Justin Knock MW, Tina Gellie, Roger Jones., March 2023
LANGMEIL
Orphan Bank Shiraz 2012
- 95 points -
In 2006, Langmeil saved 10 rows of pre-1860s Shiraz from the developer’s bulldozer. He replanted the ‘orphans’ (which share a common ancestry with Langmeil’s Freedom 1843 block, the world’s oldest surviving Shiraz vines) in their new home alongside the original Langmeil vineyard on the banks of the North Para river. For Orphan Bank, the 2012’s mix of 78% Barossa Valley and 22% Eden Valley fruit, from vineyards averaging 88 years of age, was matured in 50% new and 50% seasoned French oak hogsheads for 24 months. Justin Knock MW: Perfumed aromatics, warm spices, grilled meat juices, easy blue fruits, fine salty tannins. A lovely wine, very much a Rhône style in a positive way. Multiple touchpoints of complexity. Tina Gellie: Savoury olive nose, seductive exotic spices and stewed plum red fruit aromas. Graceful and supple, lovely weight and body, more on the delicate side than some. Drinking beautifully. Roger Jones: Spiced, fresh, zippy acidity, dark but clean berries, perfumed and lingering. Fragrant, silky-smooth, elegant and refined.
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