Assembly Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel (6)

Assembly Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 6-Pack
Sold by: LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards
$59.99 $114.00 47% off List Price
2013 Assembly Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi

Talk to me!

Has anyone has this before? Curious what it’s like coming in at 15.2%.

Good Morning TT! How are you today?

I enjoy Lodi Zin, but I the 15.2% alcohol and the 5+ g/l residual sugar (is that a mistake?) do not suggest a wine in the style I prefer.

It’s Friday (good) but it’s gonna be a LONG day (bad). You?

More changes getting rolled out for us to wine about?

Good, thank you for asking. It is a bit quiet here isn’t it?

I’m in the hunt for some value zin and Lodi piques my curiosity. But have the same concerns as rpm. The 15.2 not a deal killer if made well/balanced. But combine that with the residual sugar value listed and I dunno. A hot sweet mess would be bad.

Many times I’ve found I’ll like a silver or even bronze over a gold; less flash and more reserved, but here the producer comments of “crowd pleasing” and “crowd favorite” suggest this is a bit of a sweeter pick-nick bottle with a punch to drink this or next year latest.

Ditto on those concerns for me. I wonder if they stopped fermentation or if they added back in for that “crowd pleasing” taste. Going to have to hear from someone before I hit the button.

So, please, someone let us know how this wine measures up in the mouth!

Hello everyone! Sorry for delay.

Joe Lange here from LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards - Assembly Zinfandel is a wine style that stands on its own, not like our other Zins. It’s a blend of a few select vineyards that we farm in Lodi - from vine to wine, as always.

I’ll get to answering questions!

No worries there. This is definitely not a ‘Thin Zin’ - it’s big and bold, no doubt.

Posted wine stats for all to see - it has some sweetness for a really pleasing round mouthfeel. No tannic-whiplash or enamel-stripping finishes!

Higher alc on Zins is a winegrowing/making quandary - since Zin ripens pretty uneven, sometimes we have to hold off harvest a bit to get best uniformity in vineyard, which can lead to slightly higher sugars…and, in turn, higher alc.

Again, a bigger wine style to be certain!

Our 2013 vintage is FIRST! to WineWoot and I think consistent with previous vintages.

15.2% - no hiding it packs a bit higher punch than other lighter Zins. Comes included with dark cherry, mocha and spice notes!

Indeed, but a winemaker will obviously have a Brix ‘target’ range in mind (subject to weather, of course) and will try to ensure each block is canopied, pruned, etc. with that in mind as the weather conditions unfold through the season.

In the past 20-odd years, there has been a trend throughout California towards harvesting at higher and higher sugars. Lots of reasons, I suppose - changes in rootstock, irrigation, etc. having an effect on when you’ll get phenolic ripeness - but also a matter of style.

Though higher sugars have always been common in the Valley, I confess to preferring the more traditional ‘22-24’ Brix target for reds, including Zin, with the consequent tendency to lower alcohol, ‘bright’ ripe fruit, and close to fully dry fermentation that characterized Zins in the '50s and '60s, before the popularity of the Amador “monsters” in the mid-to-late '70s.

Regarding the sugar levels here. The 2012 inzin. Which many loved clocked in at 0.8% which would equate to 8.0 g/L.

Both of these wines would be considered off dry. But the higher acidity and lower alc in the inzin probably creates a more balanced wine.

Fair enough, but inZin is my least favorite of Scott’s wines. Crowd pleaser this should be. It’s well known in the industry that the ‘average’ casual wine drinker – which mostly doesn’t include Wooters, but does reflect a fair number of Wooters’ palates – says they prefer “dry” wine, but in blind tasting actually prefers wines with up 1% - 1.5% residual sugar. The sweet tooth that sells “Brut” champagne with up to 1.5% residual sugar… Sigh.

Agreed, rpm. Definitely a matter of style, and taste. There’s a wine out there for all, and all occasions…even within LangeTwins portfolio there are styles stretched along the spectrum.