The Shingleback D Block Reserve Shiraz is named for the Davey Block of the Davey Estate vineyard and is the personal expression of the McLaren Vale from the eyes of winemaker John Davey. True reserve wines, the D Block is only made in exceptional vintages just like this 2009. In the glass the wine has a colour that is impenetrable purple red. On the nose there are aromas of mulberry and blackberry that mingle with dusty cashew, milky chocolate (typical of McLaren Vale), spice and forest floor. There are tight, fine tannins to counter the bold, fresh fruit which results in an alluring and unmistakable wine that expresses the essence of the vine, the time and the place.

Planted in 2007, this 0.8-hectare vineyard is littered with volcanic rocks (hence the name) and lies on the plateau above the De La Terre slope—essentially making it a westerly extension of the Serré vineyard. It was originally planted with various clonal cuttings from Best’s and Tahbilk on a mix of rootstock and own roots. Holmes only uses the Best’s clone in this bottling today and the rest of the site has been grafted over to Chardonnay, giving Bannockburn a close-planted Chardonnay block, named Grigsby after Bannockburn’s long-standing vineyard manager. The fruit was fully destemmed in 2011, wild fermented with indigenous yeast and then spent 12 months in 1/3 new French puncheons and a second year in 5 year old barriques.

Kooyong's Estate Pinot Noir is seriously seductive Pinot Noir from the Pinot artist that is Sandro Mosele. Earthy and dark cherry aromas are followed by a complex palate of blood plums, fine tannins and some bracing acid. This is not only a great Pinot that looks strikingly vibrant in its youth, but will also play its part in delivering amazing flavours when laid down for the medium term.

Paringa is one of Australia's best and most consistent Pinot producers. This wine shows superb varietal aromas of cherry, plum and spice, and the palate is long, textured and complex. With the ability to be cellared for the medium to long term, Lindsay McCall's Estate Pinot is a certainty to be included in any cellar of a great Pinot Noir lover.

The Canberra District has quickly established itself as the Australian home of Northern Rhône style reds, and most notably Shiraz Viognier. With the cool-climate and the elevated nature of the Lark Hill Vineyards, the extra viscosity attributed to the addition of Viognier to the Shiraz as well as the fragrant lift, work perfectly for this wine.

The Savaterre vineyard is elevated at 430m above sea level and is farmed along organic principles. No pesticides are used. An incredibly complex, lifted, lively and intense nose. Exotic aromas of smoked meats, dried red rose, allspice, clove, dark plum, dark cherry ,blackberry, mulberry, mandarin, violets, sandalwood, bay and funky undergrowth. This aroma really revs me up, it continues to evolve as time goes by. This wine is alive! Complexity, poise, sinewy acid, fine tannins wrapped around a sleek core of pristine dark fruit. A wine thats slightly reduced and smelling of undergrowth now that transforms in the glass and continues to seduce. This is Terroir. This is Savaterre.

Every so often there are parcels of wine that generate tremendous excitement amongst the winemakers at Schild Estate. They set this aside to make Prämie, the wine that defines the best of the vintage and the land on which it was grown. Intense primary fresh plum flavours show again on the palate, where they hold their presence all the way through to roll out soft and pillowy at the finish. A firmly present, but fine tannin framework provides just enough focus and lift for the fruit to ensure added complexity, but retaining vibrancy to the mouth flavours of this Shiraz.

Margaret River is an under appreciated region for Australian Shiraz, and it's hard to see why with Cape Mentelle's Shiraz showing a vibrant core of blueberry, mulberry and hints of raspberry. It is well balanced with cocoa and savoury oak. The palate yet, is fine, elegant and focussed, finishing with chalky and structural tannins.

This cool-climate Shiraz shows white pepper on the nose with dark fruit and blackberry characters. The palate is full and ripe with berry fruit flavour, tight acidity and fine grained tannins.

Old vine Barossa Valley Shiraz doesn't get much better than this. The Kaesler name was reborn by winemaker and visionary Reid Bosward in 1997, breathing new life in the over 100 year old vineyards. A Quirky name matched with unrivaled concentration make The Bogan Shiraz as must have for all big Australian Shiraz lovers.