BY Brian Ross

A unique vision of how wine is meant to be made and enjoyed is building a name for Grands Amis wineryone of the many success stories springing from Lockeford’s Vino Piazza.

In addition to Grands Amis, the Piazza has also become home to a growing number of high quality boutique wineries that are contributing to the prestige of the Lodi area as a producer of fine wines.

While farming remains the “day job” for partners Jonathan Wetmore and Catherine Keil, an expanding number of distinguished bottlings coupled with a growing recognition among area wine aficionados may one day change that.

Wetmore, who for 11 years has been partners with Keil in running a massive 1,600-plus acre Lodi Appellation grape growing operation known as Round Valley Ranch, has more than 30 years of experience raising varietal wine grapes, and now harvests about 15 different kinds of grapes each year.

“Once we jump in, we jump in big,” said Wetmore, who decided to launch Grands Amis with Keil about three years ago after returning from a visit to French growing regions on a quality enhancement tour organized by Mondavi winery, the firm to which he sells the vast preponderance of his harvest each year.

A large part of the Grands Amis appeal, says Wetmore, is that its wines are made entirely from Lodi Appellation fruit, a fact that lends authenticity and a unique charm to the tasting experience.

At that point, the pair had already crushed a 2000 zinfandel at a Sonoma County winery and was looking for a place to establish a tasting room.
On their first visit to the Piazza, said Keil, neither she nor Wetmore recognized the vision that would eventually transform the Piazza into one of the fastest growing epicenters of boutique winemaking in the state.

A subsequent visit, however, made it clear that the Piazza was indeed the place to be, said Keil, and Grands Amis has continued to prosper at the Lockeford location ever since.

The Grands Amis tasting room, built in a 16,000-gallon concrete wine tank, is indeed something to behold. Opened in August 2002, it offers a rustic but sophisticated ambiance that is becoming emblematic of the emerging Lodi Appellation.

Grands Amis has used a number of unique strategies to draw the wine enthusiast into their tasting room, including offering futures on key releases. This, said Keil, has involved customers in the winery’s development, while increasing cash flow and enabling Grands Amis to offer discounts of as much as 25 percent.

While growth over the past year has not been dramatic, said Keil, it has been steady. Wine lovers from Sacramento and Modesto, along with those from the Bay Area have increasingly been discovering what Grands Amis has to offer.

To date, Grands Amis has had the best luck with its 2001 petit syrah bottling, selling all but 50 of the 165 cases produced, said Keil.

Ultimately, said Keil, the pair hopes to produce a signature Rhone-style varietal as the winery’s flagship label.

For the time being, however, Grands Amis offers a host of high quality, reasonably priced varietal wines, along with a unique Mediterranean tasting room experience that is among the most exciting in the area.

The Grands Amis tasting room is open Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. for more information call (209) 369-6805 or visit their web site at www.grandsamis.com