Fruit for the Oracle Shiraz is dry-grown on low-yielding, 40-year-old vineyards in the Leasingham district of the Clare Valley. Hand-picked fruit is fermented in small batches prior to basket pressing and maturation in new and 1-year-old French oak hogsheads for 24 months. The nose is lifted sweet plum and berry fruits with hints of coffee, chocolate and menthol. Dense fruit characters follow on the rich palate, with firm tannins and abundant natural acidity pulling up the rear. A world-class Shiraz with great persistence and complexity.

The 2006 Oracle Shiraz spent 22 months in French oak, 50% new. Opaque purple-colored, it exhibits a captivating nose of toasty oak, truffle, mineral, violets, black pepper, blueberry compote, and blackberry. Glossy on the palate with superb depth, it exhibits gobs of savory blue and black fruits, hints of chocolate, and enough ripe tannin to evolve for 4-6 years. Drink this explosive effort from 2013 to 2026. Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate # 181 Feb 2009 Jay Miller 95 Drink: 2013 - 2026

A splendid construct of Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet, selected from old vines around the distinguished Follett family vineyard, and perennially released to resounding accolades. Bernoota is Lake Breeze's most highly awarded wine, amassing multi awards and gold in recent years, including the prestigious Max Schubert Trophy.

The vineyard was established in the 1880s by Arthur John Follett, the great, great grandfather of today's winemaker. The site is surrounded by majestic river red gums which infuse the grapes with eucalypt characters. Lake Breeze selects only the best 25% of fruit from the older vines for its estate releases, a limited crush of only two hundred tonne. The old vines, which are dry grown, rely on winter flooding of the Bremer River, vital to carry the vines through the dry summer months as Langhorne Creek receives very little rain. Bernoota is vinified on skins in open static fermenters over a period of seven to ten days, followed by twenty months maturation in a combination of American and French oak barriques. Alcohol 14.5%
 
Deep scarlet colour. Bernoota shows dark fruit characters of blackberry and plum with a hint of spice, cigarbox and smoke. It’s lifted aromas carry a heady whiff of exotic spice, leading on to a juicy palate underpinned by smooth, smoky vanilla/ coconut oak and firm, pliant tannins. This is an impressive wine with persistent dark berry characters and genial acids, seamlessly adjoined into a full bodied, complex wine of great poise and solid structure.

Langmeil’s original vineyard, the Freedom, was planted in 1843 and survives to this day.  Planted by our Lutheran forebears who were escaping religious persecution and war in Prussia, just seven years after the state of South Australia was colonised.  They came to their new homeland, from ‘Persecution to Freedom’, to worship and find peace in our beloved Barossa.   The Freedom is Langmeil’s first and foremost vineyard.  A small block of Shiraz planted by Christian Auricht and his family in 1843, not only survive, but thrive on the banks of the North Para River, adjacent to our winery. 

Since the Bitter and Lindner families re-established the abandoned vineyards and winery in 1996, we have vinified the Freedom 1843 separately from other Shiraz at Langmeil.  These thick trunked, dry grown, low yielding, gap toothed old vines, which we believe to be the oldest surviving Shiraz in Australia, are guided through the cellars in their 164th vintage by fifth generation family winemaker, Paul Lindner.

The 1843 Freedom Shiraz is the winery’s flagship. The 2006 was sourced from its dry-grown vineyard planted in 1843, aged for 24 months in French oak, 80% new and bottled without fining or filtration. It delivers an exotic, kinky bouquet of pain grille, lavender, black cherry, and wild blueberry. Elegantly styled, sleek, and full-flavored, it has an extra dimension of complexity that only old vines can yield. This pleasure-bent Shiraz conceals enough ripe tannin for another 6-8 years of development and should be in its prime from 2015 to 2030. Wine Advocate # 181 Feb 2009 Jay Miller 97 points

