Markus Wine Co. spotlight
James Suckling's Jim Gordon is on camera with Markus Niggli in Lodi, the winemaker behind this Syrah-led 2022 Zeitlos.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2022 Markus Wine Co. 'Zeitlos' Red, Lodi across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $15.85 and the average is $27.73. Our slash is $16.00.
2022 Markus Wine Co. 'Zeitlos' Red, Lodi, USA
Tonya Pitts, Wine Enthusiast 94. Twenty-two dollars when you buy two. Forty-one at the winery.
Zeitlos means timeless. The 2022 is Niggli's darker, more age-worthy lane: black cherry, plum, licorice, sour raspberry, now Wine Enthusiast 94 and $22 when you buy two, against $41 at the winery.
The serious corner of Markus Wine Co.
Tonya Pitts at Wine Enthusiast scored this 2022 94 points. Dark berries, clove, chicory. $22 when you buy two, against $41 at the winery. Zeitlos is the bottle you buy with a plan.
The house
Niggli wants zeitlos wines: drinkable young, still elegant with a decade. This bottling is the darker expression of that idea.
The wine
Syrah-based, with supporting dark varieties for color, perfume, lift, and grip. 14.6% ABV.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 94. $22 on two, against $41 at the winery.
The drinker
Black cherry and licorice. Serve 58 to 62 F. Rosemary lamb or sausage-mushroom pasta.
Black cherry, licorice, a savory European dryness
Plum, licorice, sour cherry, raspberry, savory spice. Darker and more structured than Blue, still unmistakably Markus: fresh, food-friendly, not overworked.
A structured Lodi Syrah year. Black fruit and spice with enough lift to keep the wine alive at the table.
Black cherry, plum, licorice, sour raspberry, savory spice.
Medium-plus to full, integrated tannin, 14.6% ABV, enough acidity to stay fresh.
Savory and long. Serve 58 to 62 F. Better with air.
Syrah at the center, Lodi freshness around the edges
The 2022 Zeitlos is Syrah-led, with supporting varieties adding color, perfume, lift, and grip. Syrah gives the black-fruit spine. Darker grapes contribute density and tannin. A small aromatic lift keeps the wine from feeling too heavy. In the glass that reads as plum, licorice, sour cherry, and a savory dryness.
Oak is not the impression. Spice, fruit density, and savory Syrah depth are. Niggli still wants the wine to be useful with food.
Serve 58 to 62 F. Lamb is the natural lane. Sausage-mushroom pasta is the weeknight lane.
A name that means timeless, a house that means Lodi can age
Zeitlos is German for timeless. Niggli wants wines that can be drunk young or held for a decade.
Each Markus label pairs a place from Niggli's past with the vineyard source of the grapes. Zeitlos is the age-worthy red in that set.
The house is small-lot Lodi, often old vine, fermented with patience and bottled without a Napa costume.
The 2022 is the serious one: Syrah-led, dark-fruited, savory, built with enough grip to make the next few years more interesting.
Lamb on the bone, sausage pasta in the pan
Syrah grip, dark fruit, and savory depth want rosemary lamb or a creamy sausage-mushroom rigatoni.
Two plates. One rosemary-crusted lamb chop. One creamy sausage-mushroom pasta.
Serve 58 to 62 F. Give it 20 to 30 minutes of air. Decant if the lamb is rich.
Rosemary-Crusted Lamb Chops
Lamb is the natural lane for Syrah: savory, slightly gamey, rich enough to meet the tannin.
Why it works: Rosemary and fat echo licorice and spice. Dark fruit stays vivid against the crust.
View Recipe for rosemary crusted lamb chops (opens in a new tab)
Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni
Mushroom, sausage, cream, and pasta give the wine a soft, savory runway.
Why it works: Mushroom umami meets the earthy edge. Sausage catches the spice. Cream softens Syrah grip.
View Recipe for creamy sausage mushroom rigatoni (opens in a new tab)Put Zeitlos in the cart with a plan
Wine Enthusiast 94. Twenty-two dollars when you buy two. Forty-one at the winery.
94 points. $22 on two. This is the Markus red that means timeless.
