Historically, Bordeaux’s network of merchants and brokers, known as ‘La Place’, was a closed enterprise dedicated to the buying and selling of claret. Yet things have come a long way since the days of Bordeaux-only vision; the finest Australian wines are now being promoted in the world’s oldest (and most developed) distribution network, as consumers embrace diversity and worldwide excellence.
In September, Australia’s oldest family-owned producer, Yalumba, joined this exclusive club of A-list wineries. Their debut on La Place could not be more appropriate: The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz is a seminal wine, made from some of Australia’s oldest Shiraz vines, including a parcel that was first planted in 1854 – a year before the legendary 1855 classification of Médoc and Graves. Moreover, The Octavius is the first Barossa wine to be sold as part of La Place’s ‘Beyond Bordeaux’ September campaign.
Exceptional terroir
Like all great wines, The Octavius owes its brilliance to exceptional terroir. The 2018 vintage being sold on La Place is composed of both Eden and Barossa Valley fruit (69 and 31% respectively), with an average vine age of 111 years. According to Kevin Glastonbury, winemaker at Yalumba, ‘Eden Valley Shiraz provides the exotic aromatics, high tone and seamless palate structure, whilst Barossa Valley Shiraz provides richness, density, and concentration.’ The oldest plots managed to survive phylloxera due to sheer chance; this destructive parasite never found its way to the soils of South Australia. As a result, Barossa can lay claim to the most extensive
