Laira Vineyard was established by Captain Stentiford in 1893 on a choice parcel of Coonawarra land, one of the salient
Terra Rossa plantings. Eric Brand, first
Patron of Coonawarra, became custodian of the vineyard more than half a century later. From a selection of the finest grapes, hand picked off the most precious blocks, Stentiford represents the jewel in the crown of Coonawarra Shiraz, a bottle aged wine of peerless quality, matured under the estate cellars until release.
Gapes are hand picked and fermented on skins while being treated to twice daily rack and return pump overs, extracting maximum colour, flavour and tannins. Components are pressed and pumped to a selection of completely new fine grained French oak hogsheads and barriques to complete primary ferments and malolactic. The finished wine is racked off lees and pumped back into refreshed barrels for maturation. A regimen of gentle rackings serve to develop the wine and achieve a high level of clarity. A rigorous selection of the finest barrels determines those most worthy of inclusion into the final Stentifords Shiraz.
Deep crimson red. Complex nose of black and blueberry, cinnamon and nutmeg spice fruit aromas. Barrel fermentation and maturation contributes vanilla and cedar notes. A powerful but elegant palate structure with spicy, dark berry fruit flavours, toasty cedar oak and a long finish displaying fine, lingering tannins. Drinking brilliantly upon release at several years of age, alongside roast sirloin, venison or smoked bacon casserole with nouille au jus.
