100% old-vine shiraz grown in the Barossa (Eden Valley and Barossa Valley). Matured in 77% new and 23% used French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

The Barossa has a core of traditional growers of Lutheran descent dating back fivegenerations, staunchly continuing the traditions of their forebears. Occasionally one or two parcels of fruit of overwhelming quality come over the weighbridge; this wine is one such example. The 50-year-old, low-yielding vines are growing in low-fertility Neoproterozoic soils more than 542 million years old, ranging from red-brown earths to terra rossa. The fully ripe black shiraz grapes were sourced from grower vineyards in Tappa Pass and Light Pass and were vinified in traditional open-top fermenters.

A very good friend of mine challenged me to produce a traditional, full bodied Barossa Valley wine with the only criteria that it could be drunk young at lunch or dinner and did not stray from my fundamental wine making philosophies i.e. French oak, fine grained tannins, balance, clear fruit expression etc! Those who know me well know that I just love a good challenge! Thus Ned & Henry's Barossa Valley was born.

Superbly sited vineyards grown on red soil over limestone, the classic terra rossa vineyards provide the fruit for Ned and Henry's. The vineyards are traditionally grown, low cropped and produce the necessary flavours and tannins for our wine. After traditional fermentation the wine is pressed into quality French barriques, where the wine finishes fermentation and malo lactic fermentation. The wine matures in these barrels for a total of about fifteen months before racking. While the base wine has always been Shiraz, each year I have blended a small proportion of Mourvèdre with the Shiraz, which accentuates the fruit and delivers a greater complexity.

The 2009 vintage provided perfect conditions for Ned & Henry's. The colour of the 2009 Ned and Henry's is very, deep red with a purple hue. The aroma is distinctively Barossa Valley: black and red, ripe fruits with a solid, concentrated core. The seamless class of perfectly ripe fruit and French oak is a stand-out here. The palate structure of Ned and Henry's delivers in every aspect of the brief. The fruit flavours are full and concentrated yet soft and supple. The tannins are gentle yet persistent and completely mould into the wine. Ned and Henry's is most definitely full-bodied: chocolate, blackberry and dark-earth characters. Yet the wine has great balance and poise and carries that signature called 'drinkability'. This is perhaps the best vintage ever produced. The 2009 wine is reminiscent of the fabulous 2006.

Purchase 12 bottles and receive 6 bottles of Moondah Brook Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2005 - (includes freight and insurance to Zones 1, 2, 3)

Houghton has been proudly producing Western Australian wines for nearly 175 years. It is our exacting attention to flavour profile and overall balance in our wines that sets Houghton apart. Houghton sources the finest fruit from vineyards in all of the premium viticultural areas across Western Australia, to craft exceptional wines that truly reflect their regional origins.

Thomas Hardy and Sons (Houghton’s owner) became BRL Hardy, then The Hardy Wine Company, then Constellation Wines Australia – now owned (after a mass sell off of vineyards and wineries by its American parent company) by CHAMP Private Equity. This was all very unsettling because some brands lost the vineyards and wineries they were based on. Fortunately, the two new-release Houghton reds remain superb regional specialties. The medium-bodied shiraz has a core of ripe fruit, overlaid with Frankland River’s spicy, savoury notes and fine tannins. The Margaret River wine delivers cabernet’s classic cedar, black-olive and herbal aromas on a generous, elegantly structured palate. Chris Shanahan 2011

Vivid crimson hue; a concentrated black fruit, licorice and fresh bitumen bouquet, showing a healthy dose of toasty oak; the palate is generous and full-bodied, with graphite tannins and a savoury roasted meat character left to conclude; time will be rewarded. Rating: 94 Points; Drink By: 2025; Date Tasted: 28 Feb 2011; Alcohol:14%; Price: $32.00; James Halliday