Made from vines that are over 170 years old. Humbling thought, really. Exceptionally persistent. And quite beautifully flavoured. It tastes of blackberry, coal, spice, chocolate and toast, its wealth of gravelly fruit power more than a match for the (French) oak it has been matured in. It’s not the densest wine on earth, but it’s powerful and tangy and balanced, with exotic notes of charcuterie giving it a seductive slant. Another wine to win my favour only after having been opened for some hours. Rated : 95 Points Alcohol : 15.5% Price : $100 Closure : Cork Drink : 2013 - 2030 Campbell Mattinson The Wine Front

Blue Gold for the Freedom at the 2008 Sydney International Wine Competition

One of my favourites. Big, dense, powerful, plum, chocolate and liquorice. A nice succulent, fleshy wine. Very approachable. The lamb dish enhanced the complexities of the wine. Peter Forrestal

The 2006 (95 points) is reminiscent of some of the great 1999 Barossa shirazes (Grant Burge Meshach, Rockford Basket Press). It's intense and fresh with blackberry, mocha and aniseed aromas, a lovely core of pure fruit and brambly and chocolatey tannins. It's young but it's evocative and Barossa to its bootstraps. Andrew Caillard MW,  Gourmet Traveller WINE

As the name implies, this shiraz comes from vines planted in 1843. The Freedom shiraz is even more beguiling than the Orphan Bank. Dense and brooding, it will mature gracefully for decades. Due for release next month in tiny quantities." Click here for more. 5 stars; Fergus McGhie, The Canberra Times, 10 September 2008

The Le Chat Noir Shiraz Viognier is sourced from the cool climate Aude Valley. The rich and full Shiraz is given softness and lift with the addition of a small amount of Viognier.

Still quite tight and brooding with a depth of dark fruit aromas and spice. The palate is ripe and full with beautifully textured and flavoured berry fruit. A balanced and fruit focussed wine that finishes with soft tannins and a delicate Viognier lift.

Bright purple and red fruits, some brambly notes and peppery edges, plums and summer berries; really attractive. The palate is juicy, bright and supple with an almost graphite-like dark minerally edge. Modern, with terrific freshness to boot. 92 points - Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine “200 European Wines under $50”

2006 Clare Valley vintage is one of the best in years, Simon Osicka senior winemaker at Leasingham believes Shiraz to be the the best since the benchmark 1998. "In terms of overall quality at all grades, the 2006 vintage has been a very rewarding one. The quality from all sub-regions of the district has been consistently good," he said. A superb job finessing vines at the older Schobers and Provis vineyards, the attention to detail focused on canopies leading up to vintage, which has resulted in an outstanding Magnus

Near-perfect seasonal conditions in the lead-up to harvest have produced rich, ripe and concentrated flavours in the Shiraz. A relatively mild to warm season from spring through to harvest ripened the fruit to near-perfection. Grape picking started on schedule, the vintage progressed so well, that premium parcels were harvested one week earlier than previous years. A particularly good year for Shiraz, which is incredibly fragrant, exhibits fabulous concentration, very sweet fruit and lots of plum and mulberry characters. The hallmark Shiraz characters are very powerful, with some serious attitude, and texturaly rich, 2006 will be viewed as a terrific Magnus Shiraz vintage for many years to come. Approx 14.0%

Deep ruby red, this wine displays lifted aromas of raspberries, mocha and black pepper spice. With vibrant and expressive fruit, the palate shows flavours of red berries and chocolate. Balanced by juicy acidity, this Shiraz has fleshy sweetness and mouth filling lingering tannins. A plump and fruity concentrated wine with plenty of pepper and blackberry cassis fruit. Sublime in origin, offering regional expressions of mint and tar, hints of violet and a sweet, loamy earthiness, magical oak playing a background role to the wine's fruit and body. The wine shows all the hallmarks of Clare Valley reds, with expressive flavour and a full rich structure. Generous and honest, a reflection of one of Australia’s premier Shiraz regions.

