Markus Wine Co. spotlight
James Suckling's Jim Gordon is on camera with Markus Niggli pruning 91-year-old head-trained vines in the Church Block, the 1938 source of this 2022 wine.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2022 Markus Wine Co. 'Ancient Blocks 1938 - The Church' Mokelumne River across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $15.85 and the average is $15.85. Our slash is $16.00.
2022 Markus Wine Co. 'Ancient Blocks 1938 - The Church' Mokelumne River, USA
Markus Niggli's 1938 Church Block, 94-point old-vine Lodi, a 2022 you can open at forty-one dollars.
The 2022 The Church is an old-vine Mokelumne River field blend from the 1938 Church Block: dark fruit, savory lift, orange-zest snap, now $41.
A specific 1938 block, not generic old-vine copy
The Church points to a tiny late-1930s Church Block in Mokelumne River: own-rooted Carignane, Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouschet in deep sand. Markus Niggli prunes it himself. Wine Enthusiast called the 2022 a Cellar Selection. This is Lodi with a street address.
The house
Swiss-born Markus Niggli built Markus Wine Co. around old Lodi family blocks and a European sense of balance.
The wine
Old-vine field blend from Church Block: Carignane, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet. Native-block character, restrained oak.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 94, Cellar Selection. Wine-Searcher aggregate 95.
The drinker
Dark fruit and orange zest. Serve 58 to 62 F. Mushroom ragu or rosemary lamb.
Dark fruit, savory lift, orange-zest snap
Powerful, concentrated, and complex: florals beside dark plums and sweet spice, then a bright-tannin snap that makes the wine more useful with food than a simple sweet-fruited red.
A Lodi red year with concentration and lift. Head-trained 1938 vines in sandy Mokelumne River soil gave color, savory muscle, and acidity.
Dark plum, black fruit, dried herb, mushroom, orange zest, sweet spice.
Full, grippy, 14.1% ABV, old-vine tannin with enough acidity to stay food-useful.
Savory and long. Serve 58 to 62 F. Open 20 to 30 minutes ahead.
Head-trained 1938 vines, a blender with restraint
Markus Niggli likes to prune this 1.5-acre plot himself: own-rooted Carignane, Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouschet in deep sandy Mokelumne River soil. Native fermentation and quiet oak let the block speak. The 2022 reads as old-vine concentration with orange-zest lift, not a sweet Lodi gloss.
Church Block is tied to the Borra family vineyard history. The vines are head-trained, watched, and adjusted by hand.
Serve 58 to 62 F. Air is for the savory side. Mushroom and lamb are the table language.
The Church is a Lodi memory, not just a label
Lodi has plenty of old vines. The difference here is a named block and a winemaker who treats it as living material.
The Church Block sits in sandy soils south of Lodi, planted around 1938 and still head-trained.
Markus Niggli, Swiss-born and Lodi-rooted, left Borra Vineyards to bottle these family blocks under his own name. The wines are not trying to imitate Napa weight.
The 2022 The Church is that project at full voice: old-vine place, savory fruit, a Cellar Selection from a block you can point to.
Browned edges, herbs, mushrooms
The Church wants food with herbs, mushrooms, and slow-cooked depth. Grippy tannin can handle richness. Tart-fruit lift keeps the meal from feeling heavy.
Two plates. One mushroom ragu over polenta. One rosemary lamb chop. Both can take old-vine grip.
Open 20 to 30 minutes ahead. Serve 58 to 62 F. Decant if the lamb or mushrooms are rich.
Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragu
Earthy mushrooms, herbs, and creamy polenta give the wine a softer landing.
Why it works: Savory mushroom depth meets dried herb. Carignane acidity keeps each bite alive.
View Recipe for mushroom ragu with polenta (opens in a new tab)
Garlic and Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops
Rosemary, garlic, and char pull the wine toward its best register.
Why it works: Lamb fat rounds the tannin. Herb crust echoes dried herb and spice.
View Recipe for garlic rosemary grilled lamb chops (opens in a new tab)Put the Church Block in the cart
1938 vines, Markus Niggli, Wine Enthusiast 94. Forty-one dollars.
Put six in the cart. This is old-vine Lodi you can explain at the table.