Many years ago, about 15 at a guess, I was visiting the Great Southern region of WA and was asked to try a wine that to this day remains one of the greatest Australian Shiraz I have had the good fortune of trying. The wine was neither from South Australia nor Victoria and I felt somewhat vindicated with my call over the next few years when the Houghton Show Reserve Shiraz 1995 became one of, if not the most awarded red wines made in Australia. Made from the now famous Justin Vineyard owned by Houghton, it still fetches some incredibly high prices at auction. Someone on the WineStar Forum once described it as a "theoretic cross of Basket Press and Dalwhinnie" which as delightfully exotic as it sounds, probably nails it. We never saw that wine again, the Show Reserve's were slowly killed off but what we did see was the fruit utilised in the Houghton Gladstone Frankland River Shiraz. Sadly, that label also perished - for reasons that escape me - given the brilliant wines to be minted under the label and the relatively miniscule supply. 

Well, now Accolade Wines (nee Constellation, nee Hardys, nee Houghton) have decided to discontinue the last bastion of this remarkable line, the Houghton Wisdom Frankland River Shiraz 2009. On one hand it is a touch sad given how good this new release is, I always find it hard to fathom why these decisions are made when the wines excel at wine show level, the critics love them and there is a market for them. This after all was the same company that deleted Reynella Vintage Port citing they didn’t have a problem selling it, they just didn’t make enough money from it and the real estate was worth more than the vineyard. On the other hand, thinking with my (and your) wallets and purses, it presents a brilliant offer to pick up an excellent wine from an equally excellent vintage, with excellent reviews and, as you can see, excellent pedigree. Excellent. I also neglected to add the price which is also excellent. The Halliday and Chris Shanahan only strengthen the case for this wine noting the little red star in Halliday's review, reflecting his opinion that this is special value at $32! For those trying to ascertain where this sits in the Houghton hierarchy, it is the pigeon pair of the Wisdom Cabernet we had no problem selling a few hundred cases of early this year! Forget the price for a second, treat this as a super premium in the cellar, it absolutely sang 24 hours after opening. Drink: Now-2020+; Quality: Excellent BW; WineStar© October 2011

This wine has an opaque purple red appearance of great density. Predominantly lifted primary fruits with raspberry, ripe plum and blueberry with an attractive lifted perfume of violets is the distinctive vineyard character that runs through each vintage of this wine. Underlying spice adds a cinnamon edge and the bacon and vanillan oak character will be swallowed into the wine with time.

It displays a powerful and plush palate profile with the youthful, sweet fruit mid palate showing Satsuma and underlying spice with the oak seamlessly integrated. The open knit tannin structure is typical of the Leston Shiraz and Margaret River Shiraz in general. This shows as an even gravelly textured mid-palate and mouthfilling richness which finishes with traces of soy and oyster brine complexity as the wine opens up. A remarkably persistent wine in the style of previous releases under this label.

Deep colour; alluring blackberry bouquet filled with Asian spice and a mere suggestion of oak; the palate is fleshy, ample levels of red fruit provide brightness to the fine-grained and quite slippery tannins,lovely balance. To 2015. 94 Points James Halliday, The Australian Wine Companion - 01-08-2009

Howard Park's '07 Margaret River shiraz is a beauty. Juicy plum, spice and herb aromas meet subtle, smoky, barrel influence. The basis of the complexity that will come with age is already there. In the mouth, it's intense and well balanced with medium weight, succulent flavour and finely textured tannins. Ageing: Two to eight years. 5 Stars * * * * * Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Epicure Uncorked, The Age - 14-07-2009

Jim Ingoldby established Ingoldby Wines in McLaren Vale in 1973. The winery is now owned by Treasury (Fosters). Individual vineyard parcels of Shiraz were fermented separately in various fermenters. The parcels were pressed off skins once fermentation was completed with selected parcels matured in seasoned oak to bring complexity to the blend, while other components remained in tank to bring freshness and fruit lift. This wine was matured in a mixture of French and American oak barrels - a third of the barrels were new with the remainder in seasoned oak barrels. A small amount of Barbera has been added to the final blend.

