The Russian River vineyard is low-lying -- directly on the Russian River -- and experiences a great deal of cloud cover throughout the growing season. Grown on alluvial soils, these 25-year old vines are trellised with vertical shoot positioning on a bi-lateral cordon.
We nurture these vines through cultural practices such as shoot positioning, leaf removal and fruit thinning, to bring the clusters an optimal balance of sun, shade, and air flow which allows them to properly develop and mature. Generally ripening in mid to late September, we receive approximately 2.5 tons to the acre.
The Charles Heintz Vineyard rests at approximately 900 feet above sea level and is nine miles from the Sonoma Coast. The vineyard experiences cool maritime influences from the Pacific Ocean, receiving less cloud cover than our Russian River vineyard.
While the vines are of equal age, this vineyard is planted in goldridge soils, trained on a quadrilateral cordon system. The vines are harvested in two separate picks: initially, the sun-side of the canopy is harvested, followed by patient waiting for the shade-side to fully mature.
THE NAME
L'Angevin, Robbie's mother's family name, was the obvious choice when we selected a name for our endeavor.The name could serendipitously be separated into the French words Ange (angel) and Vin (wine), giving us the "angel wine."
In actuality, the name is derived from the Old French Andegavia referring to the winegrowing region of Anjou, France where the ancestors of Robbie's grandfather, Elphege Langevin originated.
