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AUD Cellar door price $150. Ray Jordan 98 points. The team's Reserve is a barrel selection from the harvest of their oldest blocks of Barossa Shiraz, and only made in the best vintages. 2021 is categorically one of those 'best vintages'. The oak used to mature the wine will be a mix of new French and American hogsheads and the time spent in them will be up to two and a half years. Under cork. Not surprisingly, there is a serious oak influence in this wine, but it is integrating superbly. The colour is an opaque maroon. This is a big, bold and delicious red, richly flavoured. Mocha, soy, coffee beans, dark chocolate, cassis,...

Cellar door price 150 aud. It is immediately provocative with heady fragrance of blackberry, toasted spice, dried flower, mocha and cedar characters on the nose. The palate is concentrated and deeply flavoured with velvety texture combined with seamlessly infused tannins, finishing superbly long and engaging. It’s symphonic and sumptuous with staggering power, while remaining gorgeously balanced and alluring. At its best: now to 2045. $150. Rating: 97 Points; Wine Orbit. The elegance and refinement of this excellent McLaren Vale Shiraz conceals its power and driving intensity. Waves of dark fruit cascade with blackberry plum and...

Cellar Door Price 480aud. This wine has built a formidable following in mainland China, second in popularity only to Penfolds Grange. The trade spat between China and Australia has left some parcels stranded. We pounced on this as soon as it was offered. However, what was a supply river has turned into a trickle. "Exquisite. This is what modern Barossa Shiraz is all about. It brings the power and concentrated opulence firmly into the frame, but then it gently caresses and controls it in a more refined presentation. These are words you might not have read about old-time Barossa Shiraz. Deep and concentrated power with rich layered dark...

Cellar Door price 150aud. Deep-tinted Shiraz that delivers plenty of heft while maintaining a perfect balance between tannins, acidity and fruit/alcohol sweetness. The result is a delicious wine with real drinkability and the potential to develop gracefully with bottle age. A seductively silken texture is the cherry on the cake. Complex, perfectly proportioned red with a hint of spicy oak standing out from luscious ripe fruit which holds centre-stage. Rating: 95 Points; Bob Campbell MW; The Real Review A treasure of a vintage. This is the kind of wine you want to peer further into its depths with each sip. The palate is restrained, allowing...

Cellar Door Price 150aud. The new faces behind the Curtis Family Vineyards are Mark, Thomas & Jenna Curtis, with the guidance of their father, Claudio Curtis who lives on the vineyard just outside McLaren Vale. The name Curtis is thought to derive from Curtius, a noble and wealthy family of the First and Second Centuries AD, the Roman Empire era originating from the Latinium people.  This is powerful and substantial with grace and sophistication; the perfumed bouquet shows dark fruit intensity, cake spice, toasty oak and mocha characters, followed by a robust palate offering wonderfully layered mouthfeel with plush texture and...

Cellar Door Price 100 AUD.   "Its wonderfully ripe and seductively complex, showing dark berry, cedar, anise, thyme and subtle cocoa notes on the nose. The impressively concentrated palate offers expansive mouthfeel and silky flow, back by loads of fine-grained tannins. Multi-layered and gratifying. At its best: now to 2035. Price: $100.00; Rating: 96 Points; Sam Kim; Wine Orbit."   The new faces behind the Curtis Family Vineyards are Mark, Thomas & Jenna Curtis, with the guidance of their father, Claudio Curtis who lives on the vineyard just outside McLaren Vale. The name Curtis is thought to derive from Curtius, a...

Cellar Door price 100aud.   The shiraz is predominantly from Wrattonbully, the Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra. The introduction to this wine is pure seduction. Mint, melted dark chocolate, sweet blackcurrant, coconut, Nutella and a general impression that you’re about to dive into a rich, dark, hedonistic pool. All these first impressions are confirmed when you take your first mouthful, which is faithful to the nose but then adds a significant swagger of tannin. This wine is certainly seductive but it’s also serious, in style, and serious in quality too. Indeed the word profound comes to mind. There’s some alcohol...

Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, elderberry, graphite, praline aromas with herb garden notes. Richly flavoured, buoyant and minerally with dark chocolate, dark berry fruits, persistent fine gravelly textures, lovely mid-palate volume and plentiful mocha, roasted chestnut oak complexity. Finishes chocolaty firm with plentiful sweet fruit/ graphite notes. Superb density, texture and balance. Should develop well over the long haul. Drink to: 2023 - 2038; Rating: 97 Points; Andrew Caillard MW. Gold - The Great Australian Shiraz Challenge 2022 Gold - Perth Royal Wine Show Hand picked. Fermented in open tops, largely ambient. Aged in French...

Deep crimson. Classic cassis, blackberry, black olive tapenade, leafy aromas with vanilla, cedar notes. Well balanced powerful wine with saturated blackcurrant, dark plum, praline, brambly flavours, fine grainy/ al-dente tannins, and underlying cedar oak complexity. Finishes leafy firm with plentiful dark fruits and extract. Superb fruit definition, volume and torque. Cellar for a while. Drink to: 2024 - 2040; Rating: 98 Points; Andrew Caillard MW. Gold Medal - Decanter World Wine Awards It seems this vintage of Thomas Hardy is straight Coonawarra (often it's a multi-regional blend). Excellent dark purple hue. It's deep, rich and...

Comes off some pretty old, ungrafted Barossa vines. It's a most elegant and refined wine that shows another side of the Barossa. Largely traditional winemaking with gentle crushing, fermentation in open vats for three weeks and then pressing to Fresh barriques for 15 months. Has a lovely spicy perfume on the nose with races of red berry and light cedar. The palate is almost medium weight in that it is so effortless and stylish. Extends with ease to an exceptionally long finish. Wonderful expression of the Barossa. Drink to: 2024-2042; Price: $90.00; Rating: 97 Points; Ray Jordan

Houghton was established in 1836, just four years after the fledgling colony of Western Australia was founded. It is one of Australia's oldest operating wineries. Houghton is now the tenth-largest red and white bottle brand in Australia, and sources fruit from every major premium grape-growing region in WA, including Gingin, Margaret River, Frankland River and Mount Barker in the Great Southern, and the emerging Pemberton region. A wine of elegance and fruit power, C.W. Ferguson honours the contribution of early Houghton winemaker Charles William Ferguson. During his time at Houghton, Charles established a solid reputation for Houghton...

RRP 120aud. Opulent, powerful concentrated; this is Barossa with polish. Sourced from low yielding shiraz vines with the fruit treated with kid gloves from the start. Hand picking, whole bunch fermentation, hand lunging and direct pressing to American and French oak. It works wonders. Ripe black fruits on the nose showing black olive and blackberry. The palate is plush with a grainy chalky influence. Rich and chewy with a polished finish. Drink: 2024 - 2036; Price: $120.00; Rating: 96 Points; Ray Jordan.

Cellar Doofr Price A$ 115   The Magarey Lane vineyard, planted in 1989, has supplied grapes to many famous brands such as Reschke, and over the past 30 years, the largely unirrigated vines have matured and are producing wonderfully ripe and concentrated wines.   "Vines for this bottling are 30 years old. Terra Rossa soils and destemmed berries. Matured in a mix of French and American barrels and hogsheads for 18 months with further maturation in bottle. Bilberry, blackcurrants and just picked boysenberry. Fresh potting soil, cassia bark and crushed granite. Clove, mace and allspice. Pencil box and cigar clippings. A muscular...

Cellar Door price $115 Aud. "Immensely complex and fragrant, the bouquet is filled with dark fruit richness, charcuterie, spicy oak and mocha characters, leading to a concentrated palate offering plush mouthfeel backed by bold tannins, finishing lingering and sturdy.: 97 Points; Sam Kim; Wine Orbit At its best: now to 2033. "A marvelous example of Coonawarra Shiraz. It’s powerful yet so beautifully refined. Deeply concentrated spicy dark fruit characters burst from the glass. It is a plush and generously appointed wine of tremendous poise. A mix of French and American oak has been used perfectly, contributing to a wine that...

