2012 Brand's Laira Blockers Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

Established by Captain Stentiford in 1893 the Laira Vineyards was purchased by Eric Brand and his wife Nancy in 1950. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s they sold their fruit to larger wineries before releasing the first Brand's Laira wine in 1966. Eric and his sons continued to produce wine at Brand’s Laira until 1994 when the McWilliam’s family purchased the property.

The barrels that this wine was fermented and matured in comprised of a mixture of fine grained French and American oak 500L puncheons, 300L hogsheads and 225L barriques with 40% of the volume being new oak (80% of the new oak being French) and the balance second and third use barrels.

Totally opaque inky black crimson colour with a dark crimson red black tinged hue. The nose becomes more lifted as it sits in the glass exhibiting an aromatic profile of ripe blackcurrants followed by some subtle dark chocolate and a hint of black olive with underlying light cedary tobacco and spice characters. Medium bodied the palate is teeming with rich fruit characters combined with a classic Coonawarra structural elegance. Generous mouthfilling flavours of ripe blackcurrants and dark mulberries overlay a touch of mint, cedary tobacco and spice. Solidly built but very fine grained tannins provide the support base. Excellent depth with a long aftertaste of ripe blackcurrants, subtle mint, cedary tobacco and spice.