Lindemans Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet 1994 (1500ml)

Trophy for Best Dry Red Table Wine in Commercial Classes - 1997 Melbourne Wine Show

The Coonawarra Trio of Limestone Ridge Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet, St George Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Pyrus Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Malbec are all of exemplary quality."  James Halliday

The Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet is one of the three wines that make up Lindemans' famous Trio, which are the ultimate expression of Coonawarra and represent the pinnacle of the company's viticultural and winemaking skills. Fruit is sourced exclusively from the Limestone Ridge vineyard, which was planted in 1967 with 22 hectares of shiraz and 2 hectares of cabernet sauvignon on the eastern boundary. The vineyard was so named because the topsoil was very shallow, and the underlying ridge of limestone caused considerable problems in readying the land for planting. This same limestone gives the wines the bony structure and long life which so distinguish them.

"A powerful, concentrated bouquet with excellent fruit and oak balance and integration; the palate is well balanced and composed, with briar, chocolate and red berry fruit together with generous vanilla oak, finishing with moderate tannins. A typical '94 vintage, not fleshy, but powerful. A prolific gold medal winner in shows. "  James Halliday

As each year passes it appears that the 1994 vintage, which was originally under-estimated, is in fact one of the very great vintages in Coonawarra. Andrew Wood from Divine Magazine carried out an extensive Coonawarra tasting in July 2000 and his comments on the vintage were: "A sensational year right across the board. Will be very long-lived." The Lindemans Limestone Ridge justifies the hype – it is classic Coonawarra; with magnificent structure, beautiful mouthfeel and a very long finish that culminates in super-fine soft tannins. 

"Excellent deep rich red colour, indicative of a wine of great depth and concentration. The nose displays rich ripe plum and black pepper shiraz aromas with mint like Cabernet overtones. The medium to full bodied palate has rich, intense Shiraz fruit, firm tannins and attractive fruit sweetness, giving the wine great length. The Cabernet has added firmness and enhanced the structure of the wine. Cellar up to 10 years. Winner of one trophy and four gold medals."  Lindemans

Expert reviews

Jeremy Oliver - 95 points (No review available: Drink 2014-2024)

"Medium to full red-purple; a powerful, concentrated bouquet with excellent fruit and oak balance and integration; the palate is well balanced and composed, with briar, chocolate and red berry fruit together with generous vanilla oak, finishing with moderate tannins. A typical '94 vintage, not fleshy, but powerful. A prolific gold medal winner in shows."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion – 90 points

Awards

Trophy for Best Dry Red Table Wine in Commercial Classes, 1997 Melbourne Wine Show
Gold Medal, 1997 Melbourne Wine Show Class 69
Gold Medal, 1996 Melbourne Wine Show Class 38
Gold Medal, 1996 Rutherglen Wine Show Class 38
Gold Medal, 1996 Hobart Wine Show Class 78

Limestone ridge vineyard

Lindemans has a long history in the Coonawarra region through buying wines for blending in the 1950s before formally arriving in Coonawarra with the purchase of the Rouge Homme winery and its vineyards and land in 1965.

In addition to the 19 hectares of vineyards they acquired from Rouge Homme, they also acquired 119 hectares of red soil suitable for vines. Limestone Ridge was the first vineyard planted by Lindemans after the acquisition. Between 1967 and 1968, 22 hectares of shiraz and 2 hectares of cabernet sauvignon were planted on the eastern boundary. The vineyard was so named because the topsoil was very shallow, and the underlying ridge of limestone caused considerable problems in readying the land for planting.

About the winery

Lindemans Hunter Valley Winery and Vineyards

Lindemans was founded in 1843 by Dr Henry John Lindeman who planted its first vines on his 816-acre property 'Cawarra' on the Upper Paterson River in the Hunter Valley wine region. The business flourished and nine years later, Lindeman established a head office, and storage and bottling facilities in Sydney.

Fast forward over a century and Lindeman's winemaker Karl Stockhausen crafted many sublime Hunter semillons (labelled Hunter River Riesling) in the mid-1950s to late-1960s, together with some great Hunter shiraz (labelled Hunter River Burgundy). The 1965 Lindemans Hunter River Burgundy Bin 3100 and 1965 Lindemans Hunter River Burgundy 3110 were iconic wines that generated a cult following in subsequent decades.

While Lindemans was established in the Hunter Valley, it was an early pioneer of cross-regional sourcing. Under the direction of Ray Kidd, one of Australia's great and largely unsung wine men, who ran Lindemans from 1962 to 1986, Lindemans expanded into the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway, Clare Valley and Corowa. Ray bought Leo Buring in 1962 and Rouge Homme in 1965, purchased the century-old Nursery vineyard (the oldest planting in Coonawarra) in 1965 and planted the Limestone Ridge and St Georges vineyards in 1967 and 1969 respectively. Lindemans produce their famous Trio of benchmark Coonawarra wines - St George Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Limestone Ridge Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet and Pyrus Cabernet blend - from these three vineyards.

Lindemans most successful wine was the infamous Ben Ean Moselle which was aimed at the lower end of the market and produced in enormous quantities to compete with Orlando's Barossa Pearl. It financed much of Lindemans' growth in the 1970s and reached its peak in 1979 when it accounted for more than 20% of Australia's bottled white wine sales. Ben Ean was the creation of Ray Kidd while he was Lindemans' cellar and vineyard manager in the late 1950s and was originally produced from Hunter Semillon with some Verdelho. Kidd correctly predicted that the hugely successful fruity carbonated sweet Pearl wines would lead drinkers to demand still table wines with the same features.

In 2005, the Lindemans brand and assets, which had been previously owned by Foster's and Southcorp, were acquired by Treasury Wine Estates. The Coonawarra Trio continue to be a compelling expression of wine borne of the famed terra rossa soil, but sadly various factors including time, fashion and complacency have worked against their reputation. The globalisation of the brand name has also not helped, as they seem to get lost in such a commercially focused portfolio.