Yet another monster in the glass with a dark, brooding deep red colour. The nose shows mocha, Christmas cake spices, dark chocolate, mint, lovely dark fruits, herbs and black pepper. In the mouth it is no less restrained with a dark but ripe and concentrated profile however, in what is (was) a hallmark of the label was an elegance that is ridiculous at this price with savoury notes that balance out the obvious quality fruit. The oak is there somewhere - not poking its head out and nor would one want it to with lashings of this lovely fruit. The length and tannin structure unmatched for this sort of money. Almost by chance I gave this the 24 hour test and it just kept on getting better. A wine at this price will generally be consumed on release but the fruit, tannin and acid structure lends itself to excellent short term (5-6 years) cellaring. Excellent. Drink: 2010-2016; Quality: Excellent; BW; WineStar© August 2009

Commended - 2009 International Wine Challenge
Gold Medal - 2008 Cowra Wine Show
Silver Medal - 2009 Sydney Wine Show
Silver Medal - 2007 Clare Wine Show

Bright and minerally, with a cherry note glowing at the core and fine tannins settling gently over the finish. Drink now through 2011. Release Price: $US12; Country: Australia; 6,500 cases imported. Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator

I'd probably drink this latest release Longhop Shiraz young but there's no reason why it shouldn't have a healthy life in the cellar - I wouldn't be surprised if it stretched out for longer than the drinking window provided. It's ripping value.

It's fleshy and flavoursome but dry and structured too. If this is an early indication of the quality of the 2010 South Australian red vintage, then we're in for a treat. Blackberries, menthol, nutty oak and cloves. The texture's creamy, the flavour substantial, the length of flavour excellent. It's likely to be one of the best value reds of the year. 92 points Campbell Mattinson Winefront

DOMINIC Torzi and Tim Freeland consistently produce two suites of incredibly cheap, very high-quality, honest-to-goodness brands, Old Plains and Longhop, from the north Adelaide Plains and adjacent Mount Lofty Ranges. This wine comes from 15-year-old to more than 50-year-old vines at Munno Para, Angle Vale and One Tree Hill, all on the old-fashioned single-wire trellis. It reminds me of the Angle Vale QVS reds Max Schubert made for a time with Lindsay Stanley and Jack Minnett, before Jack let the houses eat their vineyard.

Max best summarised the regional style when he told me in 1984: "Halfway between the older, heavier, fuller style, and the new, light-bodied styles ... perhaps tending towards the heavier style (!)".

It's rich, spicy, aniseed-like wine, with an almost sinister fresh-hewn blackwood edge, which is from pips and skins as much as seasoned oak. It has no jam, but a tantalising elegance for its intensity, and will become a true beauty with five years under the house. Osso bucco with kalamata in the sauce. 91++ points Phillip White

Don’t let the price-tag fool you… this is one of the best value wines out there, and it pains us to reveal this secret little gem. After 42 years making wine for premium wineries including Penfolds, Seppelts, Krondorf and as Chief Winemaker for Mildara Blass, winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy, numerous show trophies and medals, Mike and his wife Judy had a desire to leave the corporate side of the wine business and get in touch with the land by growing the best grapes possible in the premium Adelaide Hills region
 
When the grape glut hit and the big wineries played dirty on their grape prices, Mike and Judy knew they had the material to make great wine....And they would sell it at unheard of prices to simply recoup the profit they should have received on the grapes used in the wine if sold at a reasonable price. The Winner? You, the wine consumer and enthusiast! Premium Grapes, Great Wine, Unbelievable Value! Mike Press Wines

And the last word belongs to Mike Press; My philosophy, after 42 years of winemaking, is that making good wine starts at the vineyard site selection and not at the crusher as traditionally has been the case,” Mike says. “The design of a great wine starts in the vineyard and at this point of my career I am privileged to be influential at this very first stage of wine creation.” “I guess I could say this is my dream come true being instrumental in every stage of wine production vine to bottle.” “I must admit that I am extremely proud of the end result!”

