One of the very best wines made in Australia in 1991 was the Orlando Lawson’s Shiraz, a stunningly deep, dark and spicy wine which today is only beginning to reveal something of what it has in store for those of us with stocks in the cellar. I’ve always rated it at least 18.8 and now it’s looking better than ever. I’ve long felt that Lawson’s is a better wine than its reputation would suggest, as a recent tasting to celebrate the 10th release of the label tends to confirm. While it’s a very different wine from Hardy’s Eileen Hardy Shiraz, I can’t see any reason why Lawson’s shouldn’t be afforded similar respect as this other very successful contemporary wine with substantial links to Padthaway in South Australia. Named after Robert Lawson, an early pioneer of the Padthaway region, Lawson’s comes from a single 2.8 ha vineyard originally planted for decorative purposes in 1968 onto very deep sandy soils. The poor soils help to stress the vines, but incredibly enough, they still crop what would initially appear to be an alarmingly high 5-6 tonnes per acre. The wines begin with a warm ferment, which is later slowed by some cooling, after which they experience an extended time on skins before pressings are all returned for eighteen months in new small American oak. As the tastings notes illustrate, Orlando’s winemakers have alternated between French and American oak treatment before deciding to remain exclusively with American from the 1992 wine. Before release Lawson’s is then given another 30 months in bottle. There’s no denying that Lawson’s is an assertive, concentrated red wine. Its vineyard consistently produces minty and briary fruit flavours, sometimes a hint of eucalypt. Better vintages like 1991, 1994 and 1996 produce piercingly intense flavours of small ripe berry fruits and the vitality of the older wines confirms the longevity of the Lawson’s recipe. The notes below highlight which vintages to place on your shopping list. Like many other Australian reds it’s no longer the value it once was, but at $52 the 1994 vintage does stack up.
