Coming from one of the best vintages in recent Barossa history, the Old Block from St Hallett shows what careful vineyard management can do for a wine. Rich, dark and conerntrated but with seamless tannin intergration.

Sourced from the Standish Family Vineyard Siegersdorf Road, Vine Vale, Barossa Valley. Planted on own roots in 1912. Dense, latent and strapping, this flaunts the flawless purity that can be leached from the famed sandy flints of Vine Vale. Tightly wound with its cards close to the vest, deep-set aromatics of coal, pressed currant and black truffle are foiled by redolent tones of tilled soil, beef broth and slow roasted meats. Dark and brooding with immense concentration, persistence and energy it is somewhat of a heroic style but is gently laced with a long fine cloak of silken tannin.

TARDIEU-LAURENT Cuvee Speciale, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

THE STANDISH WINE COMPANY Lamella Shiraz, Barossa The Standish Wine Company produces a number of small-volume, single-site wines from various parts of the Barossa and Eden valleys. This one is 100% Shiraz from Hutton Vale Farm in the Eden Valley. Dan Standish is a sixth generation Barossan and seven generations of the Angas family have worked Hutton Vale. The Lamella is a transcendent Shiraz of great density and purity, yet also has a feeling of elegance maintained through careful and sensitive winemaking. Dan Standish is an important figure in the Barossa. He founded The Standish Wine Company in 1999 and in 2000, after leaving Torbreck (then soon to have two Langtons Classified wines), he co-founded Massena, another label that has played an important part in redefining modern Barossa Valley.winemaking.He has also made wine in Californias Napa and Sonoma valleys, the Rioja in Spain and the Rhone Valley of France. His aim is to showcase some of the Barossas finest sites with seductive wines that combine power and finesse. He has built a reputation for being able to make wines with a distinctive X-factor.

TWO HANDS Dave's Block Single Vineyard Blewitt Springs Shiraz, McLaren Vale

This classic Yarra Valley Shiraz from Yeringberg is showing those trademark Shiraz characters of cracked black pepper and great fruit weight, there is also some good concentration and a long powdery tannin finish.