Borra Vineyards

Was in town over the holidays and figured I’d take the folks out to explore Lodi’s wine country. It’s been 7 or 8 years since the last time I tasted through Lodi and Borra’s game is strong.
Real friendly bunch behind the counter, especially for just after Christmas. We tasted through 5 wines plus a unlisted 6^th. 2 whites and 4 reds. None of the wines felt commercial, they all tasted like small lot bottlings. I didn’t find the classic zinfandel or cabernet sauvignon here, but their wine maker seems to blend by his own tastes and produces something that wine geeks seek. My favorite was the 2012 47.5° 100% Syrah.

Most likely a 3.5 star Lodi winery that could easily move into the 4 star range with a little attention to detail.
Second visit here.
All of the wines are solid and are priced in the moderate price range for Lodi wines.
Highway winery sign to direct you into the parking lot is not obvious and could most likely be updated in some sort of way.
After pulling into the parking lot, where you are suppose to taste wine is not clearly directed either.
Inside the tasting room there is a fair amount of clutter and nick nacs directed solely at women in the 30 — 50 year old range. From the tasting bar you can clearly see into the back room where all the case goods are, which comes across as lack to detail. Keeping the door closed with some curtains would go a long way.
A fresh set of eyes and a little money spent could help boost this winery to the next level.
Still always very happy with the wine I have taken home.

The Lot 11 Red is Jaaammmmy!!! I came here with friends as we thought is would be a fun way to spend the Winter Equinox. How can one go wrong sampling good wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres in the Lodi Appalachian? I don’t think its possible. This AVA rated region has some of the best geography and climate for so many varietals…
Although Borra Vineyards was not on or list, we heard they were kicking out some big reds, namely Syrah. We tried several reds and the Lot 11 was my favorite. Its a red table that has 60% Cab Sauv and Sangiovese. The Lot 11 provided a beautiful display of tannins to my taste buds. The finish reminded me of dark chocolate… and I love dark chocolate.
Another wine we tried is the 2011 Red. This wine is 60% Syrah and Petit Syrah. I noticed a slight taste of black licorice on the finish… OMG. You gotta wait for it after you swallow. I mean really wait for it. Let the bouquet come out in your mouth. Deliciousness!
A Final Note:
If you visit Borra please ask to try the Cugino’s 4 Italian chess garlic spread and crackers. Its «Ridiculously Delicious», as the label says, and It will sufficiently clear your palate between wine samples. I bought a couple of jars as it is super hard to find in local specialty stores. Enjoy ;)

This is another Lodi winemaker making wines for wine geeks. There were some interesting wines here, both reds and whites. They even make a serious Merlot and I usually don’t like Merlots. This was a high-​acid, food friendly wine. Not the soft chocolaty California merlot typical of the last generation.

Place was cute, but have to agree with the smell comments. We even smelled it inside. Wines were hit or miss. The Red Fusion was excellent, but we found the rest just average. The two ladies seemed exceedingly nice, but due to being a little slammed with people when we got there, we didn’t get much one on one time.

Borra Vineyards reminds me of what I love about the Lodi region: the tasting room has a friendly atmosphere with no pretension, the winery is a family-​run tradition, and the wines are good. However, Borra takes the best qualities of the Lodi wine experience one step farther with their innovative white wines. Markus Niggli, the winemaker, makes excellent dry whites in ways that are unexpected (e.g. picking local Gewurtztraminer grapes early to make a fresh, dry white wine) but also makes some nice reds, especially the Heritage blend.
Tastings are only $ 5 and the wines are affordable for purchase. If Markus Niggli and Steve Borra are there, you’ll enjoy talking with them and learning about their winery’s interesting history.
Don’t miss this place on your Lodi wine tour!

Wine tasting is as much about tasting good wine as it is about getting a good treatment from happy smiling servers. Full marks to Borra on both. Our group of 5 stumbled upon this little gem, and were totally blown away by their different wines and how well we were treated.
I am coming back for sure.

I’m happy to report that it wasn’t smelly when we went to Borra this weekend:) Maybe it’s just more ripe in the summer. I enjoyed the wines more than I did the last time I was here. Their red Fusion is very nice, as is their merlot and petite syrah. Definitely a new regular on our Lodi rotation.

On 11/​10/​2013 My wife and I spent over $ 100 on purchases of wines and boutigues sold at Borra, but were still charged for tasting fee at $ 9.28 which was very surprising for Lodi (we expect it in Napa but not in Lodi). I hope other Lodi wineries don’t follow Borra’s steps and start charging tasting fees regardless of wine purchase! We won’t go back to Borra anymore for tasting since they are nickel and diming their customers!

Very impressed with the wines. My partner and I drove through the area on our way home from Northern California, we stopped by. Loved the wine! Loved the history to the winery. Loved our wine pourer. Spent a lot of time talking. Enjoyed the experience and will definitely come back! I bought a bottle of the Syrah. It is a blend, but very good. My partner walked out with there ⁶⁰⁄₄₀ cab/​merlot. They were all good. We are hobby farmers in SoCal and love the fact the owner would walk the grounds at 2am. Can’t wait to come back!

I enjoyed my visit to Borra. The 2 women pouring we had were awesome. Very friendly and informative. I read some of the negative reviews and I’m not sure what those are about, but I’m glad my girlfriend and I had a great experience. Their wines are a little different style than others in Lodi but we both loved them. I got a chance to talk to Marcus (winemaker) and we had a great conversation about their wines. Borra was 2012 winery of the year so they’re doing something right with their wines. I’d recommend checking out Borra when tasting in Lodi.

Not a fan of the wine or the service. I just don’t get it.

