Brand's of Coonawarra Laira Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 2000

About the winery

Brand's Laira is a winery steeped in heritage with a wealth of old vine vineyards dating back to 1893. Nestled in the heart of the famed 'terra rossa' strip of the Coonawarra region in South Australia, they offer a range of elegant yet richly flavoured wines from this distinct region.

In 1893, Captain Henry Stentiford purchased a block of land right in the heart of Coonawarra. Henry Stentiford would become integral to the region's history as custodian of some of its founding vines – vines that still produce wine today. Some 50 years later, in 1950, Eric Brand and his wife Nancy Redman acquired the same 24-hectare property with just over 2 hectares of Shiraz. He named the property Laira, after a sailing vessel that is believed to have delivered the actual vines which were planted in the vineyard. 

For the next 16 years, Eric worked as a 'Blocker' – the name given to Coonawarra landholders who sold their grapes to other wineries in the region. That is until 1966, when armed with an antique basket press, a must pump, 4 concrete fermenters, and blessed with the best Coonawarra weather of the decade, Eric produced his very first vintage under the Brand's Laira name.

The Brand family produced some outstanding wines, but results were not always consistent. However, in 1990, the Brand family and McWilliams joined forces, the latter acquiring 50% of Brands. In 1994, McWilliams purchased the remaining 50%. With the day-to-day operation still within the Brand family, but the resources of McWilliams now at their disposal, the quality and consistency of the wines increased almost immediately.

In 2015, McWilliams sold Brands to the Casella family of Yellow Tail fame.

Vineyards

The Laira Vineyard, established in 1893, was one of the first planted in Coonawarra. It is considered one of the region's oldest working blocks and produces the flagship Stentiford's Shiraz. Located right on the terra rossa strip from the highway back towards the winery, you can still spy the original 15 rows of Shiraz planted with great foresight in 1893. The Laira Vineyard produces all of Brand's top-of-the-range reds.

The Kirkgate Vineyard, established in 1990, took three years to complete. With a variety of soil types, fruit from this block is more intensely flavoured and is the backbone of Brand's icon wine, Blockers Cabernet Sauvignon. While Cabernet Sauvignon makes up the highest percentage of vines on this block, it is closely followed by Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, and a dash of Petit Verdo.

The 165ha Station Vineyard is nestled behind the old, iconic Coonawarra Station and was established between 1994 and 1998. The Vineyard lies primarily on black clay loam over limestone with substantial pockets of terra rossa soil. The primary planting is Cabernet Sauvignon with the vines approaching maturity and producing wines that are fresh and aromatic. The grapes form the basis of The Laira range, as well as some aromatic whites such as Chardonnay.