The Descendant is a single vineyard Shiraz-Viognier which, as the name implies, is a direct descendant of RunRig. The Descendant vineyard Shiraz expresses tar and black olive, offset wonderfully by the jasmine and apricot aromatics of Viognier. 'From the cuttings taken from old vines used to plant the vineyard, and the viognier skins the shiraz was crushed onto, to the barrels it was matured in, this wine is directly descended from RunRig'. David Powell

The 2005 Descendant is composed of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier which are co-fermented. The fruit is sourced from a relatively young vineyard in Marananga planted with 11-year-old cuttings from the Run Rig vineyards and aged for 18 months in 2.5-year-old French barrels previously used for Run Rig. Opaque purple, with glass-coating glycerin, it offers up a complex array of lavender, violets, blueberry, blackberry, and fresh road tar. Full-bodied, on the palate the wine has great concentration with a noticeable uplift from the Viognier, gobs of spicy black fruits, opulence, and well-concealed tannins which will carry this wine for 10-15 years of further evolution. Drink it through 2030. Torbreck, under the leadership of owner/winemaker David Powell, remains a Barossa Valley benchmark as well as one of the world’s greatest wine estates. The top cuvees are limited production and expensive but there are also some outstanding values in the portfolio. With regard to the current vintages for the Barossa red wines, David Powell states “? 2004 is more savory while 2005 has more purity and definition. 2004 is more classic, 2005 will take longer to come around.” Drink 2017 - 2030; Wine Advocate # 173; Oct 2007 Jay Miller 97 points

An exceptionally balanced wine from this hot vintage, with a briary, spicy fragrance of raspberries, cherries and blackberries backed by nuances of blueberries and redcurrants, fresh cedar/vanilla oak, white pepper, cloves and aniseed. Full to medium weight, its smooth, polished palate of vibrant, lingering berry fruits, bacony, charcuterie-like undertones and licorice overlies a fine spine of powdery tannin. Excellent poise and harmony. (Barossa Valley, $125 retail, approx., 95, drink 2017-2025) Jeremy Oliver

Stunning wine. A blaze of crushed fennel, smoke, blackberry and oystery notes, the riot of it then chanting out through the palate. There’s masses of brandied, smoky, jammy flavour here, its warm alcohol noticeable but well accommodated. An incredible wine. Drink: 2008-2020. 95 points. 

Torbreck’s top shiraz – the Run Rig Shiraz, priced at well over $200 per bottle – is probably Australia’s most hedonistic wine. It leaps out of the bottle like a rattlesnake, all fanfare and bite. It is, always, dangerously drinkable. It is thick with flavour and accented by sweetness, its spicy, gravelly, smoky complexity ramping its class through the roof. There’s always been a question mark though: this tastes so bloody good the day it is released – what happens if you stick it in the cellar? Is it Australia’s best early-drinking wine, or will it develop and evolve if given time? A tasting in the Barossa Valley recently of every vintage yet made of Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz (including the just-released 2005) threw a crust of clear answers. Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front

Ultra-ripe and profoundly concentrated, luxuriantly unctuous and lavishly sumptuous, this wild, briary and exotically musky blend is the best Runrig of recent times. Ethereal and floral, with understated elements from viognier, its meaty perfume of brambly fruit, dark olives and charcuterie notes precedes a long, seamless and deeply layered palate. It finishes spirity and rather sauvage, with undertones of minerals and slightly cooked suggestions of raisins, currants and treacle. You don’t need technical perfection to be delicious. (Barossa Valley, $240 retail approx., 18.7/95, drink 2013-2017) Jeremy Oliver

The flagship 2006 Run Rig is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier. A saturated purple color, it sends up a complex bouquet of cigar box, Asian spices, incense, bacon, plum, and blueberry. On the palate it admirably combines power and elegance. Layers of succulent fruit are nicely complemented by the wine’s generous framework. Another 4-6 years of cellaring should fill it out with style. 96 points; Jay Miller, Robert Parker's; The Wine Advocate #186 Dec 2009

A very fragrant bouquet attests to the influence of viognier, which also may be part of the reason why the palate does not show the high alcohol, and is simply supple and velvety, even showing a hint of spice. Shiraz. Cork. 15.5% alc. Rating 96 Points Drink 2021 $225 Date Tasted Feb 09 James Halliday

The Gask is sourced from a single plot of Shiraz nestled into the eastern slope of Mt. McKenzie that is painstakingly nurtured by the Knight family.