The most incredible $12 wine I have ever, ever, recommended: high altitude, single vineyard, family estate, fastidious production, tremendous longevity, jaw dropping bargain! Never has such finely controlled oak precision graced Mike Press Shiraz. More approachable on opening than ever yet possessing, incredible coiled up energy and longevity. Unashamedly cool, honed, pepper laden; 95 points; Tyson Stelzer

Indeed the wine does scream pepper, spice and all things nice. It is a brilliantly organised wine for one so young with ripe berry fruits and chocolate bullet (licorice) notes. While Stelzer notes its approachability, I can see this going 5 to 8 years courtesy of its generosity of fruit, balanced acidity and fine grained tannins. In my book, an Excellent wine and at $150 per dozen delivered to most, I’m not sure they have come up with an apt value descriptor! Now – 2018+; Quality: Excellent; BW; WineStar© August 2011

Trophy Best Shiraz - 2011 Adelaide Hills Wine Show
Trophy Best Wine in Show - 2011 Adelaide Hills Wine Show
Gold Medal - 2011 Adelaide Hills Wine Show

Mitchell Winery was established in 1975 by Jane and Andrew Mitchell. The entire range of Mitchell Wines receives multiple accolades every year. Highlights have been the Penguin Wine of the Year in 2003, a consistent 5 star rating in James Halliday’s Wine Companion and inclusion in the Financial Times Top 20 Wines of the World and regular Top 100 listings all endorse the Mitchell’s choice of region and variety and is reward for their long-term commitment to their wines and the region of the Clare Valley, South Australia.

This wine takes its name from the old peppertree which grows in the Shiraz vineyard at Watervale. It is a happy coincidence that the nose and palate of the Peppertree Shiraz show the spicy peppery characters of high class shiraz wines. The grapes are picked at optimum ripeness and fermented on their skins to extract maximum flavours and characters. Careful aging for about 18 months in small French oak barrels adds complexity to the finished wine.

It is a glass staining deep, dark purple to look at. On the nose it has lashings of dark berry, aniseed, spice and classic Clare mint. Of course for anyone that is familiar with this now legendary label, it is hard not to look at the label and pick up nuances of pepper though the character is probably not as prevalent with this magnificent release. There is a massive burst of dark fruit in the mouth with blackberry, dark cherry and the after-dinner-mint theme continues. It has the most silky ripe tannins on the end with the acidity keeping the whole package in check. The wine is generous in all aspects but impeccably balanced. While I tend to be conservative in my drinking windows in comparison to the experts, I am confident this will live a decade or more easily. Although we tend to rate bargains as being under $15 and certainly under twenty dollars, this is a dead set bargain as one could pay twice as much for it and not feel touched. If tackling now, I would suggest having it open for many, many hours. Exceptional stuff. Now – 2020+; Quality: Exceptional; BW; WineStar© August 2011
 
Bright purple-crimson hue; dry-grown, hand-picked estate grapes have produced a lovely wine, supple and smooth in the mouth, with vibrant cherry and plum fruit, good oak and sweet tannins. The best Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz to date. Drink: to 2030; Price $26; Rating: 96 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion 2012

The Savitar Shiraz comes from the Chinese Block vineyard which is located in the Willunga district at the southern end of McLaren Vale. Parcels of Shiraz averaging 20 years of age are grown on rocky, skeletal soils in the northeast part of the vineyard. The fruit, which is handpicked 2 weeks later than G.A.M.

Winemaking Savitar was fermented on skins for 15 days at 28-32°C to soften the skins and release the juice. A slightly longer period on skins ensured a tighter overall structure. Only the best barrels are selected for the final Savitar blend. After pressing, the wine underwent partial barrel fermentation followed by natural malolactic fermentation before racking.

Tasting Note As always, Savitar 06 is the most brooding wine of the lineup. A dark red with a vibrant purple hue, the aromatics are bright, elevated combinations of cassis, tobacco and spice-box yet with freshness and vitality. The palate is full bodied, meaty and complex – well integrated oak and tannin provide elements of structure to the wine and it finishes with impressive length. Cellaring Will continue to drink well for 8- 10 years.

