What we have here is the StarDozen: Critic's Choice Shiraz Collection featuring 3 bottles each from 4 different regions of Australia which not only scored 92 Points or better from Australia's leading Wine Critics but also shows the diversity of this variety with an example from the Coonawarra, Margaret River, Yarra Valley and the Barossa. 

The StarDozen consists of the following:

3 bottles       Schoolhouse Block A2 Coonawarra Shiraz 2021
3 bottles       Thousand Candles Gathering Field Shiraz 2022
3 bottles       Miles From Nowhere Best Block Shiraz 2022
3 bottles       Schild Estate Ben Schild Shiraz 2021

Schoolhouse Block A2 Coonawarra Shiraz 2021
The bouquet shows striking blackberry and raspberry characters with floral, warm spice and toasty oak nuances. The seductively delicious palate offers plump mouthfeel and velvety texture, combined with opulent fruit flavours and elegant savoury notes, making it instantly satisfying. Tasted: April 2022; At its best: 2023 to 2036; Price: $70.00; Rating: 95 Points; Wine Orbit

Thousand Candles Gathering Field Shiraz 2022
Another very well-made and priced wine from Stuart Proud at Thousand Candles. A very bright purple is a good introduction to a wine redolent of black cherries, violets, cracked pepper and clove. Medium bodied, with ripe, gently grippy tannins providing structure, finishing floral and long. Date Tasted: Feb 25; Alcohol: 12.5%; Drink to: 2031; Price: $36.00; Rating: 95 Points & Special Value Star; James Halliday Wine Companion

Miles From Nowhere Best Block Shiraz 2022
A firm and solid Margaret River shiraz. Earthy plummy notes on the nose. The palate is full and concentrated with dark fruit flavours and a lift of spice. Thick dark chocolate coating on the palate adds a textural feel. Good for a few years in the cellar. Rating: 92 Points; Ray Jordan

Schild Estate Ben Schild Shiraz 2021
There's a real creaminess that I like here. It's not an oak creaminess, more so a plum and blueberry cream with underlying hints of dark-chocolate-dipped cherries, blackforest cake, vanillin oak, panforte, olive tapenade, violets and earth. Luscious and mouth-filling with fine tannins and a velvety flow at the back end. It's a lovely contemporary Barossa shiraz. Drink to: 2042; Date Tasted: Feb 2025; Alcohol: 14.53%; Price: $50.00; Rating: 95 Points & Special Value Star; James Halliday Wine Companion