When I was invited to a 'vertical' tasting recently, I immediately conjured up visions of some kind of extreme-sports wine event, possibly involving abseiling.
My fears were short lived however, as I settled not into a harness but the considerably more comfortable leather chair at Edinburgh's hidden gem of a wine bar - Divino Enoteca.
Tucked away under George IV Bridge, Divino is an opulent but cosy basement space, full of enomatic wine dispensers and passionate Italian waiters. Today I was there for only one reason:
That's right, an ecxiting vertical tasting (meaning consecutive vintages) of Mount Langi Ghiran's flagship Langi Shiraz.
Mount Langi Ghiran is a primarily Shiraz planted vineyard way up in the Grampians region of Victoria - a region consistently ravaged by drought, bush-fires and more recently flooding. Despite these odds, winemaker Dan Buckle was here with much justified pride to show off vintages 2004 - 2009 of one of Australia's finest cool-climate wines.
The vineyard was first planted in 1870 with an original clone from pre-phylloxera Rhone - now staking its claim as one of the oldest Shiraz clones on the planet - and has built a strong reputation worldwide.
Having taken the reins in 2003 with the instruction "Don't change the style!", Dan has wisely ignored this and taken the Langi Shiraz from strength to strength; steering away from the Aussie Shiraz "fruity red booze" style and more towards a classical, Rhone valley style with complex layers of aromatics and exotic spices. As we tasted the wines and he talked us through each vintage (with slight tangents into things like his new XL double thick French oak barrel, or Mango Parker and the pepper research program) his influence on the wines and the directions he was moving in became more and more apparent:
2004 - A big, big wine with rich sweet and peppery fruit flavours and viscous mouthfeel. The first vintage to be bottled under screwcap and the first to abandon the use of American oak ("French oak seasons the wine, American oak layers flavours on top of it").
2005 - A more typically cool vintage, the '05 shows poise and balance with finer tannin. This is the year in which Dan mapped the vineyard in terms of taste/ripeness, allowing for more careful selection of grapes.
2006 - In 2006 Dan started experimenting with whole-bunch fermentation - a method common in Burgundy where grapes are fermented fully intact and on their stems, allowing a slower, more gentle extraction of complex aromatics, character and finesse. The '06 is a little thinner, peppery but more complex and involving than previous vintages.
2007 - A notable difference here, as if the 'new-style' Langi Shiraz finally holds its head up. By now careful selection of grapes over several passes through the vineyard at harvest, 40% whole-bunch fermentation and specially chosen French oak barriques all contribute to an outstanding wine - firm but elegant with exotic spice-box and tea-leaf notes, bags of great fruit character and a persistent, intriguing finish.
2008 - Follows well in the footsteps of '07 but a massive heatwave and the several consecutive years of drought gives the 2008 a more stressed, sinewy feel. The elegance is still there though and I detected some distinct floral notes and lots of nice, toasty spice.
2009 - Finally, with just the right amount of rain and with Dan's wine-making techniques now well-honed, the 2009 Langi Shiraz really sets the standard. A stunningly elegant, tight, exotic and complex wine with great perfume and lift and a slowly building tannic structure, all wound up by some lovely spice and peppery notes.
And there it was. Six seasonal snapshots of the mountain. Six years of hard work. Six truly outstanding wines.
Thanks to Dan and all at Mount Langi Ghiran for the wines, Divino and Enotria for hosting.
www.langi.com.au
www.divinoedinburgh.com
www.enotria.co.uk
Mount Langi Ghiran is a primarily Shiraz planted vineyard way up in the Grampians region of Victoria - a region consistently ravaged by drought, bush-fires and more recently flooding. Despite these odds, winemaker Dan Buckle was here with much justified pride to show off vintages 2004 - 2009 of one of Australia's finest cool-climate wines.
The vineyard was first planted in 1870 with an original clone from pre-phylloxera Rhone - now staking its claim as one of the oldest Shiraz clones on the planet - and has built a strong reputation worldwide.
Having taken the reins in 2003 with the instruction "Don't change the style!", Dan has wisely ignored this and taken the Langi Shiraz from strength to strength; steering away from the Aussie Shiraz "fruity red booze" style and more towards a classical, Rhone valley style with complex layers of aromatics and exotic spices. As we tasted the wines and he talked us through each vintage (with slight tangents into things like his new XL double thick French oak barrel, or Mango Parker and the pepper research program) his influence on the wines and the directions he was moving in became more and more apparent:
2004 - A big, big wine with rich sweet and peppery fruit flavours and viscous mouthfeel. The first vintage to be bottled under screwcap and the first to abandon the use of American oak ("French oak seasons the wine, American oak layers flavours on top of it").
2005 - A more typically cool vintage, the '05 shows poise and balance with finer tannin. This is the year in which Dan mapped the vineyard in terms of taste/ripeness, allowing for more careful selection of grapes.
2006 - In 2006 Dan started experimenting with whole-bunch fermentation - a method common in Burgundy where grapes are fermented fully intact and on their stems, allowing a slower, more gentle extraction of complex aromatics, character and finesse. The '06 is a little thinner, peppery but more complex and involving than previous vintages.
2007 - A notable difference here, as if the 'new-style' Langi Shiraz finally holds its head up. By now careful selection of grapes over several passes through the vineyard at harvest, 40% whole-bunch fermentation and specially chosen French oak barriques all contribute to an outstanding wine - firm but elegant with exotic spice-box and tea-leaf notes, bags of great fruit character and a persistent, intriguing finish.
2008 - Follows well in the footsteps of '07 but a massive heatwave and the several consecutive years of drought gives the 2008 a more stressed, sinewy feel. The elegance is still there though and I detected some distinct floral notes and lots of nice, toasty spice.
2009 - Finally, with just the right amount of rain and with Dan's wine-making techniques now well-honed, the 2009 Langi Shiraz really sets the standard. A stunningly elegant, tight, exotic and complex wine with great perfume and lift and a slowly building tannic structure, all wound up by some lovely spice and peppery notes.
And there it was. Six seasonal snapshots of the mountain. Six years of hard work. Six truly outstanding wines.
Thanks to Dan and all at Mount Langi Ghiran for the wines, Divino and Enotria for hosting.
www.langi.com.au
www.divinoedinburgh.com
www.enotria.co.uk