Planted in 1960 this elevated site yields small, intense berries that possess great intensity of flavour without sacrificing balance & poise. These berries give the wine an „ink-like hue whilst the nose serves up notes of smoke, graphite, crushed rocks and blackberry liqueur. It's quite a heroic wine in style yet retains the cooler edge and tighter structure that the great wines made from this region are famed. “The rocky outcrops surrounding Greg and Cynthia Knight's small plot of Shiraz in the Eden Valley reminds me of the stone burial grounds on the hills above the Torbreck forest” David Powell

After hand harvesting in early April this small batch was destemmed into two cement vats where it spent 7 days before being ‘gravity-drained’ and basket pressed. The juice was later racked into old French barriques where it completed a slow malo-lactic fermentation and was aged for a total of 18 months. As with all of our wines, it was bottled without the use of fining or filtration.

Named after a hill which rises above the Glenmorangie distillery, Struie is the home of a pub called the Altman Arms, where David Powell first heard a band called Run Rig. Sourced from several elevated sites along the Barossa Valley (sixty+ year old vines) and Eden Valley (forty+ year old vines). Grapes grown to the Eden Valley's higher altitudes ripen slower and later than their cousins down in the Barossa, resulting in distinctive fruit with a lower pH and higher natural acidity, elegant, tightly structured and highly prized by winemakers. The parcels were fermented separately and matured for eighteen months in a combination of new and prior use French oak barriques. Approx 14.5%

A dense and completely opaque appearance, a healthy sheen and great viscosity. The initial aromas of black raspberry, crème de cacao and star anise yield to a fragrant core of roast meats, scorched earth and olive tapenade. Full bodied and tightly structured the palate shows phenomenal ripeness and brooding richness. Razor like spine of beautifully integrated acidity over prodigious tannins, a beautifully weighted, sweet-sour wine with an extra dimension of rum and raisin right through. Rich and luscious, a Shiraz of of great concentration

Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz is a stunning entry to the Torbreck range and it's not hard to see why this is regarded as one of Australia's best value reds. Like all Torbreck wines this is sourced from hand harvested and hand tended, low yielding vines. It is then open fermented and gently basket pressed, and aged on fine lees for 12 month. Although this wine is consistently praised for being succulent and rich - perhaps the best feature of it is it's complexity and texture which are rarely found at this price. It is not hard to see why this is regarded as one of Australia's best value red wines.

The Turkey Flat Vineyard boasts some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world. Planted in 1847, these hard-working gnarled old vines are still producing fantastic grapes. They are dry grown with their roots extending metres into the soil in search of moisture. Much of the credit for the best Shiraz made in the Barossa is due to old vines such as these. The fact that these vines still exist is largely due to a far-sighted quarantine scheme, in which South Australia was spared the phylloxera outbreak which devastated the vineyards of Europe, America and subsequently parts of Australia in the late 1800’s.

This wine is the darling of Australian - read Barossa Valley - Shiraz. It is, and always has been, more about elegance than power, more about richness and complexity than simplicity and always about incredible value. It is probably best summed up by one of its biggest fans in James Halliday who wrote "I simply don't understand why this wine, made from some of the oldest shiraz vines in the world (dating back to 1847) continues to be available at $45. So long as it is, it has a permanent position in the Top 100". While the Barossa has more than its fair share of super premium Shiraz, just three remain in my 'must-buy' list each year. The Penfolds St Henri Shiraz, the Rockford Basket Press Shiraz and the Turkey Flat Barossa Shiraz which despite sitting comfortably in the same quality bracket, weighs in respectively at about half and one-third the retail price of the other two.

The 2007 vintage was mild and long producing a Shiraz that is floral, elegant and well structured. Aged in new and aged French oak for 23 months this wine has developed aromas of dark berry fruits, plum, tobacco & black pepper. On the palate deep, lingering flavours of blackcurrant, plums, raspberries, dark bitter chocolate & cedar fill the mouth with a brooding intensity. Give it time, this wine will go the distance with ease.

