The winery at Borra Vineyards was founded with the intention of making wines that distinctly reflect the true potential of the Lodi wine appellation.
To achieve our goal we employ the most progressive viticultural practices, harvest at peak maturity, and practice traditional winemaking techniques. Borra wines reflect our commitment to quality and value. We are proud to introduce them to you.
Special note to our La Dolce Vita Club members: Since our Web site does not yet allow you to take advantage of your club discount, if you’d like to order wine, please call us at 209-368-2446 to place your order.
Current Releases
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FUSION White 2011Lodi Appellation, Proprietary White Blend Our Rhône Viognier fuses with a pinch of German Gewürztraminer to produce a bright, explosive collision of lemon and honey aromas bonding with equal portions of tropical mango and white pepper. Chock-full of concentrated cream of lemon, Mandarin orange and grapefruit enmeshed in refreshing steely minerality with a generous helping of lemongrass and cantaloupe on the extremely satisfying lengthy finish. One of the few wines we know that can dance harmoniously with asparagus. Even better with a catch of fresh Shrimp Scampi. If you had your eyes closed, you’d probably be fooled into thinking this was a Sauvignon blanc. 150 cases produced. (4/29/12) Regular Price: $16.99 SOLD OUT |
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FUSION Red 2009Lodi Appellation, Proprietary Red Blend DOUBLE GOLD “Rhône Other Varietals & Blends-up to $19.99″ Our favorite crowd-pleaser is a delicious, complex fusion of Lodi’s best winegrape varietals. A jammy and spicy fragrance of black pepper, cloves and even black licorice delivers strawberries and figs with vanilla bean and Earl Grey tea. Tart red plums and a dash of pepper on top of fine chalky tannins and vibrant acidity captivate the mouth and turn to bright spicy cherries and red raspberries that seem to never end. Best with grilled beef ribs, dry-rubbed with black pepper and garlic. 500 cases produced. Regular Price: $18.99 SOLD OUT |
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FUSION Red 2010Lodi Appellation, Proprietary Red Blend Our favorite crowd-pleaser is a delicious, complex fusion of Lodi’s best winegrape varietals. You can almost smell the vineyard amongst layers of brewing coffee, oak, and semi-sweet chocolate wrapped around a filling of fresh raspberries. Incredibly racy this year and very dark in terms of dark chocolate, blackberries, raspberries and lots of bold spice that morphs into an excellent cherry enveloped in chocolate refusing to leave your tongue. Best with grilled beef ribs, dry-rubbed with black pepper and garlic. 450 cases produced. (11/03/12) Download Tasting Notes |
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Artist Series Kerner 2012Lodi Appellation, Proprietary White German Varietal Blend “Borra now produces the most ‘contemporary’ style wines grown in Lodi today, period. Markus Niggli has crafted a mouth wateringly crisp dry white wine that is as light as a feather on a Southern breeze.” – Randy Caparoso in his blog Our winemaker, Markus Niggli, nicknamed this Kerner/Riesling blend “Vinho Verde” after the popular Portuguese style of bottling wine so quickly after crush that not all the natural carbonation has dissipated. This makes for an excellent served-cold, get-the-party-started white that is incredibly refreshing. You’ll be tempted to gulp it down, but we’d rather you don’t miss the pure green apples and limes bouncing amidst the fun fizziness of tiny bubbles and minerality. (Steve Borra calls it “Zipcode” because the label secretly contains the postal code for Markus’s hometown in Switzerland.) 42 cases produced. (04/08/13) Read much more on our blog “The Most Contemporary Collaboration.” SOLD OUT |
