Expert’s choice: Langton’s Classification

Sarah Ahmed selects 18 greats from an impressive tasting review held in London of 70 wines that feature in the top ‘form guide’ listing of Australia’s finest bottles

Sarah Ahmed’s top 18 wines from a line-up of 70 named in Australia’s premier wine ranking

HOW DO YOU make an Australian winemaker jealous? Saying you’ve tasted 70 wines from Langton’s Classification of Australian wine. ‘If looks could kill’, sums up the reaction of one, highlighting the importance of this aspirational ranking of Australia’s most collectable wines to the country’s winemaking psyche. with good reason: this was a high-scoring tasting, showcasing rare and fine wines of great pedigree and character.

Langton’s Classification was originally published in 1990, shortly after the establishment of Langton’s Fine wine Auctions, Australia’s first specialist wine auction house. The Classification was devised by (then) rookie auctioneer, British-born Andrew Caillard Mw, who confides that his inspiration for this ‘form guide to kick start a secondary market in Australia’ came from Michael Broadbent Mw, Christie’s wine auctions’ pioneer.

Eligibility for the Langton’s Classification is twofold. First, wines must have been made for at least 10 vintages. Second, they must have a track record, which is based solely on Langton’s database of auction prices, demand volume (bidding) and supply (lots). ‘Auctioneer’s discretion’ comes into it too, adds Caillard, pointing out ‘market sentiment and performance allow us to determine the rankings’, which are Exceptional, Outstanding and Excellent (as indicated in the tasting notes below). In the latest, sixth re-classification

published in 2014, a fourth category, Distinguished, was axed (though, controversially, none of the wines were) ‘as no one could ever remember that level’, Caillard said.

Describing wines by their Classification ranking in Langton’s auction catalogues inevitably influences performance and cachet – as do the Classification bays in Dan Murphy’s, the national retail chain owned by Woolworths, which acquired Langton’s in 2009. But while no top-tier Exceptional wines have ever been demoted, the Classification has shown strength in fluidity as well as consistency. Whereas Penfolds’ Grange was the only Exceptional wine of 34 ranked in the inaugural Classification (and still tops the rankings), 25 years later, 21 wines out of 139 are Exceptional. This mirrors the fast-paced evolution of an industry whose production was dominated by fortified wines as recently as the 1950s, when Grange was conceived.

Re-classifications reflect the changing stylistic, varietal and regional complexion of Australian wine, especially the coming of age of cooler-climate regions. Although South Australian Shiraz from warm regions, notably Barossa – a traditional forte – remain a dominant force (and performed strongly at this tasting), pioneers of cooler-climate styles have infiltrated their number, including Canberra’s Clonakilla, first ranked Exceptional in 2010, and again in 2014. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends perform next best, followed by Victorian and Tasmanian Pinot Noir pioneers.

It is a pity so many fêted new wave cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers fell foul of the 10-year rule. For Chardonnays, red wines’ domination of the secondary market is another issue, but it will be interesting to see how many are listed in the next Classification, given spiralling Burgundy prices. One might expect demand and market sentiment to work in favour of Australia’s Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, the latter inviting favourable comparison with top Burgundy. And if track record is a reliable measure for the growth of Australia’s secondary market, there is reason to be optimistic – according to Caillard, ‘it has grown from less than A$1 million to about A$25 million or more’ since the Classification’s introduction in 1990.

‘A high-scoring tasting, showcasing wines of great pedigree and character’ Sarah Ahmed is a regular Decanter contributor, specialising in Australia