Bright colour; pure Barossa fruit, with blackberry, redcurrant and fruitcake on the bouquet; the abundant sweet fruit is offset by a savoury, tarry complexity that drives the palate to its ultimately long and tannin-textured finish. Screwcap. 14.5% alc. Rating 95 Points; Drink 2020 $47 Date Tasted Feb 09 James Halliday Wine Companion

Turkey Flat vineyard was first planted in the Barossa in 1847. This has well defined shiraz fruit intensity on the nose, under-pinned by pepper, spice and a deft balance of acid and wood. In the mouth there is a dense, persistent fruit flavour with some warmth on the long, sweet fruit finish. Has deliciously chewy tannins surrounding chocolatey oak on the finish. Drink with a rare rib eye on the bone. Daily Telegraph -Jeff Collerson, 17th November 2009

A deep and generous, soft and savoury shiraz sourced in part from vines planted in 1847. Canberra Times

Turkey Flat has some of the oldest Shiraz vines in Australia, planted in 1847. Its small crops provide the basis for this classical Barossa red that combines restraint, concentration and complexity. Loganberry, sweet spice, plum and cedary oak aromas introduce a sumptuous, velvety wine of great length and fine texture. Rating: 5 Stars; The Age - September 2009

The Turkey Flat Vineyard boasts some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world. Planted in 1847, these hard-working gnarled old vines are still producing fantastic grapes. They are dry grown with their roots extending metres into the soil in search of moisture. Much of the credit for the best Shiraz made in the Barossa is due to old vines such as these. The fact that these vines still exist is largely due to a far-sighted quarantine scheme, in which South Australia was spared the phylloxera outbreak which devastated the vineyards of Europe, America and subsequently parts of Australia in the late 1800’s.

This wine is the darling of Australian - read Barossa Valley - Shiraz. It is, and always has been, more about elegance than power, more about richness and complexity than simplicity and always about incredible value. It is probably best summed up by one of its biggest fans in James Halliday who wrote "I simply don't understand why this wine, made from some of the oldest shiraz vines in the world (dating back to 1847) continues to be available at $45. So long as it is, it has a permanent position in the Top 100". While the Barossa has more than its fair share of super premium Shiraz, just three remain in my 'must-buy' list each year. The Penfolds St Henri Shiraz, the Rockford Basket Press Shiraz and the Turkey Flat Barossa Shiraz which despite sitting comfortably in the same quality bracket, weighs in respectively at about half and one-third the retail price of the other two.

The 2009 Shiraz shows bright and generous fruit character with lively acidity. Extended pre and post ferment maceration has given the wine a fine tannin finish. The 100% French oak adds depth and length of flavour to the structure supporting a palate of blackberries, cedar and nutmeg. A complex and restrained wine which benefits from decanting to reveal depth and purity of fruit whilst young, promising great aging potential. Turkey Flat

Yet another belter and as I have said previously, a lesson in displaying gorgeous old vine Shiraz (they don't get much older) using oak as a structural supporting act. That said, the 2009 ups the ante of power once again, a trend that fans of the marque would note over the last 5 or 6 vintages. So often we refer to the complex elegance of this label but 2009 introduces a further dimension of power that propels this into rare company. Without doubt, this is the darkest profile I have seen of a Turkey Shiraz with aromas of dark chocolate leaping out and evident by just walking past the open bottle. Closer inspection sees bucket loads of dark cherry, mocha, dried herbs and a hint of aniseed with oak as ever present as it has been but no more intrusive given the lashings of dark fruit. The trick when assessing all big reds and most specifically young Barossa Shiraz is to look at it over a period of time. The second day we see a softening of the brute or more to the point, a brightening of those dark fruits. Most importantly, a day on the palate fills out beautifully the ripe fruit continues but without extraction, the fine grained tannins linger on and on and I am reminded of Robert Parker’s notes on these styles alluding to ’60-second’ finishes. This wine has one! Once again, this is an Exceptional release and I have no doubt it will benefit further from time in the cellar otherwise be prepared to give it loads of ‘air’ time if tackling now as you will be handsomely rewarded after many hours in a decanter. Drink: Now-2020+; Quality: Excellent BW; WineStar© September 2011

