Langmeil versus Schild

The way to appreciate this title is as a variant on a classic showdown. Akin to "Alien vs. Predator." Or "Godzilla vs. Mothra." Perhaps "Ali vs. Frazier." Or Bud versus Miller.

We have to go way back to 2006 when I ran across two astonishing deals in Australian Shiraz.
Because these were two of my best buys that year, and they were both Barossa shirazes I tend to conflate them a bit, only adding to my anticipation and intrigue.

In corner one is the Langmeil 2004 Shiraz Barosssa Valley Floor. 94 points WS. For under $18. This was pretty much unheard of. I consider gettting a 92 pointer for $18 a very good deal. And each additional point is expensive, perhaps a 1.412 X increase in price (this is the square root of two, if you didn't recognize it). So, every two point jump is a doubling in price by my math. And the choices under $18 are limited. So I jumped at this and got a case. Unfortunately, the reviewer said to wait until 2008 to try it, and so it sat.

In corner two, was the deal of the year, if you trust the ratings. The Schild 2004 Shiraz Barossa. 96 points. Under $25. Come on. That's like finding a 92 point ine for $7. Or a 90 pointer for $4. I was foolish and only bought 6 bottles. And like the Langmeil, it would be best after 2008.
Since then, the 2005 Schild came out and I also bought 6 bottles, thought it scored a "measly" 93 points. And the 2006 Schild came out and I got 4 bottles and to my chagrin it fall from grace getting 88 points.

The WS reviewer for Australian wines is Harvey Steiman and like most of the other WS reviewers, he doesn't blindly believe wines get better with age. Yes, they change with age but it doesn't mean they are better, just different. So when he says wait 2-3 years, and then the wine will drink well for 8-12 years, I tend to trust him, since he also appreciates youthful fruity wines.

Under full disclosure, I had tried the Langmeil in 2008. And it was a style I expected which is a flavorful plum, berry and spice with good acidity. You won't get 93+ points from the WS without some acidity and complexity. The Tait 2005 Ballbuster is a good example of a powerful Barossa Shiraz without the acidity; Parker loves it but Harvey not so much.

But back to the present. A friend in need (of wine) was over and we were opening some nice bottles. I started with a Finca Luzon 2005 Altos de Luzon. A previous bottle was a 93 but this was a bit more muted. It eventually opened up with fruit and spice in a medium body with a smooth texture. I'd say a 90.

Next was the Schild. Enough waiting. We screwed the cap open and found an intense ripe sweet berries and plum with spice and oak in a long smooth finish. It didn't have the acidity I had expected. I'd give it a 92.

And then my wife tried it. BOOM! My wife loved it. And she said so at a high volume. This is the woman who likes wine a lot but only has 4 grades. Bad. Tolerable. Good or "fine". And Great. We don't find "great" very often. As in once every 15 months. At the high end of "great" there is "I want to bathe in this". And this is where we were. How many cases would I have needed to buy to fill that bathtub? I'll cover this topic more in a future post.

Eventually I opened the Langmeil. It was how I had remembered it. And in side by side tasting, it was clear the Schild was a much sweeter and slightly richer style of fruit. The Langmeil had a bit of a classic build, tasting a bit more sour (like a tangy plum) and more acidity. I'd give it a 91. Both were equally complex. But overall the Schild was the winner.

But the kicker is this was the 2006 Schild. The 88 pointer. Wow. I can hardly wait to try thte 2004.

PS I gave away the surprise to the wine geeks, since they would know the 2004 uses cork but the 2006 uses a screw cap.