The Ingoldby McLaren Vale Shiraz 2009 is the quintessential crowd-pleaser which will impress everyone and offend no-one. The work that goes into this wine really does belie its retail price leave alone its discounted one. What is more, this vintage has a touch of Barbera, the famous Italian grape variety added which surely adds to the complexity of this wine if not being completely obvious on the nose or palate. I am reliably informed that it adds to the structure and length and this wine certainly ticks both of those boxes. The nose is about bright, ripe as well as dark berry fruit with hints of plum, pepper, mocha and the staple of McLaren Vale - chocolate. Only a tick above medium bodied in the mouth, the fruit is generous and the oak there somewhere but the richness continues on a long finish with nice acidity providing the balance. This is an excellent wine that will improve in the short-to-medium term but very easy to drink now. Now – 2018; Quality: Excellent; BW; WineStar© July 2011
 
Gold Medal ~ Royal Brisbane Wine Show 2010
 
Whether the small percentage of barbera included has played a role is debatable, for this deep crimson-purple wine is a perfect expression of terroir and variety; plum and blackberry fruit with a coating of dark chocolate set the scene on the bouquet,  seductively luscious, smooth, velvety palate then follows. Surprise packet. From McLaren Vale, SA; $19.95, Screwcap, 14% alc; Drink 2013-2024 with Beef spare ribs; 94 points & Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2010 – The Weekend Australian November 13-14, 2010
 
A perfect expression of terroir and variety; plum and blackberry fruit with a coating of dark chocolate set the scene on the bouquet, seductively luscious, smooth, velvety palate then follows. Surprise packet. $19.99; Rating: 94, Drink By: 2024; James Halliday Wine Companion 2012

The 2005 JaJa Barossa is the second vintage of a passionate journey identifying the best regions and sub-regions for the Shiraz grape. It is no coincidence that our first stop was in the brilliant Stonewell sub-district of Marananga in Australia’s famous Barossa Valley. It made sense that given the premium fruit we had on offer that we contract the winemaking services of Troy Kalleske, the brightest star of Barossa and a young gun that knows the area like the back of his hand. Release of the 2005 was held back almost 3 years to ensure bottle age for all subsequent releases.

The 2005 growing season started with a wet Winter and Spring, providing excellent moisture for the vines. A cooler than average Summer with no heat waves resulted in gradual ripening and retained natural acidity in the grapes. A dry, mild to warm Autumn with sunny days provided ideal ripening conditions to finish the grapes to maturity. A good vintage with intense flavours. All in all, a great season with some superb wines.
The 2005 JaJa Barossa was harvested on 1st April at 15.0 baume then fermented in an open top fermenter (up to 33 degrees celsius) for one week with hand pump overs twice per day. After basket pressing it was
immediately filled to hogsheads where it completed fermentation. For the 2005 we used equal amounts of new and used American oak featuring periodic rack and returns during barrel maturation where the wine spent 16 months in barrel.

Deep, dark purple in colour, the nose exudes dark but ripe plum and blackberry with some spice lurking in the distance. The palate displays a kaleidoscope of greater dark fruit characters that fill every corner of the
mouth, ably supported by generous, quite silky tannins which add to a brilliant mouthfeel. A big Barossa baby that has already taken its first step with a fair chunk of elegance to boot. Drink now over the next decade.

At a time when most red wines are being released earlier and earlier, JaJa is heading the other way - releasing later. It's a brave step. This wine is made by the celebrated Troy Kalleske. 2005 Release: They've done the cellaring for you. It's already begun to develop complex, leathery notes and, when combined with the more youthful flavours of coffee, plum and blackberry, you're presented with a very sedeuctive show. It has a lovely soft texture and a sound, fresh balanced finish. The oak regime could probably be freshened up, but Barossa-red lovers will rightly lap this up.  93 Points; Drink 2010-2015; Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh, The Big Red Wine Book 2010/11, June 2010

Some colour development; lush, ripe plum and blackberry fruit is one of the keys, the satiny texture the other; skilled winemaking by Troy Kalleske. Screwcap. 14.5% alc. Rating 93 Points; Drink 2021 $30 Date Tasted Nov 09 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011