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Intuition Field Blend White 2011Lodi Appellation, Proprietary White German Varietal Blend “This is a great wine, one of the best California white wines I’ve tasted this year. It’s delicious. And complex. And constantly interesting. Every sip was worth savoring. And it was even more delicious the second day.” – W. Blake Gray, The Gray Report Boldly turning the pre-conceived notion about Lodi on its head, our winemaker’s personal experiment has proven to be a racy, refreshing success. Though a minor player, Gewürztraminer sings most brilliantly in this “Swiss blend” with traditionally cool-climate Kerner and Rieslaner, contributing very spicy aromatic notes of white pepper and lychee on top of lime, honey and an appealing muskiness. Supple and alive with the concentrated flesh of creamy nectarine, honey and long lingering lemon in excellent dry harmonic balance to please even the most demanding chef. We’ve got a white to marry with all those spicy foods that normally vanquish the best cellar selections. Start with a simple grilled linguica, shrimp spring rolls dipped in spicy peanut sauce, or anything spicy and Asian. 146 cases produced. (07/04/12) Regular Price: $22.00 SOLD OUT |
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Intuition Limited Release Chardonnay 2011Gill Creek Ranch, Clements Hills, Lodi This limited release Chardonnay from our Gill Creek Ranch vineyard was barrel fermented, aged and stirred sur lie in 100% new American oak barrels for 7 months. Guaranteed to please classic California Chardonnay lovers, this style features up-front aromas of vanilla oak, lemon, butterscotch and golden apple, shifting to green apple on the palate in a creamy-smooth, big, buttery, but balanced fusion of vineyard and barrel, finishing with the pleasing tartness of mouth-watering lemon. We picture a generous helping of garlic, roasted and spread all over a hunk of toasted French bread, or – simpler yet – accompanying a heaping bowl of hot buttered popcorn on movie night. 96 cases produced. (7/21/12) Regular Price: $24.00 Download Tasting Notes |
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Heritage Field Blend Red 2010Lodi Appellation, Proprietary Blend “It is unequivocally, deliciously and deliriously fantastic – a red wine for the ages – luscious flavors barely contained by zesty yet viscous textured, medium-full bodied sensations, flowing like proverbial rivers of Babylon.” – Randy Caparoso, Lodi Winegrape Commission Generations of winegrape farmers used to grow a mix of interspersed grape varieties in a field of vines then crush them all together on the same day, creating a “field blend” of beautiful garnet red. The result, as with only the best wines we’ve tasted, is almost indescribable. Wild fragrances of rich black cherries or black currant, bathed in a tapestry of an incredibly-reduced demi-glace of beef broth, shift untamed with perhaps smoky bacon or cloves or scorched earth. Luscious tangy black cherries and the concentrated essence of blackberries with molasses and coffee strike a powerful and exciting balance that is always enticing, but couldn’t be termed sweet. The flavors dance for minutes before resolving into cedar and textured deep rose petals. Very versatile with foods, especially great with rosemary roasted lamb, duck or virtually any beef topped with a reduction sauce. In many ways, our Heritage is itself a sauce in a glass. 250 cases produced. (11/04/12) Read much more on our blog “The Start of Our New Heritage.” Regular Price: $25.00 Download Tasting Notes |
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Old Vine Zinfandel 2010Gill Creek Ranch, Estate Bottled Combine Lodi’s famous old vines with a cool growing season and you’ve got the perfect storm for world-class Zinfandel. Everything about this wine suggests grilling at its finest: from an almost meaty chewiness to a Knob Creek bourbon roastedness, beginning with aromas of rich blackberries, figs, orange blossoms, bacon, and, perhaps, mint. And, taking a decidedly un-jammy turn in the glass, we find velvety and mouth-caressing pure, fresh and intense, tart juicy cherries right off the tree, bathed in pleasing acidity and fine, dusty tannins that soften within a couple of hours. There’s underlying tobacco, bacon and violets, finishing off with the skin of ripe plums, spicy black licorice and a swirl of blackberry yogurt. Pair with some savory Chinese spareribs. 260 cases produced. (06/11/12) Regular Price: $20.99 Download Tasting Notes |
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Old Vine Barbera 2008Home Ranch Carrú Vineyard, Estate Bottled Perhaps the last pure Barbera to be bottled from Steve Borra’s grandfather’s original vineyard in Lodi. We named our Barbera “Fiera del Bue Grasso” or “Fair of the Fat Ox”, after the main annual celebration of the wines, food, and cattle of his Piedmontese home town of Carru’. Loads of fascinating smoky tea and meaty leather blanket strawberry jam, raspberries and cherries. Our bordering Eucalyptus grove has had a definite influence in this alluring vintage, meeting up with soul-warming mint and buckets of pomegranates, sour plums and cherries, with some raspberry tea thrown in for good measure. An excellent side dish would be a “zesty, earthy risotto soaked in wine with shaved Parmigiano.” 170 cases produced. Regular Price: $25.99 |
