2023 Langmeil Orphan Bank Shiraz

With a rich tradition dating back to 1842 and a unique European (Oberschlesien) influence, Barossa Valley has become Australia's most famous wine region. Achieving five stars in James Halliday's Wine Companion in six consecutive years has made Langmeil one of the leading wine producers in the area. The objective of this winery is to make top wine that comes 100% from Barossa and from grape varieties that excel in this area.  Although some of its vineyards are much older, Langmeil was founded in 1996 by three friends: Chris Bitter, Carl Lindner and Richard Lindner. The original winery, which had been located on the estate since 1930, closed in 1988 and sat there untouched until 1996. The careful restoration of this took years.  

Today, the Chief Winemaker Paul Lindner oversees the vinification process and pays particular attention to the making of wine from individual vineyards, minimal handling and careful filtration in order to guarantee distinctly well-balanced wines with subtle complexity.  Langmeil shows that Barossa is capable of producing not only easily approachable wines, but also more complex varieties with excellent aging potential.

Doomed to make way for house building, ten rows of 140-year-old Shiraz vines were rescued by Langmeil and relocated. This saved part of the Barossa heritage. These 'orphans' share the same ancestry as their Freedom vineyard, planted in 1800 on what then had the same allotment: 'section 36, Hundred of Moorooroo'. When Christian Auricht died in 1860, this 'family' of Shiraz was split up. 146 years later, with the generous help of the Langmeil team as adoptive parents, the winery has managed to bring the herd back together.