Gabriel Meffre winery was established in 1936. It has since won the repuation as one of the best producers in the southern Rhone. Their Ventoux vineyard is located mainly on the sediment left by the seas of the Tertiary period at the base of the limestone massif of Ventoux. The wine is made from grenache and syrah, each component vinified separately before blending, then maturation in vats for 10 months. The result is a wine with a deep red robe and a purple hue. The nose is enticing with hints of ripe red fruits and spices, and the mouth is elegant and round with a spicy finish. This Ventoux, with its spiciness and fruit expression, will pair nicely with charcuterie, a vegetable curry or lamb colombo.

Domaine Gérard Courbis is based in the villages of Mauves, close to the boundary with Cornas, and makes very elegant traditional expressions of Northern Rhône Syrah that have both freshness and perfume, while retaining a lovely savory edge. Courbis Cornas makes a splashy entrance, flashing hints of violet, forest floor, cracked peppercorns and unctuous blueberry. Aromas of zesty blackberry gain intricacies of rose petal and graphite. This bottling embodies a firm core of mineral and persistent spice. The grapes are sourced from the producers younger vines but yet from the steepest slopes, which makes for a rich and ripe wine, with mineral tension and freshness of acidity thats thrilling. Welcoming already, it should develop complexity through the next 10 years and likely further. The wine will flatter any steak you throw on the bbq.

pen-fermented, 35% whole bunches, 2% viognier skins. Matured in 600L thick staved demi-muids. The bones are strong, the flavours are fine. There's nothing brutish about this wine, it's not rocket-propelled, and yet it pushes firmly for the stars. It tastes of graphite and black coffee, black cherries and white pepper, though what you really notice here is the wine's supple, spicy insistence and its fine web of tannin. This wine is going places.

A carnival of exploding red fruits, candy floss, sherbet fizz and adventure. Complex and sexy layers that take you for a ride. Drink with friends with a cause for celebration.

Dont miss this rare chance to secure a magnificent wine from a top producer thats in seriously short supply. Made by an acclaimed winemaker at the top of their game, this is a slice of wine history you dont want to miss. Add it to your collection while you can.

The estate was started in 1955. Patrick and Christophe Bonnefond now control 65 acres in northern Rhone of which 18 acres is in Cote Rotie. Colline du Couzou comes from an assemblage of plots in the north and south of the Cote Rotie appellation. The fruit is 80% dedstemmed and consists of 95% Syrah and 5% Cinsault. The wine is aged in small barrels for 18 months.

This is a vibrantly aromatic and juicy, red fruited wine, with energy and a refreshing, tangy backbone. The long, spicy finish has plenty to keep you engaged.

Its fair to say Luke Lambert hasn't looked back since 'relocating' his Syrah to the Tibooburra vineyard. This southwest sloping site lies in the southeastern corner of the Valley, near Gembrook, and might be the coolest microclimate of the Yarra. The site is expertly managed by Greg Kerr, the grower who planted the vineyard in 2001. The soils here are considered very unusual for the Yarra, comprising a seam of black volcanic topsoil over yellow clay with a smattering of granite rock throughout. Furthermore, the quality of the clonal material in Tibooburra supplies Lambert with deeper and darker Syrah fruit that also has more depth and structure. This is what drew him to the site and a good chunk of the reason the Syrah has become a touchstone example of cool-climate Yarra Shiraz.