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Merlot “2:30 a.m.” 2009Gill Creek Ranch Our full-bodied, middle-of-the-night Merlot will bowl you over with up-front, big jammy black currants and plums with black rose petals, giving way to a scoop of cloves and shades of oak. These echo in your mouth, filled with dusty tannins, and leading to a long finish shifting from rich cedar-spiced pepperoni to pleasantly tart Boysenberries over time. An excellent partner with wood-fired pizza. 115 cases produced. (08/16/11) Regular Price: $18.99 Download Tasting Notes |
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47.5° Syrah 2009Gill Creek Ranch, Estate Bottled This 100% pure Syrah is the perfect expression of our Gill Creek Ranch vineyard, oriented at 47.5˚ from north for optimal, even ripening. Smoked sausage turns to brooding black raspberries whispfully mingle with deep dark chocolate suggesting a Viennese Sacher Torte, accompanied by coffee, black pepper and molasses, telegraphing the enormity of this wine. Smooth, chewy tannins embrace brawny black plum and rich violet flavors, transitioning to an encore finale of and cinnamon black peppered espresso lasting seemingly forever. One of Lodi’s biggest Syrahs. 141 cases produced. Limit 6 bottles per person. Regular Price: $35.00 Download Tasting Notes |
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47.5° Red Wine Lot 09Lodi Appellation, Proprietary Red Blend Bold and jammy black currants resonating with deep, dark and almost dusty molasses, cedar and white pepper create a complex whirlwind of aromas in this eclectic blend of the best red Rhône varietals of Lodi: Petite Sirah, Syrah and Mourvèdre. There are big unwimpy tannins holding an exquisite filling of concentrated blackberry and red plum with well-integrated oak presenting a fine charred meatiness. Fig and coffee join in with pepper to crown a memorable, lasting vinous experience. A comforting accompaniment would be slow-braised red wine lamb shanks with demi-glace, falling off the bone. 96 cases produced. Limit 6 bottles per person. Regular Price: $35.00 SOLD OUT |
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47.5° Red Wine 2010Lodi Appellation, Proprietary Red Blend Our blackest Petite Sirah, with Syrah and Mourvèdre playing backup, is likely to be our most age-worthy vinous creation to date. The cool 2010 growing season has super-structured this elixir with generous texture and concentration that only now is beginning to provide a glimpse of what’s to come. After decanting for hours – should you be so disciplined – you will be rewarded with a progression of black berries and black cherries leading to tart, intense black plums and black licorice. The complex future is best imagined through aromas of rich plums, dates, pencil lead, and what might be described as a hint of Teriyaki sauce or perhaps musky cologne, but you’ll have to take a whiff yourself to even come close to figuring it out precisely. Even then, our own notes have changed appreciably over the last several weeks, while our sleeping black stallion slowly wakens. 120 cases produced. Limit 6 bottles per person. (6/10/12) Regular Price: $35.00 Download Tasting Notes |
Members Reserve
Available only to La Dolce Vita Club Members
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Rosé 2011Lodi Appellation Almost a half-dozen individual beautiful salmon-pink Rosés come together to give you a wild ride through our choice vineyards. Pink grapefruits curl around steely strawberry rhubarb aromas, accompanied by a touch of mother earth and a hint of honey. A sip starts the rollercoaster of refreshment with a medium-weight, dry-styled grapefruit-tart-strawberry climb before the exhilarating drop into loops of walnuts and red rose petals. 80 cases produced. (6/19/12) Regular Price: $16.99 SOLD OUT |