Deep crimson Purple; one of the icons of the Barossa Valley that in, year out, has an extra degree of elegance without compromising the depth and intensity of its spicy blackberry and Black cherry fruit; the use of 100% French oak is the icing on the cake. Rating: 96 points; Drink by: 2030; Date tasted: February 12, 2011; Price: $45.00; Alcohol: 14.5%; James Halliday Wine Companion

Always look forward to a spot of Turkey Flat shiraz. We’ve been on a bit of a run in terms of coverage too. 2009 was of course a hot vintage but I enjoyed this wine from the first sniff/taste. I haven’t looked at the specs but it tastes as though there’s a smidge more new oak in this release than there have been in the few years previous. There’s some coconut, spice, cedarwood and toast – but before anyone is put off, these flavours are gentle and well integrated. They made a positive contribution. It’s otherwise blackberried and tarry and, as well, red berried. The aftertaste is all sweet, dessicated fruits and fine tannin. It’s a difficult wine to rate, but it’s clearly of above average quality. Rated : 92+ Points Alcohol : 14.5% Price : $42 Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2013 - 2019 By Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front

Very deep red. The aroma has intense ripe red and black fruits with no overt jammy elements and some complex spiciness and savoury elements and slight Viognier aromatics. The palate is complementary to the aromas, rich round and moderate in weight with intense fruit and some savoury earthy elements, lovely framing spicy persistent tannins and lingering balanced mineral acidity. The wine is very complex and represents the classic Bendigo terrior in an excellent year.

The Shiraz fruit is from low yielding vines and was harvested at the appropriate time to ensure optimum balance, ripeness and intensity of flavour. They were destemmed; berries not crushed or pumped to preserve their physical integrity and transferred to a majority of open 4000 L wooden and some stainless steel 5000 L vats. The Viognier was co-fermented with Shiraz in the stainless steel vat to preserve fruit flavour intensity. A combination of different maceration times (mainly pumping over) from 12 to 24 days on skins and a majority of the batches were naturally fermented. The wine was aged in French oak for 18 months.

Deep purple-crimson; a very complex bouquet of blackberry, plum, leather and licorice; the highly structured palate confidently captures all of those aromas, finishing with a balanced display of tannins and oak. Rating: 95 Points; Drink: 2023; Price: $25.00; Alcohol: 14.5%; James Halliday Wine Companion

Named after the gnarled old shiraz vines from which the wine is made. The Gnarly Dudes is overflowing with juicy blackberry and blackcurrant with sweet spice (think Christmas cake). The use of mostly older French barrels means that the oak sits in the background allowing the fruit to take centre stage. The tannins are ripe and supple on the persistent finish. Overall this is a very enjoyable wine.

Gnarly Dudes is crafted without compromise from fruit grown to mature vineyards in the sub regions of Marananga, Greenock and Light Pass. The finished wine is an unctuous Shiraz with striking dark colour and cryptic aromas. The palate is filled with rich flavours of spice, black pepper, raspberry, plum and liquorice allsorts.

The Two Hands story has gone from strength to strength, listed in the prestigious Wine Spectator Top 1OO for five consecutive years. The team can demonstrate an innate capacity to capture the terroir of each vineyard and preserve the vital characteristics in every wine. A number of parcels marked for inclusion are crushed and fermented into open top vessels, with regular pump overs three times daily to extract flavours, colour and tannins. The batches were then drained and pressed to tank before racking to barrel for malolactic and fourteen months maturation in a combination of new and seasoned French oak hogsheads. All batches are kept completely separate and assembled just prior to bottling.

A partner to the Johnno’s Semillon, this is the first release from one of our older vineyards. The Shiraz on Johnno’s was planted in 1908 on sandy alluvial soils, in contrast to the 4 Acres and Weinkeller vineyards, which are on deep red clay. The wine was matured in a new French oak cask (2700lt) for 15 months.

