Markus Wine Co. spotlight
James Suckling's Jim Gordon is on camera with Markus Niggli in Lodi old-vine country, the winemaker behind this Petite Sirah-led 2022 Sol.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2022 Markus Wine Co. 'Sol' Red Lodi 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. 'Sol' Red Lodi, USA
Markus Niggli's earth-named Lodi red, Petite Sirah with Carignane lift, a 2022 you can open at forty-one dollars.
The 2022 Sol is 71 percent Petite Sirah with 19 percent Carignane and the rest Petit Verdot: blueberry, blackberry, cocoa, cinnamon, now $41.
The darkest Markus lane, still built to stay alive
Sol is French for soil. Markus Niggli named it for the ground, not the sun. Petite Sirah gives color, tea, and grip. Carignane keeps cranberry and blood-orange lift in a wine that could have gone heavy. This is the Markus bottle for steak, mushrooms, and a second hour in the glass.
The house
Swiss-born Markus Niggli bottles small-lot Lodi reds with European balance: native-leaning ferments, quiet oak, fruit that stays useful at the table.
The wine
71% Petite Sirah, 19% Carignane, the rest Petit Verdot. Heritage grapes, firm tannin, enough acidity to keep the finish walking.
The scores
Wine-Searcher aggregate 93. James Suckling called the 2022 hefty, delicious, and full-bodied, with blueberry and dark chocolate in fine tannin.
The drinker
Blueberry and cocoa first. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Hanger steak or a blue-cheese burger.
Blueberry and cocoa, then the Petite Sirah grip
James Suckling found plump blackberry and blueberry wrapped in cocoa and cinnamon. The live house read adds raspberry, mulberry, cranberry, black tea, blood-orange zest, mushroom, coriander, and allspice. Power with a savory close, not a sweet wall.
A concentrated Lodi red year. Petite Sirah set the frame. Carignane kept red-fruit lift so the wine stays dinner-ready instead of syrupy.
Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, mulberry, cranberry, cocoa, cinnamon, black tea.
Full, hefty, 14.6% ABV, firm fine-grained Petite Sirah tannin with Carignane lift.
Earth, blood orange, spice, a long savory close. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Petite Sirah for depth, Carignane for lift
On the 2022, James Suckling recorded 71 percent Petite Sirah, 19 percent Carignane, and the rest Petit Verdot. That is heritage California fruit in a Markus frame: density without a sweet gloss. Petite Sirah brings color and tea. Carignane keeps cranberry and zest. Petit Verdot adds a darker architectural line.
Niggli's through-line is freshness first. Oak is a quiet frame. The 2022 still reads as blueberry, cocoa, and savory spice rather than toast.
Serve 60 to 64 F. Air is for the tea and mushroom side. Steak and chimichurri are the table language.
Sol is soil, not a slogan
Markus Wine Co. grew from a simple idea: Lodi can carry European restraint and California fruit in the same glass.
Niggli named Sol for the ground. The word is French for soil, a nod to the mixed earth that first taught him how place shapes wine.
The house is old-vine Lodi and uncommon blends, not a Napa costume. Sol is the darker, earthier sibling to Zeitlos and Blue.
The 2022 is that idea at full voice: Petite Sirah density, Carignane lift, a bottle you can explain at the table.
Char, chimichurri, and a little salt
Petite Sirah wants protein and char. Chimichurri keeps the pairing from going heavy. A blue-cheese burger is the weeknight version of the same idea.
Two plates. One grilled hanger steak with chimichurri. One blue-cheese burger. Both can take Petite Sirah grip.
Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. A slight chill keeps the fruit focused.
Grilled Hanger Steak with Chimichurri
Char and protein meet Petite Sirah tannin. Chimichurri keeps cranberry and zest in the glass.
Why it works: Fat softens grip. Parsley, garlic, and vinegar lift black tea and blood orange.
View Recipe for grilled hanger steak with chimichurri (opens in a new tab)
Blue Cheese Burger
A weeknight plate that still matches blueberry fruit and savory spice.
Why it works: Blue cheese echoes cocoa and earth. The bun and fat give tannin somewhere to land.
View Recipe for a blue cheese burger (opens in a new tab)Put Sol in the cart
Petite Sirah-led 2022, Markus Niggli, Wine-Searcher 93. Forty-one dollars.
Put six in the cart. This is the Markus bottle for steak night and a cellar slot that does not need a speech.
