Winemaker Notes
Coming from the historic 115-year-old Lewis Vineyard in Lodi, the 2018 LangeTwins Centennial Old Vine Zinfandel showcases intensity while maintaining great balance. This year saw cooler temperatures in September that led to concentrated flavor development and preserved acidity in this Old Vine Zinfandel prior to harvest. Extensive maturation in American Oak barrels has focused the bouquet, giving defined notes of fresh raspberries, blackberry preserves, and sweet tobacco with spicy accents of dill and cinnamon. On the palate, this iconic wine delivers a robust mouthfeel with bold, supple tannins that carry a perception of subtle, sweet star anise adding an extra layer of depth that intensifies as it progresses to the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is opulent, robust with aromas of brambled blackberry, black plum, dried fennel seed, bittersweet chocolate and violet on the nose. The flavors on the palate are olallieberry, huckleberry, grilled peach and cardamom, intertwined with orange zest, chocolate, toasty oak, supple tannins and a long, dry finish. Decant and pair with grilled sausages.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
Positioned between the San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Lodi appellation, while relatively far inland, is able to maintain a classic Mediterranean climate featuring warm, sunny days and cool evenings. This is because the appellation is uniquely situated at the end of the Sacramento River Delta, which brings chilly, afternoon “delta breezes” to the area during the growing season.
Lodi is a premier source of 100+ year old ancient Zinfandel vineyards—some dating back as far as 1888! With low yields of small berries, these heritage vines produce complex and bold wines, concentrated in rich and voluptuous, dark fruit.
But Lodi doesn’t just produce Zinfandel; in fact, the appellation produces high quality wines from over 100 different grape varieties. Among them are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc as well as some of California's more rare and unique grapes. Lodi is recognized as an ideal spot for growing Spanish varieties like Albarino and Tempranillo, Portugese varieties—namely Touriga Nacional—as well as many German, Italian and French varieties.
Soil types vary widely among Lodi’s seven sub-appellations (Cosumnes River, Alta Mesa, Deer Creek Hills, Borden Ranch, Jahant, Clements Hills and Mokelumne River). The eastern hills are clay-based and rocky and in the west, along the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers, sandy and mineral-heavy soils support the majority of Lodi’s century-old own-rooted Zinfandel vineyards. Unique to Lodi are pink Rocklin-Jahant loam soils, mainly found in the Jahant sub-appellation.