Lang Wines

Lang Wines

Lang Wines Sauvignon Blanc 6-Pack
$69.99 $106.00 34% off List Price
2012 Lang Wines Sauvignon Blanc, Amador County

Lang Wines 2007 Dessert Wine Aprés 4-Pack
$59.99 $96.00 38% off List Price
2007 Lang Wines Dessert Wine, Aprés

Lang Wines’ Sausalito Zinfandel Mixed 6-Pack
$69.99 $138.00 49% off List Price
2008 Sausalito Zinfandel
2011 Sausalito Zinfandel

Lang Amador County Zinfandel Mixed 6-Pack
$74.99 $130.00 42% off List Price
2008 Lang Zinfandel, Amador County, Oakmont Vineyards
2010 Lang Wine Zinfandel, Amador County

Here’s the CT link for the 2007 Apres!

Anyone interested in taking all three of the 2008 Sausalito Zinfandel? I’ll keep the '11’s.

A mod out there might want to fix the shipping list for the Sauvignon Blanc.
Got my hopes up that we in VT were finally added back, but apparently not.

Sorry about that…it’s all fixed now.

I can only speak to their barberas and their zins, but I’ve always thought they were a good daily drinker. Solid QPR.

I’ve worked Bob Lang over the years. I’ve always thought his wine wines well made and have enjoyed many of them.

We’ve had both their Barbera and their Sauv Blanc and both were great. A friend of mine really likes their Zin. I’m in.

I personally think the Lang Barbera is excellent with pasta and the Zin is decent. I’m kind of interested in the “Port”… if anyone wants to sell me on it?

It’s a pretty good value considering you’re getting a full 750ml bottle instead of 375ml or 500ml. That said, it’s a bit on the thin side and definitely not my favorite but it’s nice to have a Port style wine on-hand that can be considered a Tuesday night drinker.

My CT notes on this wine; “Plum color, skinny legs. Nose of alcohol, figs, molasses and butternut squash. Hot with figs, molasses and toffee on the entry, subdued middle with a thin mouthfeel but nice acid bite on the medium finish. A good inexpensive introduction to port-like wine.”

Lang Wines 2007 Apres! A few words.

2007 was a great vineyard year in Amador County. Our 2007 Apres! is composed of 60% Syrah & 20% each of the Port varieties Touriga Nacional & Tinta Cao; using the traditional method, the wines were fermented separately for 10-days in open oak barrels; the vinification process was stopped at the appropriate time by the introduction of grape brandy and alcohol to deactivate (kill) the yeasts so that each of the component wines finished at approximately 18% alcohol and had a residual sugar(unfermented) of 8%, typical Port numbers. The blending of the 3-wines was accomplished with emphasis more on taste than the quantities available. The blended wine was then sequestered for 2-1/2-years in neutral American oak. Note that some Ports are aged in used whiskey barrels which are flame ‘toasted’ or even char-coaled resulting in some degree (often excessive) of ‘smokiness’ and sediments consisting of whiskey-based charcoal. Note also that ATF no longer permits the use of the name ‘Port’ on US wines,except for those wineries ‘grandfathered in’ by having produced Ports prior to the new regulations. ATF says this is a ‘Dessert Wine,’ (about as exciting a name as Mountain Red). Hence, our use of the name Apres!, for ‘after’ as in after dinner, or after most anything pleasant (especially after anything pleasant). Enjoy!

I love ports of all different styles. This one definitely sounds interesting, and at a pretty good price. I’m in for one!

The two faces of Sauvignon Blanc

Amador County is known for its Zinfandel, and rightly so; the peppery nose and raspberry fruit of Sierra Foothill Zin define this unique California varietal. The oldest continuously producing Zinfandel vineyard in California, dating from the 1860s, is in Amador County. Scott Harvey is a previous owner of that historic vineyard.

However, the Sierra Foothills is much more than Zinfandel and Barbera. In the mid-1970s, Cary Gott planted Sauvignon Blanc at Montevina; as I recall, his first production of that wine was around 1978 and its reception from buyers was overwhelmingly positive. Suffice it to say, Cary’s neighbors, including myself as an owner of Twin Rivers Vineyards planted Sauvignon Blanc in the following years. Prior to that time, most California Sauvignon Blanc was grown in cooler coastal appellations and tended toward the grassy, herbal style defined and made famous by New Zealand and many Sonoma County wineries.

It was Robert Mondavi who started many of California’s now historic wine stories, including Sauvignon Blanc, which he labeled Fume Blanc, thereby avoiding a then more difficult pronunciation, and introducing a much more attractive and mysterious “…white smoke, Fume Blanc.” The story continues… Thanks Robert!

