1999 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi

• By Stephen Tanzer
  July/August 2004, IWC Issue #115, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi Victoria) Login and sign up and see review text.

Halliday Wine Companion

• By James Halliday
  1/12/2001, (See more on Halliday Wine Companion...)

  (Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyards Langi Shiraz) Subscribe to see review text.

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  12/14/2011, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 91 points

  (Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi) Slightly bricking dark red violet color; charcoal, garrigue, oregano, pepper nose; tart black fruit, oregano, charcoal, pepper, eucalyptus palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  9/7/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz) UPDATE: For those of you that have not seen the article below, I thought it was controversial enough to reprint it - especially with the traditional/classic slant of the Mount Langi offer below set to go out this morning. What a contrast... - Jon Rimmerman ****************** Reprinted from Joe Dressner’s web site, reprinted from the Mollydooker web site: “Marquis Fruit Weight and the Marquis Vineyard Watering Programme Are Turning Many of the Industry’s Preconceived Notions about Making Great Wine, on Their Head! EDWARDSTOWN, South Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For 12 years, Sarah & Sparky Marquis (pronounced Mar-kwis) have been “WOW”ing wine fans around the world with their award–winning Australian wines made for such brands as Fox Creek, Henry’s Drive, Parsons Flat, Shirvington, Marquis Philips, Integrity and now Mollydooker. This dynamic duo has been awarded the title of Australian Winemakers of the Year; is the only husband and wife winemaking team to receive Mclaren Vale’s prestigious Bushing Award three times; and is responsible for crafting four of only 24 Australian wines to receive 99 points from Robert Parker in the last 10 years. Mollydooker, Sarah and Sparky’s own label, has been a show-stopper since its inaugural release last year, and with the highly anticipated release of the 2006 vintage around the corner, it’s a great time to explore the secrets to their success. When asked to share their thoughts on what separates Mollydooker wines from the pack, Sarah & Sparky answer “It’s our Watering Programme and Fruit Weight, mate.” The Marquis Vineyard Watering Programme focuses on nurturing strong and healthy vines with balanced canopy growth to achieve the most intense fruit flavors possible. The amazing fruit flavor achieved in the vineyard is exactly what creates the Marquis Fruit Weight in the wine. Marquis Fruit Weight is the “velvet glove” sensation of fruit that sits on your tongue before the structure of the wine is exposed. The higher the Fruit Weight, the more intense and rich are the flavors in the finished wine. Achieving a high Fruit Weight grade doesn’t start in the winery; it starts in the vineyards, which is where Sarah and Sparky’s scientific know-how is first applied. “We ripen the vine, so that it can ripen the fruit,” explains Sparky. Knowing that healthy vines create the best fruit, Sparky studied vineyard canopy management for his college thesis. So groundbreaking was his work on Pinot Noir in Tasmania, that he won a scholarship to present it in France and the US. Over the last 20 years he’s developed the Marquis Vineyard Watering Programme, which is used by all vineyards producing grapes for Mollydooker. The Marquis Vineyard Watering Programme is based on intensive data collection and analysis, which starts at budburst and carries on with inspections of each vineyard throughout the entire growing season. Twice a week, the Mollydooker vineyard team physically measures the growth of the vines, and reports on canopy growth, rachis maturation and the Fruit Weight of the juice. The data is then fed into a complex set of formulas, the results of which provide the team with precise watering recommendations for the following three days. For example, toward harvest time, the grapes have a rapidly accelerating sugar level, but the essential flavor level lags behind. So, the Mollydooker team applies water to control the sugar level until the flavor level catches up. Leigh, Sparky’s Dad and Vineyard Programme Manager, tells us, “It’s the range and intensity of the flavor which translates into Marquis Fruit Weight, and ultimately into the incredibly rich, velvety wines that have become Sarah and Sparky’s trademark.” Marquis Fruit Weight is the deciding factor that determines the label under which a particular wine will be bottled. Sparky explains, “Starting with our 2006 wines, Mollydooker now has four Fruit Weight grades ranging from 65% to 100%. Any wine that rates below 65% Fruit Weight is sold off as bulk wine.” The “Lefty Wines” consist of five different wines that have been graded with a Marquis Fruit Weight™ of 65-70%. The 2005 Boxer Shiraz was one of the most highly acclaimed Lefty wines, and was