Wine: Brand’s Laira and Peter Lehmann

The rise and rise in the fortunes of Casella Wines continues to defy the laws of gravity.

The rise and rise in the fortunes of Casella Wines continues to defy the laws of gravity.

It started with the near-accidental birth of the Yellow Tail brand in 2001 after Southcorp terminated WJ Deutsch's distribution of Lindemans Bin 45 Chardonnay (the best-selling chardonnay in the US). It created a huge gap in the market that John Casella was only too happy to fill with a brand and label purchased off the shelf for a paltry sum.

Sales of Yellow Tail increased from 112,000 cases in 2001 to 7.5 million cases in 2005. But the'07 to'08 GFC, the rise in the value of the Australian dollar and the soaring price of chardonnay grapes due in part to Yellow Tail's success placed economic strains on all wine exporters, the most vulnerable being producers with low-priced wines and wafer-thin profit margins.

By rights, Casella should have needed a large input of capital through an IPO or selling a chunk of the business to a venture capitalist, but neither happened; instead, there was the acquisition of four vineyards in Wrattonbully between'99 and '10, Peter Lehmann Wines (2014), Brand's Laira in Coonawarra (2015) and the Limestone Coast 412ha Howcroft Vineyard this year for $9 million-plus.

This has turned conventional wisdom upside down. Normally, rapid growth is achieved by establishing lower-priced wines to broaden the base of the sales pyramid, not build the apex. Yet by 2015 Casella was Australia's third-largest exporter by volume of branded wine, and second-largest exporter by value. It has long exported 90 per cent-plus of production, but sees China as a leading opportunity for growth over the short and long term. No argument there, but the US is another matter. Over the past decade, the US has come to see Australia as a low-priced purveyor of "Little Critter" wines, Casella the leader of the pack. The challenge will be to persuade the US that it has changed its spots.

2013 BRAND'S LAIRA COONAWARRA STENTIFORD'S SHIRAZ

Bright crimson-purple, from 110-year-old vines; brimful with blackberry, licorice, warm spices and French oak, the conclusion of primary fermentation taking place in that oak (new and used) and gaining the integration and mouthfeel only this technique provides. An exceptional wine. 13.5% alc, screw cap

97 points, drink to 2048, $75

2014 PETER LEHMANN VSV 1885 BAROSSA VALLEY SHIRAZ

This wine from 129-year-old vines is less powerful than that from Carey and Valley View Road's 17- and 15-year-old vines, but it's the most elegant. Supple red and black fruits have the right amount of French oak; the svelte tannins are all-important. A bargain. 14% alc, screw cap

97 points, drink to 2044, $60

2012 PETER LEHMANN FUTURES BAROSSA SHIRAZ CABERNET

Despite the label, it is likely the Eden Valley has contributed to this lovely wine. The bouquet and palate are as one, blackcurrant and blackberry joined by spicy plum nuances, the tannins fine, the oak doing its job well. 14.5% alc, screw cap

95 points, drink to 2027, $26