Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1249
UP Mention South Australian reds, and Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon immediately come to mind. If this were a word association game, right after that would probably be three of the best-known growing regions for these varietals: the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. Chances are nobody would guess Langhorne Creek. Yet this prolifi c, fertile and historic region, encompassing almost 16,000 acres an hour's drive southeast of Adelaide, has been producing some of South Australia's most coveted Shiraz and Cab- ernet grapes for over a century. Few consumers have heard of it. The reason is that, until recently, most of this luscious fruit has been sourced out to some of the best of Australia's well-known labels, including Wolf Blass, Penfolds and Jacob's Creek. One of the most historic vineyards in this re- gion, containing some of the oldest Cabernet and Shiraz vineyards in Australia, can be found on a 700-acre, 42-block expanse known as the "Metala Vineyards." The fi rst Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vines were planted here in 1891 by Arthur Formby, whose father purchased the property from the original homesteader. In 1894, an addi- tional 8 acres of Shiraz were planted. Incredibly, these original vines are still producing—specifi - cally, two acres of Shiraz and two acres of Caber- net, known as the Old Blocks, and virtually all of the 1894 Shiraz, which is called the Cellar Block. With grapes such as these, as well as vineyard plant- ings that have progressively increased over the last 110 years (the average age of Metala's vines is 45 years), it was only a matter of time before the Adamses, who still own and farm the Langhorne Creek property, would decide to produce their own estate wines. Thus, in 1998, brothers Guy and Tom Adams, direct descendants of the founding family, launched Brothers in Arms. With its logo of two muscular hands clasped in friendship, one might assume the name signifi ed the bond between these two men, but there is more to it than that. "Guy and Tom wanted a name that captured the image of the strength behind their family's homestead," said James Hall, General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Brothers in Arms Vineyards. "It's all about the underly- ing strength of the region itself, the camaraderie of the people and the character and pride in what the estate 6 / the tasting panel / june 2009 by Richard Carleton Hacker The Metala Vineyard, with its classic Australian homestead, was planted in 1891. Brothers in Arms and The Secret of Langhorne Creek It sounds like an Indiana Jones sequel, but with history, camaraderie and adventure, this Aussie saga is real