actually the highest pointed wine in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate issue #165 ‘Best Value Wines;. Next in line are the three brand new “Party Wines” crafted from Shiraz and Cabernet, which have 75-80% Marquis Fruit Weight™. The “Love Story” wines include the highly-rated Carnival of Love and Enchanted Path, and must obtain 85-90% Marquis Fruit Weight™ to qualify. And the brand new and very top wine, aptly named Velvet Glove, is the easiest to grade, as it has obtained 95+% Marquis Fruit Weight™ - and stands alone in quality. “Due to the high Fruit Weight grade demanded for Velvet Glove, it’s likely it won’t be made in every vintage,” says Sarah. Mollydooker’s highly-anticipated second vintage, with 11 wines in total, will begin to release in mid-June, at which time Sarah & Sparky are hitting the road across the United States to share their new wines, and to talk about the things that make their wines different, including the Marquis Vineyard Watering Programme and Marquis Fruit Weight. They look forward to meeting you and to sharing the wines that make you go “WOW”!” ************************************ 1999 Mount Langi Dear Friends, ...and now for the polar opposite. Maybe this qualifies as our Friday SPECIAL but I don’t want to look at it that way. As most of you know, my passion for Mount Langi Ghiran runs deep and we always listen when a special opportunity comes up with the work of Trevor Mast. Many of my European compatriots know of my relationship with this winery and I am always asked to bring samples of Trevor's work with me to Europe so they can be tasted against some of the up and coming Cote Rotie producers (the other winery the French always want to try is Bindi - they basically have no interest in anything from South Australia and simply do not understand what is going on there). As one of Australia’s great pioneer winemakers and artisans, Trevor has never listened to anything except his own intuition (or maybe the five woman he lives with - his wife and four daughters), his inspiration remains an expression of the Victorian high country meshed with the reserve and esoteric complexity of the Cote Brune above Ampuis. When the vintage conditions get it right (as they did in 1999), look out... In a brief synopsis, the wine of Mount Langi Ghiran is nothing like what most of you consider when the word Australia is uttered. They reside in the cool Grampians region of the State of Victoria (near Melbourne) and the order of the day is terroir and varietal expression - not oak and sauce. These are some of Australia’s most revered ageing wines as they do not reach their peak for at least 10 years after bottling and can last for decades - they are the opposite of the South Australian Parker darlings of the mid 1990s (although Mount Langi was one of the original Parker cult Shiraz circa 1994 - I believe the wine received the same rating, or close to it, as Astralis and Three Rivers, as did the 1995). In fact, many US critics do not know what to make of these wines as they can be so closed on themselves after bottling that it takes 3-5 years for the butterfly to emerge. Make no mistake, the cocoon does open to reveal this wine’s real promise, akin to Hermitage or Cote Rotie and the complexity with age is singular to this region. Back to our story... While poking around for the top vintages of Mount Langi Shiraz to offer as a library release, the 1989 and 1993 certainly came up (not to mention the 1977 Bests Shiraz he produced), but 1999 was at the top of the list as it is still youthful but offers all the promise of a great vintage of “Blue Label”. This is his version of 1999 Cote Rotie and I couldn’t agree more. Parker, who tried the 1999 too soon after bottling (a mistake the winery admits was their fault as the Langi wines are almost impossible to evaluate that young), has never retasted it which is doing the wine a disservice (the 1999 is the equal of or finer than the 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 Shiraz and you can look up his comments on those) Now, with eight years of bottle age, this wine is nothing short of amazing - it could actually benefit from another 3-6 years in the cellar will it will provide memorable experiences for the following 10-20. This wine has the potential and intriguing present day complexity that sets it apart from most other examples, especially Syrah based wines of terroir at this price as the white pepper, earth and secondary nuances are truly exciting. Here’s the consumer friendly part - to celebrate Trevor’s quasi-retirement from the winery, we have a small, pristine parcel of this wine for half price. A great price for this is almost ridiculous but we’re not going to argue as the wine deserves to be in the cellar of the most astute collectors. This parcel has perfect provenance, cellared since release under ideal conditions. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price. 1999 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Victoria (blue label) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Aus8890