The 2012 Lang Sauvignon Blanc grapes were sourced from Amador County and grown on a two-wire trellis system which easily permits ‘hedging’ the vines so that a controlled amount of direct sun can reach the clusters. Hedging also reduces the total vegetative weight of the vine, which reduces and thereby controls the vegetative (herbal) characteristics of the finished wine. SB grown in full shade below a thick canopy cover will ripen with a more delicate, translucent, green-tinged skin; the wine will also have a somewhat greenish hue and display the herbal flavor characteristics that define this style. Conversely, SB grown so that some sun reaches the clusters from day-one will display a somewhat tougher and thicker, amber-colored skin and be much less likely to suffer sunburn in a late-season hot spell; the resulting wine will display more of the desirable ‘tropical fruit’ flavors and a citrusy finish.

Our 2012 Sauvignon Blanc was awarded a Silver Medal at the 2013 San Francisco International Wine Competition. Enjoy!

Thank you for that, Chip! Yeah it’s definitely a bargain on the size… even though I’m not a huge port drinker, I may consider this. Thanks!

Ah, thank you for the response Lang! Although, I’m pretty sure you mean the Tax and Trade Bureau, not “ATF.” ATF no longer regulates the alcohol (nor tobacco) industry/business any longer. The Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) took that on when ATF moved from Treasury to the Department of Justice (DOJ) side of the govt. I agree though… the whole thing with the TTB grandfathering in certain wineries to use “Port” while newer ones are excluded is VERY bizarre to say the least.

Anyway, I’m a big fan of your Barbera! Thanks for the good wine offers here! I’m considering the PORT hehe

Always good to see Bob Lang and Lang Wines here on Woot.

I’m told Lang means ‘QPR’ in Spanish…

Great wines, great prices.

Thanks for sharing some history. I’ve really enjoyed your Zins and Barberas (and the Apres!). Looks like it’s time to check out your Sauv Blanc!

Lang Wines Zinfandel

In 1972, with decent incomes and discretionary time on our hands, three airline pilots and their wives purchased Twin Rivers Ranch, a 1500-acre property in El Dorado County; after a little thought, and a little too much wine, we determined that we could pay for the property by planting grapes; beginning in 1974, we planted 200-acres of Zinfandel, Barbera & Sauvignon Blanc. An airstrip in the vineyards permitted us to fly from the bay-area to the vineyard in 35-minutes. Great fun, but no increase to cash-flow. By the mid 1980s, a glut of grapes throughout California lowered grape prices to below production costs. Sooo, we needed to convince the market that the quality of our grapes was superior to others. To that goal, Lang Wines produced its first wine, a 1983 Twin Rivers Vineyards Zinfandel. The wine won a Gold medal at the 1985 Orange County Fair Wine Competition. That wine and its other awards, absolutely helped us sell grapes in subsequent years, and many additional Lang Wines TRV Zinfandel awards followed. They’re still coming; the 2008 & 2010 Lang Wines Zinfandels in this Woot are each winners of three Silver Medals. Our 2012 Zinfandel, not yet released, was awarded a Double-Gold medal at the 2014 Amador County Wine Competition. You’ll have a Woot opportunity to buy that wine later this year.

Don’t confuse cost with value; Napa Valley Cabernet grapes sell for $5700/ton, that’s about $95/case or $8/bottle! Just for the grapes! At that price you’re paying for vineyard land prices near $400000/acre (and rising), property taxes, landscaping, a mansion and perhaps a Mercedes or two.

Lang Wines uses twist-cap closures rather than corks. Some consumers consider this to be an indication of a lower quality wine (see a comment). Not so! The twist-cap is a superior closure in every respect, with far fewer failures than cork. Cork was the best possible closure for many hundreds of years, but that time has passed; I’ve never tasted a bad twist-cap closure, but we all are familiar with the taste of failed cork, or a mouthful of dusty broken cork.
Regarding our 2008/2011 Sausalito Wines Zinfandels in this offer: Both wines are small production releases with labels by Sausalito Artist George Sumner.

The 2011 Sausalito Wine Zinfandel was assembled specifically for the 2013 America’s Cup Race in San Francisco Bay; without making excuses, the outcome and course of events of those preliminary races did not work out well for for vendors, including Lang Wines.

Please note: Our 2011 Sausalito Wines Zinfandel is a very fine wine; it was bottled directly from barrels, i.e., with no filtering or fining. Some wooters may recall that in the 1970s, many fine wine’s labels proudly stated; “…unfined & unfiltered.” That’s our 2011 Sausalito Wines Zinfandel. You will find a sediment deposit on the cork & perhaps on the neck & bottle bottom; its not a problem; decant if you prefer, but enjoy the wine;. It’s reealy good stuff!

Lang Wines has enjoyed this opportunity to once again post our wines on Wine Woot; it’s a venue that brings together a community of knowledgeable buyers and outreaching winemakers. Thanks to all!

Bob Lang