Fruit off Quarry Hill vineyard near Murrumbateman. A noir red with a purple tinge to the rim, then a decadent, structured wine follows. A mass of dark plums all spiced up with savoury oak following through on the full-bodied palate. While there’s a succulence within, there are also ripe, compact tannins keeping the wine firmly in shape and leading to a slightly drying finish.95 points. Jane Faulkner Published 16 August 2022 The Single Vineyard range is site specific, showcasing individual style and personality, delivering wines of terrific nuance and detail. The McWilliam’s winemaking team continually strive for quality, pushing...

Cellar Door 100aud. Miles from Nowhere is all about a passion for winemaking. Careful consideration was given to the best location & unique sites for the vineyards. Margaret River has such a diverse range of micro climates and unique terroir, so having the right foundation for the vineyards is fundamental to their success. Combine this with the talented, award winning winemaking team lead by Rory Clifton Parks, they have proven to produce exceptional wines that express varietal expression and the true character of the Margaret River region. A traditional winemaking approach has been taken here, including open top fermentation and...

Cellar Door Price 100aud.   A cleverly made shiraz that reveals what this variety can deliver in Margaret River. It’s co-fermented with a small amount of spicy viognier and then gets a little carbonic maceration, both of which contribute to its perfumed aromas and bright palate. It then gets 17 months in a mix of French and American oak. Velvety smooth palate, yet there is power here driving a sustained finish. An effortless wine of class. Drink to: 2024-2036; Price: $100.00; Rating: 96 Points; Ray Jordan.   #NOW

105aud Retail. Precise and driven. Fine boned yet eminently present. Red and dark fruits along with mocha and liquorice nuances, yield to highly finessed and incredibly fine-grained savoury tannins. Graphite in texture, the wine is tightly wound within long mineral acidity, which carries intensity through the palate. White pepper, cedar and elegant allspice notes linger throughout the enduring, linear finish. Deep colour; a powerful, full-bodied shiraz leaving not even a scintilla of doubt about its regional and varietal provenance, but does so secure in the knowledge of its balance and length; supple black fruits licorice and dark chocolate...

105 aud retail. Highly polished release. Selected parcels from its source vineyard in the Vale’s south-western Whites Valley district get the royal treatment, a large proportion of new French oak in play in the winery offering its typical influence in the finished wine with finessed tannins, a minerally char and toast, yet still room for its rich dark plum fruit and acidity to drive intense drinking pleasures long into the future. Exciting stuff. Price: $105.00; Rating: 96 Points; Tony Love. From Lopresti vineyard lots 10 and 11, which are characterised by Biscay clays over limestone. 55% new French oak and 5% new American for 20...

  Cellar Door Price 75aud. Mt Bera’s 157ha of lush hills and valley have evolved from an 1851 commercial orchard to the biodynamically grown vineyards of today. The 1990s marked the beginning of how the Horner family’s passion shaped Mt Bera’s identity, producing wines of elegance, purity and a true expression of its source. A mellow, well-balanced, fuller-flavoured red wine of intense blackcurrant, cassis, chocolate and sweet spice profile. Richness is a byword here, so too density. Tannins are robust and shape the wine well, drawing flavours long. Oak seasoning is distinct, perhaps a little too overt, so you have to...

RRP $75 aud. Mt Bera’s 157ha of lush hills and valley have evolved from an 1851 commercial orchard to the biodynamically grown vineyards of today. The 1990s marked the beginning of how the Horner family’s passion shaped Mt Bera’s identity, producing wines of elegance, purity and a true expression of its source. This wine deserves a quiet place and a swirl in a decanter, it isn’t yelling but speaking softly and with conviction. Plummy with boysenberry and mulberry leaf tones. There are chocolate foundation aromas mixed with coffee, nutmeg and cinnamon dust. It moves with a real sauntering pace that drifts across the...

