One of the sad things about enjoying wine for over 30 years is that few real surprises await. 90% of the time when I see a bottle, I can tell you what it's going to taste like, or at least if I'll like it, before I see, let alone smell, the contents. The 2023 Peltier Vineyards Estate Vermentino from Lodi, Calif. is one of those surprises. Lodi is known for ripeness, not quite as brutally hot as some places in the Central Valley, but the only wines I've consistently enjoyed from there are from grapes that tolerate heat, such as zinfandel. However, with the costs of vineyard land in traditional places like Sonoma spiralling out of reach for aspiring farmers and winemakers, you're seeing some smaller, quality-minded folks setting up shop in unlikely places. But this one truly came out of left field, popping up at a local farmer's market about an hour from Lodi. It's always hard to judge from little plastic cups, but a bottle at home confirmed what I thought I was tasting: an actual refreshing wine, almost clear, with hay aromas and some acidity, bone-dry in fact and feel. Not an overripe mess like I was expecting. I didn't have time to decant into a smaller container overnight, so I just left the bottle in the fridge, and not only did it not fall apart, but it put on some weight. Truly, I could not have been more surprised. Is it better than my benchmark for California vermentino, Ryme "Hers"? No. But that wine is about 50% more expensive than the $20 I paid for the Peltier.
Their zin is also quite good, on the more restrained side but pure, fruity, and fun. The sparkling wines (blanc de noirs and rose of zinfandel) are odd, not bad, but I didn't care for them.