Named after a mythical monster, the 2006 Shiraz Savitar emerges from rocky, low vigor soils, and was aged for 16 months in primarily new French oak barrels. Dazzling aromas of acacia flowers, blueberries, crushed rocks, graphite, licorice, and espresso roast emerge from this tightly knit but intense, fleshy, rich effort. Its multilayered palate, huge body, sweet tannin, and “monster” finish suggest this brilliant wine will be drinkable between 2008 and 2020. It is a superb example of McLaren Vale Shiraz. 96/100 Robert Parker.

Showing a little reduction from more oak, the fruit weight of this wine is staggering: layers of fruit strip away as you let it hang around your palate for a seriously long time: the strong core of dark minerality shows just how complex it is.” Selected in the best of the best by variety; 96 Points; James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2009, July 2008.

Dark and concentrated, Savitar is an intricately crafted wine with very fine tannins and lively acid. It ripples with black plum and cherry fruit, melding with gamey, charcuterie complexity and coffee oak; 94 Points; Tyson Stelzer, Wine 100, May 2009.

Inky violet. Powerful dark berry liqueur and cherry-vanilla on the nose, with sexy floral and incense qualities adding complexity. Broad and juicy, with deeply concentrated blackberry and boysenberry flavors, supple tannins and slow-building anise and sassafras on the back. Generous but focused shiraz with excellent finishing energy and persistence. Still quite primary, but there'd be no crime in drinking this after giving it an hour or so in a decanter. 93 Points; Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, September 2008.

A wine to savour during a long lunch or desultory dinner is the Mitolo Savitar McLaren Vale Shiraz 2006. The flagship of Frank Mitolo's superb wines is made from selected parcels of fruit from the rocky Chinese Block at Willunga. A brooding monster, the Savitar is dark purplish red, with scents of sausage and pipe tobacco while the palate is full bodied with meaty flavors enhanced by enlightened use of oak by winemaker Ben Glaetzer. Cries out for a roast. Now or in 15 years. Ross Noble, Mount Barker Courier, December 2008

Here’s a wine to cellar for a while. With time it’s rich spiciness will evolve into a savoury food-friendly drop. Try it with rosemary tied lamb shoulder. 5 of the best; big reds, Donna Hay Magazine, June, 2008.

Moondah Brook is a contemporary range of varietal wines sourced from premium Western Australian vineyards. As a true expression of each variety, Moondah Brook wines are fruit driven with spicy full-flavoured styles. Intensity and texture, together with premium WA fruit, make them perfect food wines.

Great depth of colour with youthful purple hues. Vibrant nose of lifted sweet berry fruit, spice, cloves and cracked black pepper supported by toasted sweet vanillin oak complexity. Fresh intense varietal fruit characters with underlying plummy notes.

Youthful fruit structure, fine tannins and a soft sweet fruit core. Flavours of chocolate, aniseed and black fruits lingering for a long fresh finish. A wine of good balance and intensity of varietal fruit. Cellar for 5-7 years for greater softness and complexity.

Exciting release of Billi Billi Shiraz, showing rich plum and dark berry fruit alongside some spicy complexity. Terrific depth of flavour and length. A low yielding year, producing both concentration and length of flavour in the wines. An excellent growing season, with wines consistently showing good 'Langi' spiciness, complimenting generous berry fruit characters. Deep, dense purple; Blackberry and dark cherry fruits, layered with oriental spice and complex cool climate characters. Fine tannins are supported by bright berry fruit and delicate spice characters, medium bodied with good length of palate. Up to 8 years; Growing Season - An extremely dry and warm summer with near perfect flowering conditions in December. A warm January and February led to excellent grape maturity.