Jack Mattinson was self-taught from books. He rose to own a corner store in the 1950s but he wanted to grow things, so he moved to the bush and carved a farm out with hand-saws. He built one house in his life; where he & wife Elma lived. There he grew masses of green vegetables, fields of corn & potatoes, ran cows for milk & meat, & swapped hessian bags of potatoes for eggs. He was a great advocate of the cos lettuce, the full-size snooker table, & of a daily spoonful of molasses. He made his own beer and his own bread, the latter so heavy with wholegrain you could chisel your name in it. He trapped rabbits & ate them. Everywhere he went, he whistled. And every day at lunch he drank a glass of wine and then had a kip on the couch. It was easy to idolise him.

In his later years, he often cried when he said goodbye to you. Now that he's gone, I'm forever talking of him & his farm, where he grew more things than I could imagine.

Jack Mattinson's Deluxe Dry Red is a plush blend of Shiraz and Cabernet. What a pleasure it would be to sit at his table and pour Jack a glass, alongside rabbit and a slice of his bread, & wait for him to start whistling again. Campbell Mattinson, one of Jack's grandsons.

Medium red-purple; a fragrant bouquet has a mix of blackberry, blackcurrant, plum and spice that come through strongly on the medium-bodied palate; the tannins are particularly good, providing both texture and structure, French oak another string to the bow. The back label alone is worth $14.95. Screwcap. 14.5% alc. Rating 92 Points; Drink 2020 $14.95 Date Tasted Mar 10; James Halliday Wine Companion 2011

Campbell Mattinson is one of Australia's best young wine writers and I count him as a friend - but this early foray into wine production wouldn't get a mention from me if he hadn't produced a stellar drop. Made from fruit grown in the Hilltops region - an affordable source of top-notch red grapes - this is a shiraz cabernet blend with dark berry characters and hints of spice. It's medium-bodied, dreadfully easy to drink (what my wife calls a wine with an evaporation problem) and would partner brilliantly with rich winter stews. Take a look at one of the best back labels you'd hope to find and snap up a case. This is ludicrously good value for $15. Winsor Dobbin

An excellent wine from a challenging vintage. Its deep aromas of slightly jammy redcurrqnts, cramberries, cassis and candied red cherries are fully but not over-ripe, with spicy undertones of cloves and cinnamon, plus a smoky background of creamy coconut ice-like oak. There’s a hint of spirit that is also found on the deeply concentrated and sumptuous palate, whose jujube-like berry and plum-like fruit and newish, assertive and slippery oak are neatly framed by loose-knit tannins. Its lingering core of intense flavour finishes licorice-like, with savoury and mineral notes. A richer and more profound Mount Edelstone than ever seen before, and lacking the cooked or dehydrated flavours common from this vintage, it just lacks the exceptional length for a higher rating. (Eden Valley, $92 retail, approx., 18.8/95, drink 2015-2023+) Jeremy Oliver

In 1947 a Moreton Bay fig tree was planted by Fred Gramp in commemoration of the first 100 years since the establishment of the first commercial vineyard in the Barossa Valley on the banks of Jacob's Creek by his grandfather, the founder of Orlando Wines, Johann Gramp. This site was named Centenary Hill and today the Moreton Bay fig still proudly overlooks Jacob's Creek. A special group of 'older vine' Barossa Shiraz vineyards are used to produce this distinctive wine which has all the qualities of what makes Barossa Shiraz famous around the world. Our Centenary Hill Shiraz has intense plum/spice aroma and flavour, is rich and full in the mouth with deliciously soft tannins.

Named in honour of Johann Gramp, the pioneering winemaker of Orlando Wines, Johann is the definitive expression of the wonderful blending synergy of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and represents the ultimate quality wine on offer from Jacob’s Creek. Johann is produced from the very best Shiraz and Cabernet vineyards that South Australia has to offer. Only those grapes that display powerful and well structured Shiraz and Cabernet flavours are chosen. Johann Shiraz Cabernet is a classic Australian style, being a marriage of the rich round fruit flavours of Shiraz with the classic tannin structure and length of the Cabernet Sauvignon, producing a wine in perfect harmony and balance.