"Separate parcels hand picked and destemmed, three-day cold soak then open fermented, 11 months' maturation in French oak (25% new). Curious labelling, as the Old Paddock and Old Hill vineyards are 500m apart and quite distinct. The French oak is more obvious than that of its siblings, but it's easily carried by the mouth-watering acidity of its red and black cherry/berry fruits." 97 points. James Halliday Published 06 July 2023

Cellar Door Price 90 AUD. Since 1952 Schild hands have tended to a selection of Barossa Valley’s most treasured and rare vines, some amongst the oldest in the world. The wisdom passed down through the generations ensures each vineyard’s unique terroir is expressed in their premium collection of wines. Inviting notes of creamy freshly scraped vanilla pods and a melange of dark compote fruit draws the drinker in to discover more. Once in the mouth, flavours of blood plums and blackberries are supported by classic Shiraz notes of coffee bean and subtle pepper spice. There is a depth and chewiness to the palate which hints at the...

Cellar Door Price 180aud. This vineyard sits at 380 metres above sea level, in the Rowland Flat sub-region, Narrow Road to be specific. It is the site of the original Schild family homestead. A superb example of what a stellar vintage 2021 is. Under diam. The colour here is maroon/purple. Everything about this wine just screams big, bold, beautiful and Barossan. The noise is awash in flavours such as chocolate, plums, mocha, licorice and a hint of peppermint. Seductive in the extreme with that typical supple texture, there is juicy acidity and silky tannins. A full flavoured style exhibiting great length. Love it. A fifteen year proposition....

Cellar Door price 70aud. In 1850, 12 miles north east of Penola, Mr John Smith established a sheep station and called the site Comaum. By 1888, with the arrival of more families to the area, Comaum School was opened. Our premium Coonawarra vineyard is situated on the original school house site, and each year a special wine is released in its honour. An abundance of purple and black fruits, with concentrated notes of dark cherry, bay leaf and dark chocolate. Vibrant fruit supported by elegant tannins and subtle toasted oak create a seamless, layered wine with depth. A very fine Shiraz from Coonawarra, from an excellent vintage. The nose...

Cellar Door Price 80aud. Blewitt Springs sourcing, 12 days on skins, 8 months in French oak. Some of the more delicate varieties and blends suffer from the indomitable oak handling here. But this – dense, burly, rich and brimming with darker fruit tones, licorice strap, smoked meats, clove and alternate spices flowing from attack to finish – relishes it. A unashamedly big wine, of poise, power and precision. Drink to: 2028; Price: $80.00; Rating: 94 Points; Ned Goodwin MW; James Halliday Wine Companion.   Another 2018 McLaren Vale Shiraz from the Ulithorne team – well, why wouldn’t you if you can!...

Cellar Door 150aud. The most distinctive of the Ulithorne Shiraz trio. Whereas the other wines made no attempt to disguise their gentle seduction, this is unapologetically savoury, its superfine tannins not unlike those of nebbiolo. Cloves replace dark chocolate, black berries and black cherries are the Lords of Darkness, or the translation of the Latin name of this wine, 'fruit of the earth'.  Alcohol: 14.5%; Drink by: 2041;  Rating: 97 Points & Special Value Star; James Halliday; Wine Companion.     Ulithorne produces small quantities of red wines from selected parcels of grapes from its estate vineyard...

Cellar Door 150aud. Blewitt Springs fruit. Micro-fermented in new and used French wood after hand harvesting. The right portions of each, judging by a finely hewn bridle of tannins, controlling and directing the fray. As far as warm-climate shiraz goes, this is good. Contemporary in terms of lifted florals and a modicum of tension. Avuncular in terms of weight, power and the armchair you'll need to settle into after drinking it....Alcohol: 14.5%; Drink by: 2034;  Rating: 95 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion.     Ulithorne produces small quantities of red wines from selected parcels of grapes from its estate vineyard in...

Retail Price 175 aud. Ulithorne produces small quantities of red wines from selected parcels of grapes from its estate vineyard in McLaren Vale, planted in 1950 by Bob Whiting. These rare and high-quality wines are crafted to always consider the fruit first – ensuring that the final wine celebrates all that is unique in the flavours and structure of the fruit taste, as it ripens in the vineyard. Sourced from Ulithorne's 1965 planted dry-grown vineyard in Blewitt Springs, handpicked, cooled overnight, open-fermented, basket-pressed to 20% new and 80% used French oak for 12-15 months. Shows a tapestry of cherry and ruby red fruits...