This highly lauded winery creates plenty of excitement with its big gun $100-ish shiraz and this smart little fellow keeps up its end pulling together fruit from the winery's Grampians home territory as well as Swan Hill, and Bendigo to make a fantastic medium to full-weighted red showing sweet spot ripeness and a dash of pepper leaf spice. Lovely drinking, great price - what more could you ask for. Rating: * * * * 4.5 out of 5 stars - A cut above; Value: Brilliant; Food: Black bean beef;  August 2011; Tony Love, National Wine Writer, Herald Sun

This 2008 release needs an extra 12 months (or so) in the bottle to smooth itself out through the finish, but quality-wise overall it is excellent. It tastes Victorian and that's always a good thing. Cracked pepper, cherry-plum, some mulberry and blackberry and earth. Maybe there's a kiss of malty, toasty oak but it's subtle and integrated. Good amount of both fruit flesh and tannin. It's just a beaut drinking wine. Vintage: 2008 Score: 91 points; Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front

On the bargain trawl? Buy the lesser labels of the greatest makers. Baby Langi is made like its senior siblings, open fermented and matured in small barrels. This low-yielding vintage has produced a juicy quaffer packed with mixed spice, pepper and rich plum and berry compote.
Vintage: 2008 Score: 91 points; Tyson Stelzer

An aromatic shiraz from Victoria's Grampians region, a very old wine area with a proud heritage. Thenose has floral and herbal overtones to berry fruit, with a choclately background thread. In the mouth it's quite elegant, with gentle berry flavours, attractive freshness of flavour, easy balance and soft tannins. Vintage: 2008 Score: 4 stars; Ralph Kyte-Powell ; Source: Epicure - The Age

Highly perfumed red and blue fruit bouquet, with orange and cinnamon playing a pivotal role; the palate is fresh, lovely and lithe, with the spice coming to the fore on the medium-bodied finish. Drinking: To 2020; 92 Points; James Halliday

A much-anticipated vintage that doesn't let an ounce of expectation go to waste, this continues the wine's upward trajectory with conviction. Plenty of depth from these old (45 years) vines: dark-roasted spices, pepper, essence of plums, blackberry, orange rind, cola, fine mineral flecks, some meaty edges and more - complex and soulful. The palate's immaculate and dripping with deep-wrapped fruit concentration: more plums and blackberries, deeply dug fine tannins, and a bracing finish that leaves a lingering, toasty plum and black cherry-stone flavour on point for what seems like an eternity. You'll taste it for a few minutes and think about it for days, maybe weeks. A new level has been defined. 98 Points; Nick Stock; The Age SMH Good Wine Guide 2011

Wine of the Year - The Age SMH Good Wine Guide 2011
Best Shiraz - The Age SMH Good Wine Guide 2011

At the base of the cliff face of Mount Langi in the Grampians is nestled one of the country’s most picturesque vineyards. The most exacting traditional approaches unite with cutting-edge space-age technology in the vineyard and winery to create the most compelling wines in this vineyard’s illustrious forty-year history. The 2008 is the greatest of these to date. It has a mouth feel that is nothing less than remarkable, with rippling texture and beautifully defined spicy dark berry and black cherry fruit. There are swooping notes of exotic spice, pepper, stewed prunes and star anise that persist in perfect line long into the finish. It hasn’t been released yet, so be sure to be first in line the moment it appears. 97 Points; Tyson Stelzer; Clear About Wine

The 2009 vintage saw the end of the drought with the vineyard receiving a good amount of rain at all the right times. The heat wave that affected much of Victoria in this year did not cause any problems for Mount Langi.

Fruit was meticulously hand selected from these old vines, the best grapes and parcels were separated allowing for this fine wine to shine through. This method leaves a considerable portion of fruit on the vine, but permits the exclusion of shriveled fruit as well as green berries. Moreover, this process responds to the natural variation within the vineyard block caused by aspect, warmth and exposure to wind and sunlight. A percentage of whole bunch fermentation adds perfume and lift to the nose, and builds further tannic structure.

Vibrant purple with dense purple rim. Complex wine showing blueberry, rapsberry and typical Langi spices. Delicately perfumed, the wine is lifted and with complex spice elements. Medium body and tightly wound acidity balance with structured tannins which build the palate. Showing great potential at bottling, the wine is brooding and restrained with years to go before its peak. On the palate the wine shows a core of ripe blueberry and raspberry fruits, overlayed with hints of perfumed “spice box” characters. Tight acidity adds length and definition. Cellar - Up to 20 years

Outstanding vivid crimson-purple; the perfumed bouquet is exquisite, with red and black fruits in a swathe of violets and rose petals, then a supremely elegant and intense palate, the finish exceptionally long. Clearly should have won the Jimmy Watson trophy '10. Due for release towards the end of '11; 650 dozen made. 97 Points; James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2012

Having produced many classic, memorable wines, the Old Hill and Old Paddock vineyards – established in 1880 and 1921 respectively – have firmly established their places among Australia’s premier vineyards.

