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Vintners Cottage

Zinfandel Chronicles...Jupiter/Equity/TruLux

2011 McCay Cellars Zinfandel Jupiter – Light ruby red in color. 14.8% ABV. Red fruits, licorice, pepper and flowers on the nose. Light in body and somewhat tart with crisp acidity. Raspberry compote, strawberries, currants and cranberries on the palate. Subtle but ever present tannins. Polished, with a long finish. Lots to like here. Drink over the next 2-3 years. $28 at the winery. My rating: 91 points.

2011 McCay Cellars Zinfandel Equity – Deep purple in color. 14.4% ABV. Black fruits, plums and pepper on the nose. Medium body with just the right amount of acidity. Blackberries, black cherries, vanilla, figs and pepper on the palate. Should be a great food wine. Think pizza or barbecue. Ready to drink. $28 at the winery. My rating: 90 points.

2011 McCay Cellars Zinfandel Trulux – Dark crimson in color. 14.6% ABV. From 80 year old vines on the west side of the Lodi AVA. Bright red fruits, vanilla and pepper on the nose. Rich, lush and supremely concentrated. Jammy on the palate with raspberries, marionberries, plums and a dark cocoa. The finish is long and decadent. $32 at the winery. My rating: 92 points.

http://www.zinfandelchronicles.com/2014/06/three-zinfandels-from-mccay-cellars/#sthash.ZPMf8Lgn.dpuf

McCay Cellars is Kickin' It

It’s always nice reading something nice about our little corner of the wine world. I’ll share some of the blog posts and articles that I come across from time to time.

Fred Swan, who writes an excellent blog (norcalwine.com/blog), shares his notes on some of the Rhone varietals, including a few from Lodi’s McCay Cellars, that he tasted at the Rhone Rangers event last month...

http://blogs.esanjoaquin.com/fromthevine/2014/05/22/lodi-getting-good-press/

Hanging out in the "Palate Room" with Scott Ellison

McCay Cellars is located on the North side of Lodi, CA. Lodi is approximately 30 miles south of Sacramento off of CA-99 freeway. The tasting room is open Thursday - Monday 11am – 5pm. The McCay tasting room is most awesomely referred to as the Pallet Room.  By the way, the pun is absolutely intended.  The tasting counter is constructed of wooden shipping pallets and that’s just the beginning of its charm.

Lodi is not know for its flashy or beautiful tasting rooms.  Hometown comfort, good farmers and down to earth folks… absolutely.  Beautiful tasting rooms and amazing scenery… well, Napa is another 90 miles East.  Although the tasting rooms are really coming up in Lodi, McCay is not leading that charge.  McCay Cellars is about expression and personality in their wines and it makes sense that their tasting room follows suit.  The Pallet room is really just a corner of a small warehouse they use as their actual workspace during harvest.  When you enter, it feels like a dark, cold warehouse and the parking lot is less attractive than a strip mall.  However, when you leave, you will literally forget where you have been for the past hour.  I found it easy to become enthralled with their passion, stories and wine quality.  Soon, the charms of the Pallet room began to show themselves.

McCay is a true boutique winery.  Do not expect to find their wines at the grocery store.  If you want their juice,  better plan a trip to Lodi.  What they do make, they make very little of and it is well made.  I stumbled on McCay by total accident and now must admit that McCay is one of my favorite wineries in the Lodi AVA.  Well done McCay.  You have made a fan of this wine snob.

http://www.keyandswirl.com/mccay-cellars-winery/#comment-546

A Visit to McCay Cellars in Lodi...

Really a fun, low key and friendly winery.  We suggest McCay be on your next stop when visiting the Lodi Wine Region...

http://sipped.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-visit-to-mccay-cellars-in-lodi.html