LangeTwins stamps its legacy on its labels
ACAMPO — Sometimes, a label says a lot.
LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards in Acampo has released five single-variety single-vineyard estate wines that have eyecatching labels, where the vineyard name stands out in larger letters than the variety or brand, and a rendering of actual soil from the vineyard is printed on opposite corners. The unique packaging coneys what the Lange’s multi-generation wine grape growing and winemaking family is all about.
“We really feel that this is a new step, a good step for the family,” said Randy Lange, co-owner and grower with his twin brother, Brad. “It’s really drilling down to more about who we are and what we do. That’s what this is all about.”
Randy and Brad are fourth generation Lodi growers, who vertically integrated their farming business by opening their winery in 2006. Their children, the fifth generation, help run the business and took the lead in developing the single-vineyard program. The Langes have been at the forefront of generational farming for decades and are promoting their brand and the Lodi region nationally and internationally.
Randy Lange would be the first to admit labels are all well and good, but it’s what’s inside the bottle that counts. That’s where David Akiyoshi steps into the picture. LangeTwins longtime winemaker, who cut his teeth at Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, said this project, making wines from specific vineyard blocks, has been challenging and rewarding.
“We have to make some very critical choices along the pathway,” said Akiyoshi, who works closely with LangeTwins winemaker Karen Birmingham, a Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi alumna. “We make sure we are using winemaking in a way that helps express the variety and the vineyard itself. These wines are really an expression of the vineyard.”
In the latest From the Vine podcast with Randy Lange and David Akiyoshi, three of the five LangeTwins singlevariety single-vineyard estate wines, each from Lodi’s Jahant sub-appellation, and the stories behind them are discussed:
2018 Lange Twins Jahant Woods Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ($14)
The Jahants, one of the founding families of the Lodi region, acquired Jahant Woods from a Spanish land grant farm family, who took possession in the early 1800s. For 25 years, the Langes farmed for Louise Jahant, her family’s last descendant. The Langes are the third owners of the property and their winery’s legal name is Jahant Cellars.
“When you’re talking about Jahant and Jahant Woods, I think of her,” Randy Lange said. “I think of that family. That’s our connection. It’s really a testimony to one of the founding farm families in the Lodi region.”
Akiyoshi said there are a couple unique qualities to the vineyard.
“The vineyard is close by the winery and has a simple trellising system but at the same time, it provides some great coverage for the fruit and allows us to have a bit more of an expressive wine as a result,” he said.
The other interesting component, Akiyoshi said, is it’s a Musqué clone and has qualities and characteristics similar to Muscat.
“It has that nice melon and tropical fruit to it,” said Akiyoshi, “but it also has a little less of that greener fruit that we see in some other Sauvignon blancs.”
2016 LangeTwins River Ranch Vineyard Montepulciano ($20)
Randy and Brad Lange make their homes in River Ranch, five miles from where they were raised. In the summer, when they were young, their father would take them there to work in the vineyards. They would work until noon then spend the afternoon like they were Tom Sawyer, camping, building rafts and swings and swimming in the Mokelumne River, hence the name River Ranch.
“It has a very strong connection to both Brad and I,” Randy said. “It takes me back to my youth and memories of our mother and dad.”
The Lange brothers have replanted the vineyard to varieties conducive to the site’s Mediterranean climate and soil types. About six years ago, they planted the Italian red variety, Montepulciano. The 2016, the first vintage, has rich blackberries, figs and leather balanced by the fruit’s vibrant natural acidity.
2017 Lange Twins One Hundred Vineyard Petite Sirah ($22)
Randy Lange said he and Brad had exhausted their creative flair when they named this vineyard. One Hundred simply refers to the vineyards size in acres.
The vineyard used to be all Cabernet Sauvignon, but a portion recently was planted to Petite Sirah, a French red grape that produces a deeply colored, intense wine with blackberry, blueberry, dark chocolate and floral notes. With every dive, something different comes to the forefront. It’s not a singular wine.
“It’s going to be proven to be a really good representative of a great Lodi wine,” Randy Lange said.
The single-vineyard program also includes the 2018 LangeTwins Prince Vineyard Chenin Blanc ($15) and the 2016 LangeTwins Miller Vineyard Cabernet Franc ($22), both from Clarksburg. The lineup is available at select shops and the LangeTwins tasting room at 1525 E. Jahant Road in Acampo. Information: (209) 334-9780 or LangeTwins.com.