Modelled on a classic 'Hunter Burgundy', this is nothing if not interesting. Beautiful purple colour, almost boysenberry purple/red. Softly softly nose with raspberry, licorice and lifted pepper. Would love to sneak this into a Rhone lineup and watch everyone get it wrong. Palate is bright, almost Viognier edged glossy bright, with a lovely flow of medium weight fruit. Perfumed and pretty, if not especially serious (or is it?). Acid but not tannins. Quite beguiling and should sneakily improve in the bottle. 17.5/91; Andrew Graham; Oz Wine Review

Tyrrell’s planted their Heathcote vineyard in 1994 on the ancient russet red Cambrian soil at the foot of Mt Camel along the southern end of the Colbinabbin Range. This narrow strip with its unique topography, gives the wine its rich, yet refined flavours that typify Heathcote wines, especially Shiraz. The climate is warm, dry and reliable from year to year. Vines are relatively low yielding, producing grapes which are commended for their ability to fully ripen, yet still retain excellent levels of natural acidity and tranquil, fine grained tannins.

Heathcote is one of Australia’s most exciting red wine regions. Spotting this potential some years ago, Bruce Tyrrell recognized the significance of the region for Shiraz very early on, placing a priority on locating and developing the best possible site for inclusion into the estate's portfolio. Tyrrell secured over eighty acres of prime land which today produces wines with an extreme weight of fruit. Shiraz is harvested and brought to the Glenbawn winery in New South Wales for vinification. Following fermentation, the wine is transported to the Pokolbin headquarters for maturation. Rufus Stone is aged in predominately new French oak barriques for a period of eighteen months. Approx 14.0%

Medium red with soft, vibrant purple hues. The nose heralds the terroir, proclaiming the white pepper and spice aromas so characteristic of Heathcote. The palate shows great length of fruit with a great acid structure and minimal oak intervention. A very well balanced wine, the intense berry fruit flavours and mouthfilling nature makes it a fine accompaniment to lamb, beef and game.

A big, powerful and brooding red that was matured for 18 months in a combination of new and used American oak. Rich, ripe flavours of berry and plum fruit, integrated spice, chocolate characters good balance, fine, supple tannins. Illawarra Mercury - Kerry Skinner

Made by the guys at Hoddles Creek; the Wickhams Road wines are made with the same philosophy used with Hoddles Creek. They are single vineyard wines with the care and attention that has made Hoddles Creek such a success. The difference with Wickhams Road is that it has been sourced from trusted growers around Victoria. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

Made from contract-grown grapes, one is left in mute admiration for Franco D'Anna's winemaking skills. Deep crimson. It proclaims its cool-climate origins with spice and cracked pepper nuances, but is fully ripe. Blackberry fruit aromas and flavour are the core of the wine, with just the right amount of oak in support. It will cruise through the next 6-7 years. 93 Points; James Halliday

Wildwood is a tiny producer in Sunbury, Victoria. Although a well established name in Melbourne, the minuscule production has meant that this winery remains largely undiscovered in Australia’s other states. The current releases are excellent examples of cool climate Australian wines. They are also wonderful values. Wildwood Vineyards experience a frost-free, cool, maritime climate. Lying in the rain shadow of Mount Macedon, the vineyard is treated to dry, sunny autumn days, which allows for maximum development of fruit flavours prior to harvest.

Right on Melbourne's doorstep, just past the airport, lies one of the jewels in the Sunbury crown. The wines can be decidedly fine and delicious. Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age Epicure.

Again a very complex cool climate red that shows earthy, pungent, reductive aromas of smoked meats, yet also offers notes of mint, cassis, and dark plum. Deeply flavoured, yet medium bodied with a supple texture and a fine backbone of firm but supple tannins.

