LangeTwins Single Vineyard Series – Teroldego and Montepulciano Wines
LangeTwins Winery
Established in Acampo (north of Lodi in the Central Valley of California), they have been around since 1870 as farmers and purchased their first vineyard in 1916. They have historically made some delicious wines but wanted further to enhance their presence in the market with an offering called their Single Vineyard Series. The winery has vineyards in Jahant, Mokelumne River, Clements Hills Appellations of Lodi as well as Clarksburg. The desired goal of the Single Vineyard Series is to make a wine that expresses the character and “terroir” of a specific area and their agricultural skills of sustainability and care. When you want to go to Italy but have a directive to “Stay at Home”, this is a great Italian style wine!
The 2017 LangeTwins Teroldego from Jahant Woods 02 Vineyard
The Jahant AVA is located in the center of the Lodi AVA. It is geographically the smallest of Lodi’s seven AVA’s, with a total size of 28,000 acres and only roughly 9,000 acres planted. It sits on highly dissected river terraces and old flood plain deposits. The classic Mediterranean climate has Delta fog influence, and receives cold air drainage.
Teroldego was originally grown in northern Italy in the Südtirol and Trentino-Alto Adige regions. Your typical Italian Teroldego wines are dark colored, have bright fruit notes of cranberry and pomegranate along with blackberry and raspberry. Notes of pepper, cinnamon, licorice and earthy aromas and tastes are common.
The 2017 exhibits the dark inky coloring associated with a classic Teroldego. It has aromas and taste of dark cherry, pomegranate and cranberry. The wine is aged in neutral French and American oak barrels for twelve months to allow the strong tannins to soften. This is evident in the smooth and rounded finish in the mouth. Sipping this wine brought me back to northern Italy just after one sip! Only 185 cases were produced.
Awards include 94 points, Double Gold from San Francisco Int’l Wine Competition 2019 and Best of Class from San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2020.
2018 Montepulciano River Ranch Vineyard
Montepulciano is a well-known wine from central and southern Italy. Key areas are Abruzzo, Lazio, Umbria and Apulia. This is not to be confused with the Tuscan wine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which is made with primarily Sangiovese grapes. Montepulciano typically is known for its deep color, powerful and sharp tannins with high acidity. Key traits of Montepulciano are oregano, pepper, tobacco, black fruits, plums and sour cherries. On the finish a smoky tobacco is common as well as a countryside rustic quality.
The 2018 LangeTwins Montepulicano also has many of these characteristics and traits. It is a bright and has on the nose and palate, red berries and dark stone fruit. It is aged for 15 months in neutral French and American oak barrels. The finish is long and pairs with many foods especially with meats and cheeses found in Italy. The finish was a tad “heavy and meatier” but it fit my wine profile perfectly. The River Ranch Vineyard is also located in the Jahant AVA. Only 399 cases were produced.
Conclusion
LangeTwins Winery which already made some good and expressive wines, just soared in their quest to make excellent wines for the consumer. They also make Nero D’ Avola, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot in their Single Vineyard Series of red wines. They also have a collection of Single Vineyard white wines. Moderately priced for designated single vineyard wines, the Teroldego and Montepulciano are worthy of your tasting! The deal maker is that at $32 each it is a lot less expensive and safer today than traveling to Italy.
Sláinte,
Michael
California Wines & Wineries 