If you visited Langmeil Wines in the heart of the Barossa Valley, with its many historic buildings as backdrop for its world-class wine-making operation, it is easy to see that this is a winery steeped in tradition with tremendous pride in its heritage.
The history of the Langmeil property dates back to 1843 when the German settlement was first established on the site, in an area adjacent to the North Para River along what is today known as Langmeil Road. The ironstone buildings, stables and village well that still stand to this day act as monuments to its well preserved history.
What also stands is the winery, built in 1932 and purchased in 1996 by three locals - Richard Lindner, Chris Bitter and Carl Lindner - who refurbished the winery, restored the old buildings, and named it Langmeil, after the original village. They set to the task of preserving the original vines that still remained, albeit neglected, and released their first vintage in 1997.
Today, more than 30,000 cases of wine are produced annually at Langmeil, with premium red wines making up over 80% of its processing. Their flagship shiraz, called The Freedom, is from the original vines first planted in 1843 and believed to be the oldest surviving pre-phylloxera Shiraz vines in Australia. These dry-grown, hand-picked, hand-pruned old vines yield less than two tons per acre and produce fruit with intense flavour and colour.
Langmeil dry grows many of its own vineyards and encourages its growers to do the same. Because they are not irrigated, the vines search for water and push their roots deep into the ground. Thus they produce fruit of outstanding quality, with depth, colour and flavour not found in other, irrigated vines.
The following Langmeil Wines are available for ordering by the case right now, with more great wines available through Vintages in the Fall 2008:
- 2006 Earthworks Shiraz (12 bottle case | $19.95 /btl) - A medium bodied, tart and lightly sweet Shiraz that Jay Miller from Wine Advocate called a "suburb value" (90 pts)
- 2006 Valley Floor Shiraz (12 bottle case | $31.95 /btl) - A blend of old and new Shiraz vines sourced from the Barossa’s Valley Floor. It's a wine made to enjoy now but will reward the patient wine lover for up to ten years.
- 2005 Freedom Shiraz (6 bottle case | $106.00 / btl) - From the dry-grown vineyard planted in 1843. "Surprisingly light on its feet, the wine is full-flavored, opulent, and very long." Robert Parker, 94 pts - Limited quantites available