Sumptuous, elegant McLaren Vale shiraz of depth and character. Harvested without a hint of over ripeness, it’s wild, heady and very spicy, with a spicy bouquet of dark plums and berries, liquorice and dark olives backed by a whiff of currant and lightly toasty aromatic new oak. It drips with intense dark fruit that sinks back into a velvet cushion of fine, supple tannins, finishing with length, lusciousness and surprising suppleness. 96 Points; Jeremy Oliver

This wine is named after Robert Strangways Wigley, a noted South Australian eccentric cricketer who established Wirra Wirra in 1894. He produced a much-acclaimed shiraz, which was exported to England and the Empire until his death in 1925. The cellars fell into disuse after the 1936 vintage, until first cousins Greg and Roger Trott rebuilt the ironstone winery by hand in 1969. McLaren Vale, as well as being home to some of the oldest shiraz vines in the world, is blessed with climatic conditions and soil types which are ideal for growing this variety. These factors contribute directly to the regions’ reputation for producing shiraz of world acclaim and have a profound influence on the style and quality of this wine.

100% Shiraz. 100% McLaren Vale, South Australia. Each vineyard batch was matured separately in oak for 22 months prior to blending. Of the final blend, 95% of wine was stored in French oak and the remaining 5% in American oak barrels. New oak consisted of 70% of the blend. Deep plum with a bright garnet rim.  Lifted plums and blueberries fill the aroma with subtle violets and perfume notes. Smoky oak and savoury characters add a wonderful complexity to the fruit character. The palate is mouth filling with rich plums and black cherry fruits. Fine cedary oak with aniseed and dark chocolate add layers to the fleshy red fruits. A wine with great balance of power and style.

Wirra Wirra sources fruit from a combination of owned vineyards and premium McLaren Vale growers. The blend of individual vineyard and sub-regional characteristics is the key to the resulting style. Each vineyard batch was matured separately in oak prior to blending. Of the final blend, 55% of wine was stored in French oak and the remaining 45% in American oak barrels. New oak consisted of 40% of the blend. Vibrant with vivid purple edge. Lifted bouquet of ripe Satsuma plums, liquorice and cedar notes support a classic McLaren Vale dark chocolate filled bouquet. Complexing notes of polished leather, musk spice and hints of peat further complex the aromatics. Balanced with silky fine tannins and mouth watering acidity support the sweet fruit-rich Shiraz palate. Spice laden with richly flavoured fleshy blueberry and plum notes flooding the palate. The even and balanced palate has wonderful length and a fine savoury tannin finish. Drink upon release and up to 10-14 years from vintage.

Strong, deep purple; one of the most powerful RSW’s made to date, redolent of black fruits, licorice and a touch of dark chocolate; has deep-set tannins that balance the richness of the fruit; a long life ahead. Drink to: 2033; Price: $65.00; Alcohol: 14.5%; Rating: 96 Points; James Halliday

Wirra Wirra RSW expresses the “terroir” shown by top-notch McLaren Vale Shiraz for generations. It smells of bitter chocolate, blackberry liqueur, sweet currants, exotic spices and perfectly integrated oak. It is medium to full-bodied, yet it has seamless elegance, with a great depth of sustained flavour, and ripe, finely balanced tannins. 5 Stars; The Age, Uncorked, Ralph Kyte-Powell

Shiraz immediately strikes with licorice and spice on the nose, with muted background notes of cedar and dark chocolate mocha. The palate is rich and lavishly decked out with sumptuous plums and dark fruits. The silky smooth finish belies a wine of enormous concentration and power; Rating: 96 Points; Ray Jordan; The Weekend West

It’s a cracker of a wine in every respect, delivering a rich spicy, savoury palate with superb length and balance. Like all RSW’s, it offers a serious cellaring future. John Fordham; Daily Telegraph

It tastes of blackberries and chocolate and sawdust and its biggest asset is its balance; everything is in perfect proportion here. Filigreed tannin, ripples of boysenberry, perfect judged acidity and oak – it’s a masterfully well-made red wine. 94 Points; The Big Red Wine Book 2011; Gary Walsh & Campbell Mattinson

Ripe plum aromas complemented by some nice nutty oak. Very flavoursome, medium-bodied, oaky palate with some lovely soft tannins. From Winestate Magazine; World's Greatest Shiraz Challenge 2010

This is typical of both Wirra Wirra and McLaren Vale, but is plusher, more concentrated, fuller-bodied and more structured, with lashing of mouth-coating tannins but retaining a velvet mouthfeel. Massive wine, impressive. Huon Hooke

