Jewel Wines - Lodi

The first time we visited Jewel was a magical experience. They gave us a huge flight of wines to taste and a plate of items like salami, romano cheese and chocolate to pair with their wines. Each of the wines benefitted from the food, and we joined the wine club on the spot.

This time was different. They had a menu with a price to taste a certain number of wines, and no plate of goodies. Although they didn't charge us, the wines didn't hold up nearly as well this time. They were sold out of the Cab and the Petite Sirah, and of the remainder only two stood out: A reserve wine called "Clareta" that was quite good, but over $20, and the old vine Zin that was $35.

The old vine zin was particularly complex, and was made from true "old vines" being over 100 years old. It seems that you can't buy a zin these days that doesn't claim old vine. I have heard of one vineyard claiming "old vine" for 11 year old vines!

This zin was excellent, but I couldn't spend the asking price. Ditto the Clareta. Thus, we left without buying anything. Still, The rest of their wines are $10 or less, and Jewel is a worthwhile stop on any Lodi wine tour.

Joel