2002 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Cliff Edge

• By Josh Raynolds
  September/October 2007, IWC Issue #134, (See more on Vinous...)

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

The WINEFRONT

• By Campbell Mattinson
  10/6/2005, (See more on The WINEFRONT...)

  (Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz) Login and subscribe to see review text.

Halliday Wine Companion

• By James Halliday
  3/25/2005, (See more on Halliday Wine Companion...)

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

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/24/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (CLIFF EDGE Langi Shiraz) Mount Langi Dear Friends, This one is for Rhone enthusiasts as well as classic Shiraz collectors so take note. As a Friday send-off, this is an eye-popping tariff on a wine that was never intended to be a bargain... We haven't offered a Mount Langi Ghiran wine in a while but they always garner tremendous interest when we do. If you are new to this property, you can check your Australian preconceptions at the door. Based in the cool, mountainous Grampians region of Victoria since 1870, this winery was the bastion of Trevor Mast for over two decades before he retired a year ago. Throughout his career, Mast was responsible for some of Australia's iconic and historic wines such as the classic Bin series at Best's in the 1970s and 1980s (not to mention his own wines) - most are still at peak form today - even those from the 1970s. The Grampians, with unpolluted air, prime high-elevation exposure and solar intensity to match is blessed with a Northern Rhone-like climate that produces a most distinctive Shiraz (many would say it is Australia's closest thing to Hermitage). The resulting wines speak just as loudly to Tain as they do to Melbourne and the cool-climate, balanced (lower-alcohol) approach at Mount Langi Ghiran gives their Shiraz extended ageing ability. Most of their wine becomes more complex as the years pass and they are generally at peak 10-15 years after the vintage. In certain growing seasons, Langi produces a "Cliff Edge" Shiraz that is taken from a parcel of the Blue Label vineyard that abuts the cliff on the (you guessed it) edge of their property. It is straight down to a certain rocky doom if you fall over the side but the same frightening position has its climactic advantages - wind, to name one, and an almost constant 2-3 degree difference in temperature from the heart of the estate (2-3 degrees cooler). This is a very good thing for acidity and primal, varietal Syrah character and the Cliff Edge takes full advantage. When the vintage is exemplary, they also source wine for this label from the Robinson's estate next door (with a similar exposition) - this fruit is highly prized and should go into a far more expensive wine (but it doesn't). One of my favorite stories about Mount Langi Ghiran centers around the Cliff Edge's most famous customer - wild parrots known as Rosella birds that come to Mount Langi specifically to snack on the Shiraz (they know a good thing when they taste it). They've snacked to such a degree that Trevor had to sew a massive net to cover the entire parcel (although the parrots are smarter than that and they still find their way to the grapes). This incredible flock of parrots became almost domesticated over the years and I believe Trevor used to uncover/sacrifice a few vines for them each week during the growing season but he never told anyone. People could never figure out why the parrots were always so sweet to Trevor but they always flew away from everyone else... The 2002 vintage of Cliff Edge was a success from the get-go. It took advantage of a cold growing season and it is an uncommon value in terroir-focused Australian wine. Normally, $9.99 doesn't bring much in the way of character but at Mount Langi Ghiran it certainly does. Revered in Oz as a wine of breed (it uses the same expensive corks and bottles as the Blue Label), Wine Mag (Australia) went ballistic for the 2002 Cliff Edge when it was released and (to his credit) Harvey Steiman fully understood the nature of this wine even though it bares little resemblance to most of the highly scored glop-bombs of the genre. If you are used to the typical from Australia, Mount Langi Ghiran should change your preconception of Shiraz for the better and the 2002 Cliff Edge is certainly worth your experimentation. As a blind wine, it will provide great folly if you have a particularly knowledgeable Rhone enthusiast in attendance: This parcel has impeccable provenance, stored under ideal conditions since release - it has not been sitting on a retailer store shelf for four years. This parcel arrives in approximately one week: 2002 Mount Langi Ghiran "Cliff Edge" Shiraz Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Aus7612