Affectionately known as ‘OP&OH’, this wine is entirely sourced from the Old Paddock (planted in 1921) and Old Hill (planted in 1880) vineyards. Hand picked in February, grapes are crushed and cold soaked for 24 hours prior to fermentation on skins, which takes place over 8-9 days in headed-down stainless steel containers, with pumping over twice daily. The wine is then pressed and transferred into new American and French oak hogsheads where primary and malolactic fermentation is completed. Every six months, the wine is racked off and returned to the same oak for a maturation period of 18 months.

When Maurice O’Shea bought the Rosehill land, with the support and backing of the McWilliam family, in 1946, he was looking for a similar site to that of Mount Pleasant. What he found was a parcel of rich, volcanic loam soil and planted the Rosehill Vineyard. Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz exemplifies the rich Hunter Valley Shiraz style and confirms that O’Shea got his site selection perfectly right.

Fruit for this wine is entirely sourced from the Rosehill Vineyard, which was first established in 1946 by Maurice O’Shea. The 1984 vintage was the first to be labeled ‘Rosehill Shiraz’, with all previous vintages labeled ‘Richard’ or ‘RH’. Normally picked in February, grapes are crushed and cold soaked for 24 hours prior to fermentation on skins, which takes place over 7-8 days in headed-down stainless steel containers with pumping over twice daily. The wine is then transferred to new American oak puncheons where primary and malolactic fermentation is completed. Every six months, the wine is racked off and returned to the same barrels for maturation over 18 months.

Quite a lifted almost floral bouquet, with black cherry and a gentle spice aspect to the fruit; warm, rich and generous palate, with fine tannins and an almost slippery quality to the fruit; seamless on the finish. Screwcap. 13.6% alc. Rating 94 Points; Drink 2020 $34 Date Tasted Jan 10 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011

94 Points - Jeremy Oliver 2011 Wine Annual

Mountain X is the love child of The Wine Front publishers Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh and made by Rhys Eather at Meerea Park. Both the 2006 and 2007 vintages are available (very limited) on the WineStar website site and represent a wonderful snapshot of traditional Hunter Shiraz for $30 per bottle. Only a few barrels of each vintage is made so we are talking less than 150 dozen total! In 2008, the decision was made not to release a wine out of the Hunter Valley due to such a poor vintage in those parts but given the brilliance of the 2008 in Canberra, a Mountain X Canberra Shiraz 2008 was made with the same retail price in mind.

Tasted blind, Mike Bennie, whom it must be pointed out is a Wine Front colleague, had this to say about the wine when he tasted it blind; "lovely perfume here; floral, exotic and pure fruit cohabiting. Wild red berry and undergrowth, some lifted sweet mocha/choc and whiff of earth. Palate is well framed with feathery/dusty tannin but shows depth of red berry flavour again. Brambly, briar lick of briny acidity. Feels fresh but has a charismatic funk and enjoy that medium weight, cool appeal. Should do cellar time too. Finely wrought. 93-94 Points".

And my take? As with most wines we taste, all are opened in the morning and looked at throughout the day. Frankly, this looked its best the following day when the structure came together, and the spice and hints of stalk began to integrate with the clean and juicy fruit flavours but it never lost its character. There is a huge bite of acidity and persistent tannins and I can't help but think it has a long life ahead of it. Don't touch this for five years and I suspect the second bottle may be consumed years after that. Now – 2018+; Quality: Excellent; BW; WineStar© July 2011

