Markus Wine Co. spotlight
Markus Niggli is on camera at Nicolini Ranch explaining why these 1930s head-trained vines are worth saving, the vineyard behind this 2022 bottling.
The market on this bottle
Look up this bottle on Wine-Searcher for live market prices.
2022 Markus Wine Co. 'Nicolini Ranch' Red Blend Lodi, USA
Markus Niggli's Nicolini Ranch red, old-vine Lodi with savory grip, a 2022 you can open at twenty-seven dollars.
The 2022 Nicolini Ranch is a vineyard-designated Lodi red from a historic old-vine site: black cherry, blackberry skin, dried herb, now $27.
A ranch name you can point to, priced for the table
Nicolini Ranch is not a fantasy vineyard on a label. Markus Niggli has been on the ground there saving head-trained old vines that other buyers treated as a commodity. The 2022 is darker, more savory, and more useful than a simple fruit bomb. Twenty-seven dollars makes the story easy to share.
The house
Niggli treats old Lodi family vineyards as raw material for something specific, not bulk fruit.
The wine
Vineyard-designated red from Nicolini Ranch. Dark fruit, savory grip, food-friendly edge.
The site
Historic head-trained vines from the 1930s. Markus has argued in the rows for keeping them in the ground.
The drinker
Serve 58 to 62 F. Mushroom ragu or rosemary lamb. Open 20 to 30 minutes.
Dark fruit, earthy spice, a more thoughtful Lodi richness
Black cherry, plum, blackberry skin, a darker brambly core. Medium-plus body with savory grip and enough lift to stay honest at the table.
A dark-fruited Lodi year. The ranch character is the point: earth, herb, and grip rather than simple sweetness.
Black cherry, plum, blackberry skin, dried herb, earth.
Medium-plus, savory grip, a food-friendly edge.
Dark fruit, spice, grounded earth. Serve 58 to 62 F.
Site first. Restraint second. Dinner always in mind
Nicolini Ranch is the core identity. Markus Niggli's style is small-lot expression, freshness, and texture. Vineyard-designated Lodi reds can become all fruit and no form. This one is framed as a darker, more savory bottle that wants food and air.
On camera at the ranch, Niggli talks about vines believed planted in the early 1930s, pruned wrong for years, then brought back by hand. That is the farming behind the bottle.
Open 20 to 30 minutes. Decant with lamb, sausages, or mushroom ragu.
Nicolini Ranch connects this bottle to Lodi's deeper old-vine story
Lodi's best stories hide in plain sight: old family vineyards, sandy soils, and vines that produced character long before the region became fashionable to talk about.
Nicolini Ranch sits in that conversation. The vineyard has been tied to Lodi's heritage-vine identity, and Niggli has made a reputation for seeing these places as more than a contract.
The charm of this bottle is memory: dark, textured, a little rustic in the right way, then polished enough for dinner.
The 2022 is that ranch in a glass, priced so you can actually put it on the table.
Pair it where savory depth can do the heavy lifting
Nicolini Ranch wants real food: lamb with rosemary, mushrooms with polenta, charred sausages, tomato-braised meats.
Two plates. One mushroom ragu over polenta. One garlic-rosemary lamb chop.
Open 20 to 30 minutes. Serve 58 to 62 F. Decant with lamb or mushroom ragu.
Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragu
Earthy mushrooms, tomato, herbs, and creamy polenta make the wine feel deeper.
Why it works: Mushroom umami mirrors the savory side. Polenta softens grip so dark fruit can stretch.
View Recipe for mushroom ragu with polenta (opens in a new tab)
Garlic and Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops
Rosemary, garlic, and grill char pull the wine toward dark, herbal, and savory.
Why it works: Lamb richness rounds tannin. The herb crust echoes dried herb and spice.
View Recipe for garlic rosemary grilled lamb chops (opens in a new tab)Buy it for the vineyard name and the Markus touch
Nicolini Ranch, old vines, Markus Niggli. Twenty-seven dollars against a $40 typical retail.
Put six in the cart. This is the bottle you open with lamb or mushrooms and feel like you made the table better.
