Captain Stentiford established his Shiraz vineyard in 1896, naming the property Laira after a merchant trader. Plantings of Cabernet came much later and have since been the source of memorable single vineyard wines. Laira's exceptional character shines when the grapes are fashioned into a pure Cabernet wine, encapsulating the combination of climate and soil, aspect and fruit, that stamps this historical vineyard with individuality. The flavours are distinctly Coonawarra, but the perfume and succulent fruit characters are conspicuously Brands Laira.

Brand's Laira is one of Coonawarra's largest proprietries with almost three hundred hectares under vine. The Brand and Redman families became bonded by matrimony in the 1940s, establishing new blocks over the years and consolidating one of Australia's great winemaking estates. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are harvested off fully mature vines, fermented on skins for a week and pumped over twice daily to ensure maximum extraction of colour and flavour. Batches are then pressed off while still slightly sweet into a selection of French and American oak 500L puncheons, 300L hogsheads and 225L barriques for completion of ferments, a course of malolactic and eighteen months extended maturation.