Gibson Wines is one of the reasons why we all love the Barossa Valley so much. Small family winery, ancient soils, hand-crafter wines all made by a true Barossa character, Rob Gibson. With his signature moustache and motorcyclists' leather waistcoat, Rob puts all his years of experience into every bottle. The Reserve Shiraz is grown from a single estate vineyard in Stockwell and displays aromas and flavours that are fresh and lively with juicy fruit tones that are hard to find in 2007. Amazing what can be achieved with rigorous fruit selection and detailed winemaking.

A complex, savoury nose of spice and white pepper. Rich plummy fruit with a touch of vanilla and cedary oak characters. This Grant Burge Balthasar Shiraz is drinking beautifully now or for careful medium term cellaring.

This wine has an intense bright purple hue and an inkier royal red carpet colour closer to the centre of the glass. The aroma is an astonishing and lifted brace of blackberries, spice and even a perfume like touch of blueberries. Pure fruit and spice that is not in any way overwhelmed by winemaking artefact. The wine has a concentration of aromas that come from not over-ripe fruits. The smells change quickly in the glass and are fascinating to follow but the mouth beckons. There is quite a remarkable entry to the palate. A seamless soft but structured shiraz, lots of blackberries again for sure but also a mid-palate dark chocolate spice that whooshes through the mouth that you want to slow it down and check it out. There is some cream and spice from the French Oak and an almost chalk like tannin structure but it's all about the pure fruit.

GISA ELLIPSE RESERVE BAROSSA VALLEY SHIRAZ is the pinnacle wine in the GISA portfolio.The fruit is 100% Single Vineyard Barossa Valley shiraz from the Copper Hill vineyard, owned by Denis Rohrlach near Williamstown. This vineyard is a single cordon vineyard at 450 m above sea level. The low yielding old vines produce a fruit that is dense, dark and concentrated in its flavour.Traditional winemaking techniques including hand plunged open fermenters were used to extract the best from the fruit. Post ferment the wine was pressed off and entombed in French and American for a period of 12 months. The wine received minimal intervention from this point.A tight structured wine with layers of complex fruits, full round mouthfeel, fine approachable tannins and good length. Whilst closed on the nose when initially opened the wine benefits from decanting and time to breath.True to its roots this is a ripe, rich, full flavoured Barossa Shiraz.The bottled result is a wine personifies the GISA philosophy.

Old Hands acknowledges that many of the Barossas finestvineyards are owned by long-time grape growers with years ofexperience, often with the benefit of advice from pastgenerations. Made in a generous Barossa style the aromas of redfruits, sweet spice and cedar are complemented by a dense andripe palate of dark fruits, chocolate, soft tannin and length offlavour.

Aromas of dark cherry, blackberry and rasperry with chocolate and vanilla. Rich and ripe flavours of cherry and chocolate with excellent length. Fine Acres Estate near Vine Vale has some of the oldest vines in the Barossa Valley. The ancient, gnarly, 100-year-old vines on the Estate still produce high quality Shiraz in the bold Barossa style, coupled with finesse. Matured for 19 months in a combination of French and American Oak.

Bruno & George Old Vine Shiraz, Barossa Valley Shiraz may be the archetype of the Barossa, but there are those expressions that transcend the usual heavy-weights by virtue of the experience of those behind them. Such is the case with Bruno & George. Here, deep local knowledge and vast international experience applied to both viticulture and winemaking, comes up trumps. The result is a more transparent wine, mid-weighted of feel and flecked with scents of lilac, salumi, clove, iodine and ample blue fruits. A smooth operator in the mouth, with a long glide to the finish, chaperoned by polished tannins and a peppery lilt. The choice of used, rather than new wood, appropriate.