Langton’s Selections Whistling Eagle Eagle’s Blood Shiraz The Whistling Eagle property, located on the Greenstone Ranges of Heathcote, was originally purchased by Ian Rathjen’s great grandfather (a German immigrant lured by the Victorian goldfields) in the 1850s. Henning Rathjens planted the first vines at Colbinabbin in the 1860s with red and white hermitage winning prizes. The vineyard fell into disrepair but the remains of the old winery still exist. In 1994 Ian and Lyn Rathjens planted a new vineyard on pre-Cambrian red soils. Their first batch made in 1997 was only 10 bottles. However Ian’s Brother Daryl re-planted the old original vineyard in 1998. The wines have come along way in a short period of time. The Eagle’s Blood Shiraz is an impressively powerful but generously proportioned wine with dark berry/brambly fruit and rich ripe tannins. The wine has been lionised by American critics and is beginning to attract more home-grown attention. Andrew Caillard MW, Langton's