How the mighty have fallen as Lindemans prepares to join the scrap heap of Australian wine brands in the name of “premiumisation”.
This once proud pioneer of the country’s wine industry was delivered its death notice at a briefing last month for analysts and investors by Treasury Wine Estates chief executive Tim Ford. As reported in The Australian Mr Ford underlined the winemaker’s view that long-term trends for the wine industry would be driven by the continued growth in luxury and premium wine sales.
‘This ‘premiumisation’ of the wine market had helped reinforce the need for Treasury Wine Estates to push further into the higher priced end of the market – particularly the US which is the largest luxury wine market in the world…….This could result in Treasury Wine Estates unshackling itself from its Premium Brands division which typically holds its cheaper or more affordable wine brands such as 19 Crimes, Squealing Pig, Lindeman’s and Rawson’s Retreat’.
So Lindeman’s, the revered wine business established back in 1843, is tossed on the dump with those appalling brands, 19 Crimes, featuring Snoop Dogg, and Squealing Pig, which used the tag line, ‘this little piggy went to market’.
Soon it will be Bye, Bye altogether to those famous Coonawarra reds like Lindemans ‘Limestone Ridge’ Shiraz Cabernet and Lindemans ‘Pyrus’ Cabernet blend that 30 years ago occupied an esteemed place in the 1966 Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine. Already they are gone from the current edition.
The Lindemans pair are not alone in falling from favour.
All the drop outs from the 1966 Langton’s Classification
These two once carried the Langton’s Outstanding (B) classification:
| Petaluma ‘Coonawarra’ Cabernet Merlot |
| Petaluma Chardonnay — Adelaide Hills |
The list of the disappearances from the Langton’s Excellent classification of 1966 is longer:
| Bannockburn Chardonnay — Geelong |
| Bannockburn Pinot Noir — Geelong |
| Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — Coonawarra |
| Dalwhinnie Cabernet Sauvignon — Pyrenees |
| Dalwhinnie Shiraz — Pyrenees |
| Grosset ‘Springvale’ Riesling — Clare Valley |
| Hardy’s Vintage Port — McLaren Vale |
| Jasper Hill ‘Emily’s Paddock’ Shiraz Cabernet Franc — Heathcote |
| Jasper Hill ‘Georgia’s Paddock’ Shiraz — Heathcote |
| Lake’s Folly Chardonnay — Hunter Valley |
| Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon — Coonawarra |
| Lindemans ‘Limestone Ridge’ Shiraz Cabernet — Coonawarra |
| Lindemans ‘Pyrus’ Cabernet blend — Coonawarra |
| Mountadam Chardonnay — Eden Valley |
| Orlando ‘St Hugo’ Cabernet Sauvignon — Coonawarra |
| Penfolds ‘Magill Estate’ Shiraz — Adelaide |
| Petaluma (‘Hanlin Hill’) Riesling — Clare Valley |
| Pierro Chardonnay — Margaret River |
| Pipers Brook Vineyard Chardonnay — Tasmania |
| Pipers Brook Vineyard Riesling — Tasmania |
| Rosemount ‘Show Reserve’ Chardonnay — Hunter Valley |
| Sally’s Paddock Cabernet blend — Pyrenees |
| St Hallett ‘Old Block’ Shiraz — Barossa Valley |
| Tahbilk ‘1860 Vines’ Shiraz — Goulburn Valley |
| Tyrrell’s ‘Vat 1’ Semillon — Hunter Valley |
| Virgin Hills Cabernet blend — Macedon Ranges |
| Wolf Blass ‘Black Label’ Cabernet blend — South Australia |
| Yarra Yering Pinot Noir — Yarra Valley |
As a footnote to this rather sad tale, here are those from 1966 still making the Langton’s list.
| The survivors from the 1966 Langton’s Classification |
| Rated Outstanding (A) |
| Henschke Hillof Grace Shiraz – Eden Valley |
| Mount Mary Quintet Cabernets – Yarra Calley |
| Penfolds Grange |
| Rated Outstanding (B) |
| Brokenwood ‘Graveyard Vineyard’ Shiraz — Hunter Valley |
| Henschke ‘Cyril Henschke’ Cabernet Sauvignon –Eden Valley |
| Henschke ‘Mount Edelstone’ Shiraz — Eden Valley |
| Leeuwin Estate ‘Art Series’ Chardonnay — Margaret River |
| Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon — Margaret River |
| Mount Mary Pinot Noir — Yarra Valley |
| Penfolds ‘Bin 707’ Cabernet Sauvignon — South Australia |
| Tyrrell’s ‘Vat 47’ Chardonnay — Hunter Valley |
| Wynns Coonawarra Estate ‘John Riddoch’ Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Yarra Yering ‘Dry Red Wine No.1’ Cabernet blend — Yarra Valley |
| Rated Excellent |
| Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon — Margaret River |
| Chateau Reynella Vintage Port — McLaren Vale |
| Coldstream Hills ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay — Yarra Valley |
| Craiglee Shiraz — Sunbury |
| Cullen (‘Diana Madeline’) Cabernet Merlot — Margaret River |
| De Bortoli ‘Noble One’ Botrytis Semillon — Riverina |
| Grosset ‘Polish Hill’ Riesling — Clare Valley |
| Hardy’s ‘Eileen Hardy’ Shiraz — South Australia |
| Jim Barry ‘The Armagh’ Shiraz — Clare Valley |
| Lake’s Folly Cabernets — Hunter Valley |
| Mount Mary Chardonnay — Yarra Valley |
| Penfolds ‘Bin 389’ Cabernet Shiraz — South Australia |
| Penfolds St Henri Shiraz — South Australia |
| Wendouree Cabernet Malbec — Clare Valley |
| Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon — Clare Valley |
| Wynns Coonawarra Estate (‘Black Label’) Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Yarra Yering ‘Dry Red No.2’ Shiraz — Yarra Valley |
| Yeringberg Cabernet blend — Yarra Valley |
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