, so it's nice to know that when I find myself passing through, I can stop and enjoy some of their wares.