2020 Lienert Vineyards Laudamus Reserve Shiraz | 96 Points | Barossa Valley

🏆 96 Points | The Flagship Shiraz from Lienert Vineyards

Laudamus – The Ultimate Expression of the Lienert Family's Barossa Shiraz

96 Points – Vino Masters | Made Only in Exceptional Vintages

From the Original House Block – Terra Rossa Soils Over Limestone

2020 Lienert Vineyards Laudamus Reserve Shiraz

Barossa Valley, South Australia

96 Points – Vino Masters

RRP $120

There are Barossa Shirazes you drink and enjoy.

And then there are Barossa Shirazes that demand your attention.

2020 LIENERT VINEYARDS LAUDAMUS RESERVE SHIRAZ

This is the pinnacle of the Lienert family's Shiraz production.

The flagship.

The reserve.

The wine made when the vintage delivers fruit worthy of something truly special.

And the 2020 has received:

96 POINTS – VINO MASTERS

Rich, deeply concentrated and beautifully structured, Laudamus captures everything that makes great traditional Barossa Shiraz so compelling.

Dark fruit. Chocolate. Spice. Cedar. Power. Structure. Extraordinary length.

But this isn't simply about making the biggest Shiraz possible.

It's about taking exceptional fruit from a remarkable vineyard and giving it the time and attention it deserves.

Tasting Notes

The 2020 Laudamus is a magnificent, full-bodied Barossa Shiraz.

Expect:

• Blackberry and black cherry

• Dark plum

• Blackcurrant

• Liquorice

• Dark chocolate

• Mocha and espresso

• Cedarwood

• Exotic spice

• Baking spices

• Dried violets

• Savoury oak

• Earthy complexity

The nose is deep, dark and beautifully layered.

Blackberry, black cherry and ripe plum lead into dark chocolate, liquorice, cedar and spice.

Then comes the palate.

Powerful. Concentrated. Structured.

There's an enormous core of dark fruit, supported by firm, beautifully integrated tannins.

Mocha, spice and savoury oak build through the middle palate.

And the finish?

Exceptionally long.

This is a wine with tremendous presence and genuine ageing potential.

96 Points – Vino Masters

Vino Masters awarded the 2020 Laudamus an outstanding:

96 POINTS

The review highlights the wine's deep concentration, layered dark fruits, chocolate, liquorice, cedar and exotic spice.

On the palate, the emphasis is on powerful structure, dense fruit and firm tannins, with exceptional persistence.

Their verdict?

Monumental, layered and cellar-worthy.

That's a serious endorsement.

And it tells you exactly what sort of wine we're dealing with.

This is not a lightweight Shiraz intended for immediate consumption.

This is a serious reserve wine built for the cellar.

Laudamus – Latin for Praise

Even the name tells a story.

LAUDAMUS.

Latin for:

PRAISE.

It's a fitting name for the finest Shiraz produced by the Lienert family.

The wine is made only in exceptional vintages, when the quality of the fruit justifies a flagship reserve release.

That means this isn't simply a wine produced every year to fill a position in the portfolio.

The vineyard has to earn it.

And that's exactly how great reserve wines should be made.

The Original House Block

The 2020 Laudamus comes from the Lienert family's original House Block, planted in 2001.

This is a vineyard with serious potential.

The soils are:

Shallow Terra Rossa red clay loam over limestone.

For anyone who loves Australian wine, that combination should immediately get your attention.

Terra Rossa soils have an extraordinary reputation for producing structured, deeply flavoured red wines.

The red clay loam supports vine growth and fruit development, while the limestone beneath contributes to the site's distinctive soil profile.

And here, those soils produce Shiraz with tremendous concentration and structure.

The vineyard isn't ancient.

But great vineyards aren't defined simply by the age of their vines.

They're defined by the quality of the fruit they produce.

And this House Block has become the source of Lienert's flagship wine.

Two Brothers – John and James Lienert

Behind Laudamus are two brothers with a shared passion for exceptional Barossa wine.

John Lienert – the viticulturist.

James Lienert – the winemaker.

John focuses on growing outstanding fruit and understanding the family's vineyards.

James brings that fruit into the winery and transforms it into wines that express the character of the land.

And James has a fascinating background.

His experience includes multiple vintages at Penfolds, winemaking at Two Hands, and overseas vintages in New Zealand, the United States and Germany.

He also completed a master's degree in oenology.

That combination of practical experience, technical understanding and intimate vineyard knowledge is particularly important when making a wine like Laudamus.

Because great reserve Shiraz requires more than enormous fruit concentration.

It requires judgement.

Knowing when to extract.

Knowing when to hold back.

Knowing how to use oak.

And knowing when a wine is ready.

Classic Barossa Shiraz at Its Best

There are many different styles of Barossa Shiraz.

Some emphasise perfume and freshness.

Some are lighter and more elegant.

Others are deliberately powerful, concentrated and built for long-term cellaring.

Laudamus sits firmly in the latter category.

This is a modern interpretation of the great traditional Barossa Shiraz style.

Rich black fruits.

Generous concentration.

Dark chocolate.

Cedar and spice.

Firm tannins.

Outstanding length.

But the key is balance.

The fruit needs enough structure to support its richness.

The oak needs to complement rather than overwhelm.

And the tannins need to provide the backbone for ageing.

That's what makes this wine so impressive.

A Serious Cellaring Proposition

The 2020 Laudamus is already six years old.

But this is only the beginning of its journey.

The concentration, firm tannins and structured palate make it an excellent candidate for further cellaring.

Suggested drinking window: 2026–2040, subject to storage conditions.

If opening now, give it a generous decant.

I'd suggest one to two hours, tasting periodically as it opens.

Allow those dark fruits, chocolate, cedar and spice characters to emerge.

And if you're buying multiple bottles, I'd strongly recommend putting some away.

This is exactly the sort of Shiraz that can become increasingly complex with age.

Food Pairings

A wine of this calibre deserves something substantial.

Perfect with:

• Dry-aged rib-eye steak

• Beef Wellington

• Slow-roasted lamb shoulder

• Beef short ribs

• Venison

• Braised beef cheeks

• Porcini mushroom ragù

• Truffle dishes

• Aged cheddar

• Parmigiano Reggiano

Personally, I'd go for a beautifully cooked rib-eye.

A large glass.

And a bottle of Laudamus.

Why We Love It

Because this is what a flagship wine should be.

Not simply a more expensive version of the regular Shiraz.

But a wine that represents the very best a producer believes its vineyard can achieve.

Look at what you're getting:

2020 Vintage

Lienert Vineyards Flagship Shiraz

Original House Block – Planted 2001

Terra Rossa Red Clay Loam Over Limestone

Produced Only in Exceptional Vintages

Made by James Lienert

96 Points – Vino Masters

And:

RRP $120

This is a wine for serious Barossa Shiraz drinkers.

For people who appreciate richness, concentration and structure.

For people who love the great traditional reserve wines of the Barossa.

And for collectors looking for something with genuine ageing potential.

2020 LIENERT VINEYARDS LAUDAMUS RESERVE SHIRAZ

Barossa Valley, South Australia

96 POINTS – VINO MASTERS

RRP $120

Blackberry. Dark plum. Chocolate. Liquorice. Cedar. Exotic spice. Extraordinary length.

THE FLAGSHIP SHIRAZ FROM TWO BROTHERS WHO KNOW HOW TO MAKE SERIOUS BAROSSA WINE.

If you love powerful, beautifully structured Barossa Shiraz with the depth and concentration to reward patience, the 2020 Laudamus deserves a place in your cellar.