Birth of the cool

A single-vineyard shiraz from Victoria’s Grampians marked one of the first moves towards broadening the definition of our local wines to include cooler-climate styles.

Langi wines

It is hard to overstate the importance of that moment in time, 25 years ago. It was the mid-’90s and recognition of Australian wine around the world was gaining momentum. Penfolds Grange was being recognised as a global benchmark, and there was a growing taste for the local “sunshine in a glass” style of chardonnay. Yet the moment of ignition remained elusive until three wines graced the cover of Wine Spectator, the international bible for fine wine buyers, particularly in the important American market. They were Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace and Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz.

The placing of Penfolds and Henschke was no surprise, but that could not be said of the young upstart Mount Langi Ghiran, which had displaced many better-known names and regions. Where were the historic vineyards of McLaren Vale, the Hunter Valley, Coonawarra and the Yarra Valley, and that other wine region starting to make a name for itself on the other side of the country, Margaret River?

Langi was a single-vineyard shiraz from the largely unheralded Grampians region in Central Victoria. Fascinatingly, at a time where the world was just starting to fall in love with hedonistic Australian shiraz, this wine marked one of the first moves towards broadening the definition of our local wines to include cooler-climate styles. In some ways, the appearance of Mount Langi on the cover of Wine Spectator encouraged many prospective winemakers to explore new regions for Australia’s leading red grape variety.

Langi was the passion project of winemaker Trevor Mast, who had gained significant experience with Victorian shiraz at two historic wineries, Seppelts Great Western and Bests. And while there he had come across a special vineyard sitting in the shadow of a mountain in the Grampians and its granite cliffs.

Mast was captivated by the character in these wines, not only their cooler-climate subtlety but particularly this vineyard and its location, which managed to combine the detail seen in cool-climate shiraz with exceptional heart and depth of flavour. The Mount Langi Ghiran vineyard is not only one of the most beautiful in the country thanks to its mountain backdrop, but it is also unique and individual.

Granite and shiraz share a rare synergy, which no doubt explains much of the character that can be found in the wines from Mount Langi Ghiran. It had also appealed to forefathers in the region, with the site originally planted in 1870. The current vineyard, planted in 1969, was owned by the Frantin brothers, whom Mast started working for in 1978 before finally purchasing the property in 1987.

Mast was quite the character, with first impressions dominated by his mop of unruly, curly dark brown hair and likeable character. But in the vineyard and the winery he was dead serious, and the wines showed that searing intellect. He had a beautiful touch in the cellar, creating wines that walked a perfect line between power and detail, generally with the structure that allowed them to age well into their second decade. They were also often understated and require time in the glass to show all they have to offer.

Mast spent almost 20 years at Langi, the last five from 2002 under new owners the Rathbone Group, who also owned Yering Station and Xanadu. Unfortunately the diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s saw him move on, and he succumbed to the disease in 2012.

During his career, Mast did much to build not only the reputation of Mount Langi Ghiran, but also premium cool-climate Victorian shiraz, wines that still in many cases fail to get the full recognition they deserve. One can only wonder what Mast could have done had his life not been so tragically cut short.

Despite his absence, Mount Langi Ghiran is still among the leading producers of Victorian shiraz, all the way from their bargain Billi Billi through to the Langi. Since the 2012 vintage there has also been a new wine in the collection, the Mast Shiraz. It’s made from a vineyard Mast planted back in 1994 that is the coolest on the site, being the last to get sun in the morning and the first to go into shadow in the afternoon.

It is quite a different expression from other Mount Langi Ghiran wines but no doubt Trevor Mast would have approved, thanks to its more savoury and subtle demeanour.