Left Of Ordinary Tannat, California 2023

Break from the ordinary and treat yourself to this full-bodied red. Showcasing the Tannat grape (a comparative rarity in California), Left of Ordinary comes from a sustainable, family-run farm in Lodi and offers intriguing dark fruit flavors.

California might be best known for Cabernet and Chardonnay, but they’re not the only grapes that thrive in the Golden State. Innovative winemakers up and down the coast have been experimenting with exciting, lesser-known varieties for decades, oftentimes with unexpectedly delicious results. Case in point: Left of Ordinary, a powerful oaky red that’s sure to leave an impression.

It’s made from Tannat, a red variety born in the Basque country, on the border between France and Spain. Though it’s now grown in pockets around the world (most plantings are in Uruguay!), the grape is a relative rarity in California; there are just under 600 acres cultivated across the state’s approximately 100 million acres of land.

This one was crafted in Lodi, about 90 miles east of the San Francisco Bay, where diverse sandy soils and a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters create ideal conditions for the out-of-the-ordinary variety.

“Tannat can be imposing, but not here," says Mike Dunne, author of The Signature Wines of Superior California: 50 Wines that Define the Sierra Foothills, the Delta, Yolo and Lodi. "Left of Ordinary is...a Tannat of both heft and melody, inky in color, substantial in body, concentrated in flavor, yet it carries all that freight across the palate with dance-like moves.”

Look forward to intriguing, ripe dark-fruit flavors and a touch of oak spice. Its firm, structured tannins will suit an equally bold food pairing—think roasted red meats, barbecue dishes or hearty pastas.