Klinker Brick in the News

James Laube
Posted: November 30, 2009

It's never too early to start making that list and checking it twice, and this week's emphasis is on great values and California wines that sell for $20 or less. Here's an easy way to put together a mixed case.

It's a rather amazing list, really, since it cuts into reds and whites, Chardonnays and Sauvignons, Syrahs and Merlots, Rhône Valley-inspired reds and even one wine, Ed's Red, (87 points, $15) that incorporates Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Our top-rated choice is Klinker Brick 2007 Syrah, an $18 wine from Lodi, which edged Alondra, a 2008 Mendocino Chardonnay from Middleridge Ranch. Then there's Sans Liege's Transcendentalist, a non-vintage Grenache blend that sells for $38 - but it's a magnum, making it the equivalent of $19 per standard-sized bottle. Also new and noteworthy: Three Saints, a Syrah from Santa Ynez, and Vina Robles, from Paso Robles. We also got a kick out of Ed's Red, a kitchen-sink red blend anchored in Syrah with a back label that suggests it is best paired with mammoth (or vegetarian equivalent).

Elsewhere, we find some tried and true names with Sauvignon Blanc or Fumé Blanc (Chateau St. Jean and Bogle), Chardonnay (Buehler, Frei Brothers, Goldschmidt, Mount Eden), Syrah (Morgan, Rosenblum, Concannon and Klinker Brick again), Merlot (Dry Creek) and Zinfandel (Quivira).

Klinker Brick Old Ghost, Lodi
"Phenomenal. About as good a bottle of zin that you'll ever drink. It's got all the intensity of the old-vine zin, but it has a lot of complexity, depth, good aromatics. That's what wine should be."
-Roger Riggs, Buyer at the Wine Bank in Downtown San Diego.

Recommendations in The San Diego Union-Tribune, Wednesday, July 19, 2006.

Awards and Medals
Klinker Brick 2004 Old Vine Zinfandel wins “Best of Class, Best Red Wine” at the International Eastern Wine Competition in New York, in addition to winning the “Double Gold” in the Zinfandel category!

One of the oldest and largest competitions in the United States, this event is held each May at the Corning Museum of Glass in the Finger Lakes region of New York, topping over 2,300 entries in recent years with wines from 16 countries and 34 states.

The IEWC has earned a well-justified reputation for the quality of its organization, judgments and awards. Wines in any given flight may be entered from around the world. Judges are wine-knowledgeable professionals, media specialists, and winemakers who represent major east coast markets from Miami to Toronto. Bronze medals require a unanimous panel vote for bronze, so any winning medals in the IEWC are worthy of merit.

The Old Ghost 2003 Old Vine Zinfandel Label wins gold at the Judges Choice for Contemporary label design at the 2006 Los Angeles County Fair.

Lynne Whyte Barnard Named As President Of Klinker Brick Winery
We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Lynne Whyte Barnard as President of Klinker Brick Winery, effective immediately. She will be responsible for strategic planning, brand development and oversee all sales and marketing activities for the winery.

Lynne has been an entrepreneur in the wine business for over twenty years with an exceptional track record in both the winery and distribution sides of the business. Most recently, Lynne has provided consulting services to wineries, including Klinker Brick, in the areas of strategic planning, sales and marketing, product development and label design. She also started and built a successful wine marketing and distribution company in Indiana, assembling a portfolio of some of the finest wineries in the world. Lynne was the first woman to import wines from South Africa into the United States. She was the first Sales and Marketing Director for Chalk Hill and was instrumental in developing their early label design and distribution network. Her experience with major zinfandel producers is extensive, having been Ravenswood’s first sales person and representing both Ravenswood and Ridge in her Indiana Company.

“Lynne brings a wealth of expertise to the winery and will help us to achieve our dream…bringing world class zinfandel to the people.” Steve Felten

2005 Vintage
The 2005 vintage in Lodi will go down as one of the latest on record for Klinker Brick, harvesting fruit from their last vineyard on October 28. Growing conditions were ideal this year with warm days, although not as hot as they are traditionally, and cool nights generated by the Delta breezes.

This ideal climate extended the “hang time” for the grape clusters and produced beautiful fruit, in impeccable condition showing dark, rich color. Zinfandel requires higher sugars to reach full ripeness. While consecutive days of hot weather can rapidly increase the sugar levels, it is the time that the grapes spend on the vine that is most critical for achieving full ripeness and the slower that process, the more likely that the fruit will have exceptional balance between acid, tannin and sugar. Early indications are that the 2005 vintage will be outstanding!