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Chardonnay 2011Gill Creek Ranch, Clements Hills, Lodi Appellation 2011 was a second blessed cool growing season in a row, ideally suited to making our Burgundy-style Chardonnay. Barrel-fermented with traditional stirring of the lees every 10 days results in aromas carrying a creamy vanilla bean resonating with peach nectar, lemon and a little tangerine. A sip brings somewhat weighty, slightly spicy vanilla lemon drops playing with Golden Delicious apple all the way through a savory, long-lasting hint of something different – perhaps guava. Very intriguing. Fettuccine Alfredo would work well, or think outside the box and pour a glass mid-morning with Eggs Benedict. 120 cases produced. (7/27/12) Regular Price: $19.99 Please call us at 209-368-2446 to join our club and order. |
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Field Blend 2009Lodi Appellation Generations of winegrape farmers used to grow a mix of interspersed grape varieties in a field of vines then crush them all together on the same day, creating a “field blend” of beautiful garnet red. This band of grapes turns in a performance that is very lively, nimble – not heavy – and certainly not wimpy, with shifting bright fruit aromas of red currant, pomegranate, sarsaparilla, and a potpourri of jasmine, lavender, and roses, riding an intriguing muskiness. Dusty tannins support focused fruit flavors combining with good acidity to build perfect sweet-tartness. A touch of cedar and a nice creamy mocha Tiramisu sing on the finale. Very versatile with foods, especially great with tomato-based pasta dishes, many cheeses and may even substitute for a superb Pinot Noir. 156 cases produced. Regular Price: $19.99 SOLD OUT |
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Finesse 2009Lodi Appellation A decade ago, we thought we’d found the perfect spot for growing Lodi Cabernet, but we never quite nailed it… That is, until now. The secret lies in the coming together of a cool growing season and 40% Merlot to round out our new Bordeaux-style blend. “Finesse” is the name for this voluptuous, yet finely-balanced, seriously delicious beauty. She wears a perfume of raspberry dark chocolate truffle that undulates with black cherry and coffee, developing a savory Chinese spare rib meatiness as the evening progresses. Swallow zingy-spiced bright cherries baked into a scrumptious pie topped with black raspberries along with pinches of tea leaves and cigar, and you’ll be whisked off to ecstasy on a long stream of black licorice, cedar and cinnamon oil spices. 120 cases produced. Regular Price: $19.99 SOLD OUT |
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Intenso 2010Lodi Appellation (Lodi Rules) From the sweet spot of our Gill Creek Ranch Vineyard we reserved a few special barrels that were more intensely concentrated than all the others. Smokey bacon, raisin, floral violet, plum and baker’s chocolate aromas give some indication of the unrestrained flavors to come. All elements are incredibly well-balanced, but at a full-throttled level, supported by mouth-coating unctuous tannins. Mountains of almost meaty black cherry, tart plums, and coffee, heaped atop river stone minerality create a flood of black pepper, savory cloves, and violets that lingers seemingly forever. A memorable experience that would nicely complement any hearty meat dish, perhaps even a flourless chocolate torte. 47% Petite Sirah, 22% Syrah, 17% Zinfandel, and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. 110 cases produced. (11/08/12) Regular Price: $19.99 Please call us at 209-368-2446 to join our club and order. |
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Petite Sirah 2010Clements Hills, Lodi Appellation (Lodi Rules) We have a particular fondness for the jet-black, inky thick structure of Lodi Petite Sirah, because our bottling brings back memories of Europe with a subtle influence of enticing leathery earthiness that Bordeaux lovers would find particularly appealing. There are layers and layers of aromas and flavors woven into a tapestry of still-young chewy, chalky tannins, starting with scents of cherry-Rhubarb, bacon, cloves and fig, proceeding to blackberried plum with a little bing of cherry and cedar, and finishing long with spicy anise and cinnamon. Give this baby some age and you’ll be rewarded with silky smooth rose petals. 145 cases produced. (2008) Regular Price: $19.99 Please call us at 209-368-2446 to join our club and order. |
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Syrah 2008Lodi Appellation 100 cases produced. Regular Price: $19.99 SOLD OUTPlease call us at 209-368-2446 to join our club. |