My husband and I stumbled upon this winery after making a wrong turn. It just happened to be on a member party day. The smell of smoked salmon and sausages were wonderful.
We entered the tasting room which was very lively and super cute. Great customer service. We enjoyed most of their wines. I can’t think of any winery I have been to that I have enjoyed them all. Their red fusions and Zins are great! Needless to say we joined the wine club which is very well priced.
Definitely put it on your list.

Came here with my aunt, uncle and husband as we continued on our self winery tour. Right after we parked our car and walked outside, we immediately smelled the manure (eww, gross! I’m not even drunk enough yet to let that smell go). When we entered the tasting room, we were greeted. My first impression of this place was that the tasting room seemed to be a bit small. And there were actually a handful of people tasting wine at the counter.
Anyways, it was $ 5 for wine tasting per person and each person gets a free wine glass to take home (which is probably the best deal of the wineries yet since you get a free keepsake glass). The lady who was pouring the wine was friendly and chatty. Some of the wines tasted here was pretty good, but there were a few that weren’t as good (but that is just one person’s opinion. Don’t let that deter you from coming here because everyone has their own taste in wine… and if you just hurry and run from your car to the tasting room, you won’t be smelling that manure too long). But there was one particular wine that I remember had tones of that manure in the wine… (I tried the wine a few times to give it another chance and it still had that flavor … totally turned me off to this winery).
Overall, this was probably one of the better experiences we had on our little self tour (that is to be continued because there are 90+ wineries in Lodi) just because some of these wines were more drinkable for us than the other ones we tried earlier (with the exception of that manure wine).

Wasn’t too crazy about this place, didn’t find a wine I like but my friend brought a desert wine.

My first and only visit to Borra was unpleasant. The lady pouring the wine was very rude and was pouring us ridiculously miniscule amounts of wine, even after charging five dollars per person to taste their average and mediocre wine. I am a Lodi resident who loves wine and has visited 90% of the local wineries and I can honestly say that this is one of the worst wineries in the area! Don’t waste your time!

Hi!
I bought a Groupon for wine tasting for 2, and a free bottle of Syrah.
Pros:
— the ambiance was fantastic. I love the entrance was grass and huge grape vine and nice stuff all around. Although it definitely smells bad (fertilizer for the plants). Once inside, it’s nice and cool and the bad odor goes away.
–A new girl (her first day was TODAY!) helped us. If I were any good with names, I’d remember her name and put it here. She did fantastic, though one could tell she was new to wine (it doesn’t matter though). She was helped by another gentleman (Dave… wild guess) who was more experienced. Together they made a good and friendly team!
–They wine is decent, though after the tasting, I’ve learned that I’m not a fan of Italian wine. It matters (I thought it didn’t). Italian wine is very bold and not «sweet» at all. Even so, it was very enjoyable wine!
–For the tasting, they gave us generous servings of the wine, and there were 6 different varieties, so I think if we add it all up, we got a full glass of wine. And they were okay with having 2nds if we wanted to. Good customer service~
Cons:
–They need to have a cheese and bread section. Maybe even some sausage. If they had even some basic amounts, it would make a HUGE DIFFERENCE. That’s what differentiates Napa from Lodi. Napa knows that people like to eat and drink at the same time. Lodi has a bunch of wineries where you can drink (for free) but no one offers you any bread, cheese, and sausage to purchase with your wine so you can enjoy it outside on the grass of the winery.
They even have tables and benches, but nothing to eat~ Consider investing in a tiny fridge for cheeses, and a basket to put 5 loaves of bread. I promise you it will be a gold mine!!! (in fact, how can you NOT have it?)
–The wine was good, but not great. This is subjective though, so I’m not really reviewing the wine itself here, more than the physical location of the winery, its facilities, and it’s staff.
Overall, Borra Vineyards was a great experience, and definitely more relaxing than going to a Napa winery (which is now too crowded, too expensive, and too pompous).

Apparently a lot of people like Borra, but we didn’t see what the fuss was all about. It’s probably not their fault that the grounds smell like sh*t. No, really, like cow manure or something. It’s hard to ignore, and it was not even 70 degrees when we were there. I can’t imagine how it would be on a really hot day.
The wine was underwhelming, but it may have been because the service was snooty. The only thing I really liked about this place was the s’mores, which were only available because it was Wine & Chocolate Weekend. I doubt we would return.

My work took me out to the Armstrong rd area over the last few summers, and, having seen the vinyards, decided I should check out the product of those vines. Very, very nice. Dave was pouring in the tasting room, and runs a lively room. Much fun, good wine, and friendly people.
A few bottles of wine to go along with the Lockeford sausages, I had picked up earlier in the day, and a nice evening at home enjoying both.
No need to trek over to Napa/​Sonoma, our own valley wineries are creating some really nice wines, at a much more agreeable price.

I went to my first Fusion Friday with a couple friends who are wine club members. They were there to pick up their shipment and I was there to tag along with my 2 month old to see what this is all about. We had tickets that allowed us 3 free tastings each in a souvenir glass to keep. I had heard about Barb and she lived up to her reputation. She scooped up Hazel and loved her up for a few minutes between selling wine by the glass and full bottles to revelers listening to the live Bluegrass band on the grass under the trees. They were selling plates of food for $ 10 that included 2 kabobs (either chicken or beef — I had one of each) and a hearty pasta salad. It was a bit steep for what you got. I thought that $ 5 would have been a more appropriate price but it was good!
The weather was a little overcast and thunderstorms threatened but in the end it was a warm and muggy but not uncomfortable day. After my 3 tastings (I tried the ’05 Zin, ’05 Barbera, and the ’06 47.5 Red Wine) I bought a bottle of the ’06 Fusion Red to go.
Fun times and everyone loved Hazel.