This is a perfumed and vibrant style with plenty of dark fruit and bitter chocolate, spicy concentrated fruit, with wonderful, fine grainy tannins and cedary oak. Australian Gourmet Traveller WINE Magazine

Prunes and eucalyptus on the nose. Complex and balanced with great structure and length. Gold Medal; International Wine Challenge

‘Distinguished’ – For the first time, in 2010, Wirra Wirra RSW Shiraz was included in the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine

Woodhenge is about big ideas, in the mould of cyclopean fences built by early settlers. A wine of great elemental sculpture, the assemblage of individual vineyard and sub-regional characteristics is the key to the success of the style. A legacy well worth toasting, named after the massive post and rail fence that now greets visitors to the Wirra Wirra wineworks. Shiraz grapes from estate vineyards and good Mclaren Vale growers are gently crushed and destemmed to open top and static fermenters. Tasted twice daily to determine number of daily plunges and pumpovers for tannin, colour and flavour extraction. Once pressed the parcels are put to oak barrels for the completion of ferments, racked and returned every four months whilst ageing. Assembled into the final wine after fourteen months, matured for a total of nineteen in a combination of new, one and two year old French and American oak barriques and hogsheads. Alcohol 14.5%

Vivid burgundy red with bright crimson edges to glass. Mocha, cinnamon and hints of aniseed fill the wines bouquet with touches of chocolate and fresh plum complimenting the spice filled nose. Sweet and classically generous McLaren Vale Shiraz that shows bright sweet plum, dark red fruits and chocolate mocha flavour before a sweet vanilla finish. The palate is textural and balanced with fine mouth watering tannins supported by subtle oak character.

This is a big, juicy hit of dark-berried flavour. Talk about take no prisoners. However, it‟s chains of tannin elevate it beyond „fruit-bomb‟ status. Blackberry, tar, coal, chocolate and hay, its heart rich and smooth and its structure firm. Indeed, there is a lot of grip here, and a lot of flavour – on a cold night, it would taste superb. 93 Points; Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh

Wolf Blass Platinum Label Shiraz is the ultimate expression of our winemakers’ masterful skills and showcases the finest individual parcels of fruit from selected vineyards. It provides the winemaking team with the opportunity to strive for perfection, to craft a wine that epitomises vintage, variety and vineyard. Made in extremely limited quantities from low yielding vines in South Australia, each year Wolf Blass Platinum Label is, quite literally, the pick of the crop.

Prior to the 1998 debut vintage, the Wolf Blass winemaking team identified a number of vineyards as worthy of the ‘Platinum Vineyard’ status. The key characters desired from these vineyards are concentration of fruit flavour and colour.

Simultaneously sumptuous and elegant, this vibrant, dark-fruited shiraz marries its brightly lit, spicy and peppery flavours of mulberries, blackberries, dark plums and blueberries with lightly toasty, charry and vanilla oak, that suggests just a hint of caramel. It’s musky and heady, while its lavishly sweet-fruited palate has a meaty and very slightly cooked aspect that compromises neither brightness nor intensity. Supported by fine-grained, powdery tannin, it’s long, persistent and admirably balanced. (Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, $150 retail approx., 19.0/96, drink 2017-2025) Jeremy Oliver

Dense and thick with blue and black fruits, toasty mocha oak and little menthol floating about. Like sniffing at the closed door of a kitchen in anticipation of a great meal to come. On the palate full bodied with palate saturating fine tannin and extract offering flavours of dark fruit, mocha and spice. It has great weight and balance although currently feels a little leaden and solid. Remarkable length of flavour. Needs lots of time. Will it ever be an exciting wine? Perhaps. Rated : 94 Points; Alcohol : 14.5%; Price : $160; Closure : Screwcap; Drink : 2015 - 2030; Gary Walsh; Winorama

A deep and densely flavoured wine, with abundant black fruits and dark chocolate overtones; excellent control of tannin and oak, with some barrel ferment hints. Rating 94 Drink 2025 $157.95 Date Tasted Nov 07 James Halliday

Wines like the Wolf Blass Red Label Shiraz Grenache 2010 with its unbelievable show performance, critical acclaim and ridiculously low price, really make my job easier. I reckon a $9.99 price point with Halliday’s review alone should do the trick:

