Langton’s Selections Brand’s of Coonawarra Stentiford’s Reserve Old Vines Shiraz, Brand’s of Coonawarra Patron’s Reserve Cabernet Shiraz Merlot Brand’s original Laira Vineyard was established in 1896 by Captain Stentiford. Captain Stentiford was a merchant naval officer who named his property after a ‘holed’ square rigger that once worked the Australian and New Zealand coastlines. The remaining original plantings, some of the very oldest in Coonawarra, are miraculously bearing fruit. Eric and Nancy Brand purchased the property from father-in-law/father Bill Redman in 1965. Until then they had sold their fruit to local wineries. In the mid 1960s their sons Bill and the late Jim Brand began making wines under the Laira label, quickly enjoying notable success. In 1990 McWilliam’s, one of Australia’s oldest family companies, joined forces with the Brand family, reinvigorating the business through winery upgrading and new vineyard developments, including Kirkgate and Station Block within the Coonawarra boundary. Brand’s Stentifords Reserve Old Vines Shiraz, entirely made from 100 year old vine material, shows plenty of mulberry fruit characters, new oak and bristling tannins when young but appears to have excellent ageing potential. Brand’s Patron’s Reserve Cabernet Shiraz Merlot – named after Eric Brand (‘The first patron of Coonawarra’) – is profoundly deep in concentration with fine chocolaty tannins and well-integrated oak. This is a very convincing style. Approximately 500 cases each of these wines are produced each year. The moderately priced Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Limited Release Merlot all illustrate a strong commitment to quality. Brand’s Laira of Coonawarra should be doing a lot better on the secondary market. The top wines are not yet well known, but they have what it takes to last the distance. Andrew Caillard MW, Langton's