“Mount Langi is a superstar estate with considerable pedigree and visionary winemaking in the form of Dan Buckle.”
Matthew Jukes, Decanter Magazine, May 2011.
Situated 180km west of Melbourne along the southern edge of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Grampians Mountains, Mount Langi’s vineyards are some of the coolest in mainland Australia. Not only does the altitude of the vineyards endow a naturally cool ripening season (well, for Australia at least; it’s certainly warmer than the UK!) but at this height the vineyards also favour the attention of the fierce maritime wind that sweeps up from the southern coast and adds an extra dimension of stress to the vines, helping to keep yields naturally low. These low yields and the long, cool ripening season combine to produce grapes of startling varietal characteristics.
Vineyards were planted originally in 1963 by the Fratin brothers on the site of a vineyard which had been planted at the turn of the century, and named for the “Home of the Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo”, pronounced “Mount Langee Jeeran”. Chief Winemaker Dan Buckle believes that, “The days of winemaker-led wines are now over. My job as Winemaker at Mount Langi is more as the custodian over a unique and special vineyard, where we are fortunate and privileged to grow great grapes and deliver great wine.”
