Product Information:
This wine is a tribute to patience and persistence while celebrating Shiraz’s pedigree as a classic grape variety. While Shiraz’s Lineage dates to Roman times, Barossa’s journey with Shiraz began in the 1840s. Professor Johannes Menge advised the migrants from Prussia Silesia with incisive foresight that viticulture had great potential to thrive in ‘New Silesia'.
The 2018 Lineage Shiraz comes from two Barossa sub-regions Tanunda and Flaxman Valley. Made of 100% Shiraz it is matured for 26 months in in 57% new French oak and 47% seasoned French oak. The age is a mixture of 128 year old and 175 year old. This Shiraz has an intense aroma of ripe Satsuma plum, mocha, vanilla, and savoury notes combined with hints of cedar and sweet spices. The palate mirrors these characters, full-bodied and with silky tannins and brambled fruit finish. Outstanding.
Maker:
Langmeil Winery has a rich history dating back to 1842, when Christian Auricht established one of the Barossa's first trading villages on the banks of the North Para River and named it Langmeil. Auricht had migrated from Prussia in 1838 seeking religious freedom for his family in the new world. He established a smithy and began tending a mixed farm and in 1843 he planted one acre of Shiraz vines on the estate, which is still producing fruit today. The vineyard is believed to be the oldest surviving Shiraz vineyard in the world and is now the source of Langmeil's icon wine, The Freedom 1843 Shiraz. The winery changed hands several times over the years and in 1996, three local mates collaborated to purchase and restore the property. They revived the old vineyard and named it The Freedom and Langmeil's first harvest from the vineyard was in 1997. Today, Langmeil is family-owned and internationally recognised as one of the Barossa's premium wine producers. The winery attracts visitors from all over the world to its cellar door and the restored village grounds. Langmeil's commitment to making wines that express and embrace the unique characteristics of the Barossa high country is evident in its custodianship of the historic Eden Valley vineyard, which is home to the Pure Eden Shiraz vineyard and the single vineyard old vine Wattle Brae Riesling and High Road Chardonnay.
Vineyard:
The outstanding 2021 vintage is up there as one of my favourites. Sufficient winter rains revitalised the vines after two consecutive dry, frost-affected and low-yielding years. Spring was near perfect for budburst, flowering and fruit set, enabling vines to flourish and reach their full potential. Summer was gorgeous and mild with slow and even ripening, fantastic colour and flavour development, and acid retention. Finally, an unhurried harvest reduced pressure on fermenter space, cellar hands, and of course the winemaker's sanity. As a result, the 2021 old vines have captured the personality and quality of every vineyard.
Nose - Plum, Mocha, Vanilla
Smoked smallgoods, toasted barrels, browned spices, raisiny fruitcake and graphite
Palate - Rich Sweet Fruit, Full, All Spice
Plush and velvet smooth at the same time as it's concentrated, fleshy and deep.
Finish - Cedar, Bramble, Lengthy
Brandy-soused raisiny fruitcake notes linger, suggesting high alcohol. A serious red, velvet textured, concentrated and suggesting long-term potential.
Deep colour, with a faint trace of purple remaining in the rim; the bouquet shows a lot of oak and is all about smoked smallgoods, toasted barrels, browned spices, raisiny fruitcake and graphite, while the palate is plush and velvet smooth at the same time as it's concentrated, fleshy and deep. Brandy-soused raisiny fruitcake notes linger, suggesting high alcohol. The beginnings of tertiary characters show from development. A serious red, velvet textured with a core of sweet fruit and long-term potential. But even at five years the oak is still sitting on the wine. Will it lose that with more time, is the question. (Made from two 'ancestor' vineyards, over 125 years old, in Tanunda and Eden Valley). - Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 94 Points.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa, South Australia
Vintage - 2018
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.5%