Trophy - Best Australian Dry Red Blend, Rutherglen Wine Show 2007
Gold Medal – National Wine Show of Australia 2007
Gold Medal - Royal Queensland Wine Show 2005
Gold Medal - Riverina Wine Show 2006
Gold Medal - Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2006
Gold Medal - Royal Queensland Wine Show 2007
Gold Medal - Rutherglen Wine Show 2007
Gold Medal - Cowra Wine Show 2008

A cool growing season with good rainfalls during the preceding winter delayed flowering a little, but healthy canopies were established and conditions were ideal for set. Initial estimates reported average to above average yields. Summer temperatures fluctuated with a warmer than normal December, cooler than normal January, and February followed with a prolonged hot spell quickly bringing the vines into their ripening phase. Autumn continued with cool, dry weather allowing the grapes to complete their maturation slowly and evenly, providing ideal conditions for the development of intense varietal flavours.

Full depth crimson. Rich and complex, showing a harmonious blend of ripe blackberry and spicy black pepper characters from Shiraz and refined, briary fruits from Cabernet Sauvignon, supported by cedary vanilla oak. The palate is dense, with layers of concentrated, stylish fruit flavour seamlessly integrated with stylish and attractive oak; full bodied in structure with intense, fine yet soft tannins, carrying the fruit to a long, rounded finish. Carefully cellaring this wine for the next 5-10 years will enable further development and integration of the ripe and intense fruit flavours it has come to be known for. 14.5% alcohol/volume.

Based on rigorous vineyard inspections and berry tasting, winemakers selected fully ripe parcels of fruit with concentrated varietal flavours from Padthaway, Clare, Langhorne Creek, Bordertown, McLaren Vale, Barossa and Coonawarra for inclusion in the Reserve Shiraz blend.

Elegant Emily's with its characteristic perfect structure and balance; lots of sweet red berries, mixed spice and perfume. Outstanding length, as usual with this wine. Structured for a long life but this tastes so good now, I defy you to not drink it. 15.0% alc/vol

Minimal intervention is used during fermentation and maturation, allowing terroir or earth character of the individual paddock or plot to emerge in the wine. More importantly the grapes at harvest are flavour ripe, regardless of sugar ripeness.

Underscoring the quality of the soils, at vintage the grapes retain high levels of natural acidity. Acid adjustment is rarely ever needed, even when sugar levels reach 14 Baume or higher.

All fermentation is carried out by indigenous (native or wild) yeasts present on the grape skins. All pressings are returned for completeness of the wine.

The red wines are then racked off gross lees into small French and American oak barriques (20 percent new each year) for oak maturation of about 15 months with no racking or fining or filtration. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally in the barrel without any inducement during late spring. After blending, they are given a coarse filtration just prior to bottling on our own state-of-the-art equipment.

Essentially a small and exclusive single vineyard Shiraz, Emily is co-fermented with a portion of well integrated Cabernet Franc, perhaps the only wine of it's kind in the world. Emily's Paddock is a mere three hectares of Shiraz, which grow alongside a parcel of Cabernet Franc vines, yielding about two tonnes per hectare, a scant and precious fourteen hectolitres. Organically grown grapes are picked by hand and completely de-stemmed, put through maceration for several weeks with minimal intervention to express the paddock's uniqueness in the finished wine. The wine is then transferred into a combination of small French oak barriques, without any racking, fining or filtration for maturation.

Mint and menthol, aromas of red berries and plums, a touch of pepper, there are tarry meaty characters. A very well balanced wine with a great structure, an immensely successful natural acidity. Pleasing savoury, earthy and mineral qualities, chalky tannins sneak up on you after swallowing.