Mountain X Wine Co is a modest and loose partnership between part-time wine writer Gary Walsh and friend and full-time wine writer Campbell Mattinson. It is more or less the direct outcome of Campbell's research for and writing of The Wine Hunter, the story of Maurice O'Shea of Mt Pleasant. Says Campbell, 'It's no secret that during the research and writing of the Maurice O'Shea story I came not only to love the man, the land he worked on and his wines, but Hunter Valley reds fullstop.' Discussions over appropriate glasses of wine with Gary Walsh made them wonder why shiraz pinot blends were so rarely made, and the only rational conclusion was that they should have wines made for them to their own specifications: the best possible grapes, large format French puncheons (only 25% new) and a percentage of pinot, which could only be obtained outside the Hunter Valley. This in turn has led to the idea of a Yarra Valley Shiraz Pinot Noir to join the 2006 and '07 Mountain X Hunter Valley Shiraz Pinots ('08 lost in the ever-present rain of that vintage). Deeply coloured; densely packed wine with dark fruits and plenty of leather; a long, tannic and drying finish; needs time to fully integrate. 13.5º alc. Rating 90 Drink 2016 $35 Date Tasted Feb 08 James Halliday Wine Companion 2009

Over the past three summers writer Gary Walsh and I have been having a wine made (by Rhys Eather at Meerea Park). It’s called Mountain X. We started this because when we looked at the history of Australian wine and particularly of Hunter Valley wine, we wondered why no one was taking shiraz-pinot noir blends seriously. Some of the best wines ever made in this country were made of this blend and yet barring the odd cellar door-only special, the blend had largely disappeared.

There’s a good reason for this I guess – when you blend pinot noir with shiraz it inevitably makes the wine lighter (and more table-friendly), which isn’t exactly the trend of things. Or wasn’t. Instead of complaining about it, we decided to do something about it. We obviously couldn’t get access to Tyrrell’s or Mount Pleasant vineyards, but we did the next best thing – we got access to a couple of tonne of grapes from the steep-sided Somerset vineyard in the Hunter. This vineyard was planted 40 years ago (in my birth year: 1968) but even better, O’Shea used to buy grapes from this vineyard – it is an historic vineyard site (indeed O’Shea would have dealt with the current owner’s grandfather, before it temporarily became an orchard). Considering what Gary Walsh and I were trying to do, this vineyard was perfect. Campbell Mattinson

I had some stylistic (not quality) expectations of this wine before opening and was totally guzumped over the course of the night when it presented quite differently to what I expected. A Hunter Shiraz with a measure of Pinot thrown in. Ok, whatever. I'm no Hunteriste. I imagine Hunteristes tend to be much older than me. They tend to go on and on about O'Shea and Evans and Tyrrells and Mount Pleasant and - well you get the picture. Absolute barrel of laughs.

So this has the paw print of Campbell Mattinson, at least the address on the back looked familiar. It also has the print of the mayor of the Hunter, Gary Walsh. Importantly - given it is a Hunter Shiraz - it has the stamp of Rhys Eather which immediately brings some seriousness to the table. I reckon if I was going to do something with Hunter Shiraz I'd give Rhys a call and see what he was up to. Similarly, if I was to do something with Pinot, I'd get Franco d'Anna on the line which is precisely what these two esteemed 'Hunteristes' have done. Enough rambling, what about the bloody wine?

It's pretty damn good. Deep crimson red with a bright and youthful tinge; I let it sit for an hour or so in the glass. This was going to be perfect with the Bolognaise. The nose is a concoction of bright berry and brambly fruits, sweet leather, cloves and a touch of spicy oak. In the mouth it has some really wonderful silky tannins that form a net around this lovely fruit however here is where the savouriness kicks in and takes over. The deeper you get into the glass, the more it evolves and offers more angles or dimensions. It gains complexity under your nose! This is a pup and will continue to come together over the next 4 to 6 years but it was drinking well after the pasta was gone. An excellent but above all very interesting wine well worth seeking out. Pair it up with Mattinson's The Wine Hunter for a match made in Hunter Heaven! Diam; 13.5% Alc. Price: $35 Drink: Now-2014 Quality: Excellent BW WineStar© July 2008