Longhop
Old Plains Winery: 4 1/2 Stars - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011-2012
Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia
oldplains.com
Longhop is made by Domenic Torzi and Tim Freeland from the Old Plains Wine Company. With fruit from the old vines of the Adelaide Plains and Gawler River coupled with newer plantings at 250m altitude in Uleybury and Bibaringa, their harmonious translation of old vines and new, with great respect of terroir and hands-on winemaking provides vibrant, fresh and exciting wine. Longhop Shiraz vines are 12 – 50 years old and are a direct descendant of the Old Plains Power of One Shiraz.
YOU CAN BUY LONGHOP WINE ONLINE HERE> OR HERE>
Old Plains Winery
4 1/2 Star Winery
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011-2012
Longhop Shiraz
“Captivating find” (2010 vintage)
“You’ll notice the intensely captivating dark royal purple colour to begin, forecasting a big power surge of shiraz. And you won’t be disappointed. This combo of Angle Vale, Munno Para and One Tree Hill fruit delivers ripe, sexily fragrant wine a result perhaps of whole berry wild ferment, that also adds to a richly textured, balanced palate. Unfiltered, uncensored and insanely attractive shiraz. Value: Astonishing
, Food: Knockout cheese platter.”
Tony Love, The Advertiser, Induldge, 15 June 2011
92/100 points “(…). It’s likely to be one of the best value reds of the year. (…).” (2010 vintage)
“I’d probably drink this latest release Longhop Shiraz young but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t have a healthy life in the cellar – I wouldn’t be surprised if it stretched out for longer than the drinking window provided. It’s ripping value. It’s fleshy and flavoursome but dry and structured too. If this is an early indication of the quality of the 2010 South Australian red vintage, then we’re in for a treat. Blackberries, menthol, nutty oak and cloves. The texture’s creamy, the flavour substantial, the length of flavour excellent. It’s likely to be one of the best value reds of the year. Alcohol : 14%, Price : $16, Closure : Screwcap, Drink : 2012 – 2017″
Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront, May 2011
Best Buy Wines, $15 and under (2009 vintage)
“The Longhop and Old Plains wines are a side project of Domenic Torzi (of Torzi Matthews in the Eden Valley) and old school mate, Tim Freedland, made from old vineyards on the hot Adelaide Plains. To be honest, until now I’ve found most of the Longhop wines a little on the one-dimensional blockbuster side: heaps of overripe jamminess and not much else. This latest vintage, though, is different. Yes, there is oodles of black fruit but it’s held in check by a savoury, toasty finish.”
Max Allen, Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine, Oct/Nov 2010
92/100 points (2009 vintage)
“Longhop Shiraz has fast established a reputation as one of Australia’s best value reds. This 2009 version is up there with the best of them. Dense colour, dense flavour, lakes of tannin and a good, dry, long finish. Remarkable that this sells for $15. Lovely clip of fresh, slippery, cedary oak (French and American) matches beautifully to minty, blackberried, smoky fruit flavour. There are some sweet, raisiny characters too, forming part of a delicous parade. Very impressive wine.”
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, May 2010
92/100 points (2009 vintage)
“(…) It has the thick texture which makes the amarone dried fruit styles distinctive, but counterpoints that with beautiful acidity and the sort of terroir-sourced schist rock/sandstone tannins which cannot fail to make the drinker yearn for warm antipasto, tapas, mezes, or big field mushrooms, root veg and dribbling steak.”
Philip White, Adelaide Review, May 2010
“…the $15 is no mistake, though – so scoop this up…” (2009 vintage)
4/5 stars
“(…) Made from grapes off old, low-yielding vines, this wine has fragrant aromas of blackberries and cherries, with hints of eucalypt, white pepper and vanilla oak. It’s full-bodied and fills the mouth with intense flavours of plums, fruitcake, blackberry and a hint of olive. There’s loads of dusty, drying tannin and bright acid and this is equally happy alongside food or a fireplace. I’m not sure how, or why, this is so cheap – the $15 is no mistake, though – so scoop this up for the cold nights ahead.”
Ben Thomas, Weekly Review Melbourne, June 2010
(2008 vintage)
Australia’s most powerful wine under $20
93/100 points
5th place Top 25 Shiraz under $20
8th place Top 100 Reds under $20
“Massive wine. Pitch-black colour. Rich with syrupy flavours of coal, blackberry, tar and minerals and full-on from the first attack of flavour to the last of the long, warm finish. An epic wine. It has a good hit of tannin too, and wave after wave of dark, concentrated fruitiness.”
Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh, Big Red Wine Book 2009
“…Exceptional value” 94/100 points (2008 vintage)
The bouquet is bursting with spice, hay, licorice and dark chocolate over the core of black fruits, taking on a more savoury character on the palate, black fruits again to the fore. Exceptional value.”
James Halliday, Sept 2009
“…vibrant, fresh, exciting wine…” 92 ++/100 points (2008 vintage)
“Domenic Torzi and Tim Freeland seem intent on becoming the Simon and Garfunkle of shiraz and grenache, not to mention perfect olive oils, and with wines from the high Barossa and Adelaide Plains continually reinforcing their harmonious translation of old vines and new, with great respect of terroir and hands-on natural, home kitchen winemaking. This is vibrant, fresh, exciting wine, with sinuous and lissome structure rather than jam and syrup, so it makes you thirstier and happier and hungrier as you work down the shoulder and into the label. Suddenly it’s all gone and you haven’t even lit the stove. $15? Jokin’!”
Philip White, The Independent Weekly, Sept 2009
Longhop Cabernet Sauvignon
92/100 points (2010 vintage)
“A friend asked me recently whether it was still possible to find ‘budget’ reds that would cellar well. His thinking was: Can I buy something cheap and turn it into something better by stashing it at the bottom of a cupboard for five years? A gave a long-winded answer, but I would have been better just opening a bottle of this Longhop Cabernet Sauvignon and saying, Yes. It’s a bargain as a drink-now proposition, but it will cellar well for 4-8 years, if you so desire.(…).”
Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront, April 2011