What an amazing wine, winning two trophies at the Adelaide Wine Show 2011, including the Montgomery Trophy for Best Wine $20 or Below, and the Radoux Trophy for Best Commercial Dry Red, backed up by a Gold Medal at the Melbourne Wine Show 2011 (class 47, Rhone styles). It is vibrant purple-crimson, with totally delicious red berry and spice flavours, at its best now or over the next three years. Price: $13.99; Drink to 2014; 94 Points; James Halliday

That is either a lot of flukes in a row or a brilliant bargain that is not going to cost a lot of money to find out about. An 80:20 Shiraz Grenache blend, it is firmly in the Rhone camp on the nose and I found myself muttering “it smells expensive” when I put my schnoz into it for the first time. A bright wine, the nose is about ripe berries and boiled sweets and the palate shows more seriousness with gentle spice but maintains its juiciness through a long finish. It is almost too difficult to be handing out Trophies, Gold Medals and 94-Points when one knows what the label is but there is no doubting it is a very good wine punching well above its price point. Indeed the judges of two of Australia’s biggest wine shows are in raptures over it and not far behind them are James Halliday “what an amazing wine” and The Wine Front’s Mike Bennie “It’s pretty, in a concocted kind of way, and great value.”

Just $119.88 per dozen which includes freight and insurance to Zones 1, 2, 3! Again, as this is a heavily discounted wine around the traps, please note our offer is for the 2010 vintage and freight is inclusive for most.

Trophy ~ 2011 Royal Adelaide Wine Show ~ Montgomery Trophy for Best Wine $20 or Below
Trophy ~ 2011 Royal Adelaide Wine Show ~ Radoux Trophy for Best Commercial Red Wine
Gold Medal ~ 2011 Royal Adelaide Wine Show
Gold Medal ~ 2011 Royal Melbourne Wine Show
94 Points ~ James Halliday

High quality Shiraz parcels exhibiting varietal fruit flavour were selected from extensive vineyard searching by our winemaking team. The fruit was sourced predominantly from South Australian wine districts. A selection of predominantly American oak hogsheads was used for the maturation of selected wine parcels for a period of 12 months prior to blending and bottling.
  
Deep crimson red with vibrant purple hues. The nose displays rich plum, blackberry and spicy fruit aromas complexed by subtle vanillin oak. A rich, full bodied wine showing powerful berry fruit flavours; plums, dark cherries with slight lifted spice characters are evident. It is soft on the mid palate, with fine tannins and with a generous balance of integrated oak, all of which contribute to a finish of good persistence.

A pure Shiraz wine drawn from vines planted to historical grounds at the heart of Coonawarra. The sites date back to John Riddoch's original development of the district. The vineyards along V & A Lane are amongst Wynns most prized viticultural assets. The precious fruit from Wynns V & A Lane blocks exhibit a signature density and richness, the defining characteristics of this location along the cigar shaped Terra Rossa strip. The exceptional quality of fruit derived from this superior terroir moved the Wynns winemaking team to isolate and vinify the parcels into a single bottling.

Bright colour; lavish levels of toasty oak have been applies to concentrated black fruits; the palate is young, raw and tannic, needing time to fully integrate; a powerful wine in every respect. 94 Points; James Halliday

This is a selection of more powerful shiraz from vineyards along the east-west running V and A Lane. Here we see the benefit of the new small-batch winery, says Pidgeon. It enabled progressive harvesting and fermentation of fruit and consequent maturation in a range of different types of oak barrels. This gave the winemakers greater blending options. The wine’s dense, crimson-rimmed colour points to its power and ripeness – a deeper, denser more brooding wine than the white label shiraz. It still has vibrancy and freshness, but spicy oak flavours and tannins weave through the fruit. But despite its greater dimension, the wine retains signature Coonawarra elegance. Chris Shanahan

A decade of drastic chainsaw pruning and new small fermenters have given Wynns a new detail, reflected in its exciting new single vineyard and subregion wines. Early picking is the key here, highlighting firm, textural, chalky tannins, pepper, mixed spice and blueberries. Drink 2024-2029 94 points; Tyson Stelzer; Wine Taste