John Duval was appointed Chief Winemaker at Penfolds in 1986 overseeing one of the most dynamic periods of change in the Australian wine industry. Duval was born a winemaker, his family had operated a world famous sheep stud farm and quality vineyards south of Adelaide for many years, coincidentally supplying Shiraz grapes and vine cuttings to Penfolds, some formed the backbone of the mighty Grange Hermitage. Entity Shiraz is vinified under submerged cap in traditional, old open and small steel fermenters. Matured in a combination of new, two, three and four year old fine grain French and American oak hogsheads (300 litres). Some batches finished fermentation in new barrels.

Sourced from old vineyards in Krondorf and Light Pass, Marananga and Tanunda, a component of Eden Valley Shiraz has been included to maintain the elegance and purity of style. John Duval's objective with Entity is to construct a wine that's completely true to the grand old vineyards of the Barossa. Subtle French oak was chosen to compliment the ripe dark fruits. Traditional, low intervention winemaking techniques are employed, allowing the wine to be approachable in its youth, but with ample structure and depth of fruit to insure great potential for development

Dense ruby purple colour. Youthful dark fruits of blackberry and plum combine with a hint of mocha and savoury French oak. Showing excellent fruit richness, with ample tannin and acidity to balance. An excellent concentration of pure Barossa fruit, dark, long and rich, balanced by attractive ripe tannins and bright acidity, all supported by high quality French oak which adds structure and polish.

Crimson-purple; the perfumed bouquet proclaims the class of the wine, its array of blackberry, plum and spice fruit duly delivered on the medium-bodied palate; silky tannins and quality oak complete the picture. Drink: 2030; Price $48.00; 96 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion

John Duval is one of the most highly regarded winemakers of his era, named International Wine & Spirit Competition Winemaker of the Year and twice Red Winemaker of the Year at the London International. Plexus is designed to express the wide spectrum of red fruit flavours from Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre, but also provide structure with a seamless balance and long finish. Traditional, low intervention winemaking techniques are employed, allowing the wine to be approachable in its youth, while assuring great potential for development

Half of the wine is Shiraz grown to old vineyards at Light Pass, Marananga and Krondorf in the Barossa, with a quarter each of Grenache, harvested off old bush vines which are fifty to sixty years old in the Stockwell, Light Pass and Krondorf subregions, and Mourvedre sourced from ancient bush vines, the oldest over a century old at Light Pass and Krondorf. Treated to vinification under submerged cap in traditional old open and small steel fermenters. Completely barrel matured for sixteen months in a combination of new fine grain French oak hogsheads (300 litres), with the balance matured in three year and mostly older French oak, some Shiraz finished fermentation in new oak barrels.

Deep crimson colour. Aromatic red fruits are supported by vibrant plum. Earthy spice characters combine well with a touch of savoury oak. Showing excellent fruit richness, with ample tannin and acidity to balance. Rich, round and full of concentrated, bright berry fruit. These flavours are supported by vibrant acidity and soft, ripe tannins. A touch of oak adds complexity, the finish is long and layered.

The crimson-purple hue puts the often insipid colour of Barossa Valley SGMs to shame; the fragrant bouquet and vibrant black cherry and plum fruit of the palate likewise; quality French oak has been used to maximum advantage. Drink: 2024; Price $39.00; 96 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion

Kalleske’s top wine is the 150-case cuvee of Shiraz Johann Georg Old Vine from a 129-year-old vineyard. Named after the first Kalleske, a native of Silesia who immigrated to Australia in 1838, it offers just about everything one could want in a Barossa Valley Shiraz. Aged two years in new French and American 300 liter hogsheads, and produced from yields of one ton of fruit per acre, this cuvee is extraordinarily consistent in 2004 and 2005. In fact, it’s hard to choose a favorite. This wine exhibits great intensity, an inky/purple color, and notes of creosote, camphor, blackberries, cassis, and subtle vanillin/pain grille notes. Unbelievably unctuous and full-bodied, with stunning concentration, thrilling purity, and amazing length as well as richness, it should evolve gracefully for 15+ years. Wine Advocate # 167; Oct 2006 Robert Parker (94-96) Drink 2006 - 2021