Past Releases
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FUSION White 2010Lodi Appellation, Proprietary White Blend Our Rhône Viognier fuses with a pinch of German Gewürztraminer to produce bright, tantalizing aromas of floral lemon, grapefruit and orange with a backbone of wet stone minerality, shifting to peach and white pepper as it warms from an ideal 55° serving temperature. Chock-full of concentrated cream of lemon, peach and walnut with a light brushing of lemongrass and spicy anisette on the finish. One of the few wines we know that can dance harmoniously with asparagus. Even better with a catch of fresh Shrimp Scampi. 150 cases produced. Regular Price: $16.99 SOLD OUT |
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FUSION Red 2008Lodi Appellation, Proprietary Red Blend Chosen by WSJwine from The Wall Street Journal for their 3rd WSJwine Annual Dozen 2011 of AMERICA’S FINEST WINES 90 PTS! BEST OF CLASS LODI APPELLATION “Other Red Blends” Our favorite crowd-pleaser is a delicious, complex fusion of Lodi’s best winegrape varietals. Plum, sour cherry and a sachet of rose petals caress the nose, along with roasted pepper and coffee. Jammy strawberry rhubarb pie and plum with tantalizing bacon and hints of pine fully embrace the mouth, leading to smooth and long-lasting spicy anise coated with rich cloves. A tantalizing partner to amply-layered Chicago-style pizza or a grill-marked steak. 550 cases produced. Regular Price: $18.99 SOLD OUT |
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Old Vine Zinfandel 2009Gill Creek Ranch, Estate Bottled Our Zinfandel delivers exactly what Lodi’s renowned old vines are famous for: complex decadent fruit. A potpourri of bay leaves, cloves, jammy Boysenberries, plums and cedar scents invite indulgence into a glass packed with flavors of tart blackberries heavily under the influence of vanilla, tantalizing tea leaves and lingering chocolate orange peel. Pair with some savory Chinese spareribs. 200 cases produced. Regular Price: $20.00 SOLD OUT |
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Old Vine Barbera 2007Home Ranch Carrú Vineyard, Estate Bottled Estate bottled from Steve Borra’s grandfather’s original vineyard in Lodi, we named our Barbera “Fiera del Bue Grasso” or “Fair of the Fat Ox”, after the main annual celebration of the wines, food, and cattle of his Piedmontese home town of Carru’. Strawberry jam and cherry aromas intertwine with fascinating sweet cigar, bacon, cloves and – if you really concentrate – an intriguing malted milk chocolate. More structured than past vintages, with dusty tannins cradling tobacco-tinted strawberry and black current sprinkled with anise, cloves and silky-smooth sweet rose petals before a smoky finish of cedar and mint warm your soul. This is almost a rich, classic beef Bolognese pasta sauce on its own – which, come to think of it, would be the perfect match! 111 cases produced. Regular Price: $25.99 SOLD OUT |
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Merlot “2:30 a.m.” 2008Gill Creek Ranch Our full-bodied, middle-of-the-night Merlot turns in a decidedly food-loving performance with a generous helping of red bell pepper and cedar scents along with cherry, red apple, black pepper and a swipe of pencil lead. Act I opens with rounded up-front sweet raspberry/sour cherry fruit flavors, supported by tart red apple skin from upstage. All transition through well-integrated bell pepper in Act II, before the curtain drops ever so gently on tobacco and a hint of Eucalyptus. An excellent partner with something romantic, like sautéed duck breasts with smoked tomato sauce. 118 cases produced. Regular Price: $18.99 SOLD OUT |
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47.5° Red Wine 2008Lodi Appellation, Proprietary Red Blend Alluring black fruits and figs resonating with toasted coffee oak provide the welcome to this eclectic blend of the best red Rhône varietals of Lodi: Petite Sirah, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Deep, dark and brawny like a concentrated, spicy sauce of Boysenberries and plums nicely balanced with smooth tannins, cinnamon, cloves and a final layer of rich oak. Feast on a slow-grilled choice seared New York steak, lightly brushed with A.1. 96 cases produced. Limit 6 bottles per person. Regular Price: $35.00 SOLD OUT |
