On April 16, 2025, the California State Fair honored the Fry Family of Mohr-Fry Ranches with the prestigious Vineyard of the Year award for their Marian’s Vineyard. Presented at the annual Judges’ Dinner during the State Fair Wine Competition—the longest-running wine competition in California, dating back to 1854—this recognition celebrates one of the state’s most storied and revered vineyards.
Planted in 1901 on the Fry family’s home ranch in the heart of the Lodi appellation, Marian’s Vineyard is own-rooted (ungrafted) and stands among the oldest surviving vineyards in California. We’ve had the privilege of making wine from this historic site for over 25 years.
Our partnership with the Fry Family began in 1996 after our original vineyard died of phylloxera. That summer, we relocated to Lodi, setting up shop in the old Guild facility—a former brandy aging cellar, blending room, and bottling house. Back then, it looked more like a post-Soviet military base than a winery: exposed wires, cracked concrete, pipes running in every direction. It was , by all accounts, a fixer upper.
That fall, with no grapes of our own, we turned to Lodi growers to keep our business alive. Some experiences were good, others less so—but one family stood out: the Frys. That year, we crafted our first Mohr-Fry Ranches Old Vine Zinfandel. It won multiple awards, became a customer favorite, and grew into our largest production wine.
In 1999, my father approached Jerry Fry with a new idea: to craft the best Lodi Zinfandel possible. Jerry selected his most prized old vine block, and we agreed to spare no effort in the winemaking. We also needed a name that matched the vineyard’s significance. “Block 422” wouldn’t cut it. Jerry named it Marian’s Vineyard, in honor of his mother.
Born in 1913 on a 700-acre land grant in Mt. Eden (now part of Hayward), Marian embodied the pioneering spirit of early California. After losing both her parents in a tragic car accident in 1923, she went on to study at UC Berkeley, where she met Jeryl Fry. Together they established Mohr-Fry Ranches, eventually farming more than 2,000 acres. They expanded from the Bay Area to Lodi in the 1960s, acquiring their home ranch, complete with its remarkable old vine Zinfandel.
At the time, Lodi had only about eight wineries, most of them large-scale and industrial. Artisan, single-vineyard wines were virtually unheard of. Single-vineyard wines were practically nonexistent. But in 2003, just four years after that initial conversation, our 2001 Marian’s Vineyard Zinfandel was named Best Zinfandel of California at the State Fair. Since then, Marian’s has become one of our most iconic, critically acclaimed, and sought-after wines.
Marian’s Vineyard is a living link to California’s viticultural past – a rare, own-rooted, 124-year-old vineyard still producing world-class fruit and remaining economically viable. For me as a winemaker, working with this vineyard is both an honor and a responsibility. I feel deeply committed to telling its story and crafting wines that live up to its remarkable legacy.
Here’s to many more vintages.
Cheers,
