Langmeil Orphan Bank Shiraz 2009
Orphan Bank is a testament to Langmeil’s commitment to preserving old and rare Barossa vineyards. Ten rows of Shiraz planted pre-1860 were saved from the developer’s bulldozer and replanted alongside the original Langmeil vineyard on the banks of the River Para. We called these ten rows the “Orphans” but after 150 years they have a new home. The Lindner family of Langmeil Winery has been immersed in the Barossa’s culture of farming, food, wine and community for six generations. Langmeils commitment to quality in all aspects is unwavering and any wine that bears the Langmeil name represents the family’s pursuit of excellence in wine and community. Their family’s vision is to highlight the rare qualities of old-vine Shiraz using hands-on winemaking techniques. Gentle destemming, open fermentation, basket pressing and two years in French oak accentuate the natural fruit intensity and structure.
2009 Vintage
The lead up to harvest, whilst quite dry, was relatively cool, apart from a burst of hot weather in late January to early February. Fortunately, the weather then settled to warm days and cool nights allowing the vineyards to recover and the majority of the grapes to ripen slowly, producing wines with excellent colour and flavour. While the volume is lower than 2008, quality is exciting, as the white wines are showing well, with Riesling being the stand out variety. It is an outstanding red wine year, with the wines exhibiting strong varietal character accompanied by incredible depth of colour.
Deep crimson with purple hues. Intense aroma showing dark fruits and a lifted perfume of violets and raspberry lollies, mingle with fine chocolate, cedary spice and Anzac cookies. The palate is full bodied and rich, displaying the luscious fruit caught in the aroma. The biscuit sweetness marries with the fruit wonderfully and flows onto the finish with sweet and briary spice and lovely, textured, fine tannin.
Cellaring: 2011 – 2026
