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.

Levantine Hill Estate Syrah 2013 has bright crimson colour. Brooding, lifted complex aromas of red berry compote, musk, cardamom and white pepper compliment the underlying nutmeg and vanillin bouquet. The elegant medium-bodied palate abounds with spice and earthy nuances in a concentration of savouriness. The silky ripe tannins have been deftly integrated with the underlying oak providing carriage for the fruit weight and lingering flavours to a pronounced and persistent finish.

Encouraged by the success of the Shiraz Viognier, Clonakillas Tim Kirk decided to release a new wine, beginning with the 2006 vintage -- a straight Shiraz from the same estate vines that produce the Shiraz Viognier. It was named Syrah, the French name for Shiraz. The winemaking is simple. A single fermenter is filled with the best Shiraz from the north-east facing T&L vineyard. "Simply a classic wine from a classic estate.- Campbell Mattison"A very great wine.- James Halliday The whole berries (no stems) are fermented warm by native yeasts. They then spend up to a month macerating on skins followed by 18 months maturation in French oak, one-third new. The Syrah is typically a darker, more brooding wine than the Shiraz Viognier, with a distinct wild berry and potent spice character. This is Clonakillas Hermitage to the Shiraz Viogniers Côte Rôtie. Total production is no more than 300 dozen each year.

Bright red with a purple hue, a glass of Estate Vineyards Syrah is like opening a spice box. It overflows with cherry, blackberry, boysenberry, thyme, pepper and the irresistible scents of Black Doris plum and vanilla. There are floral lift and charm here, but also a supple palate with luxurious savoury fruit and enticing notes of red and black liquorice. The perfume and depth of this syrah are matched by its fine, textural expression, balance and soft, even tannins. Food match with a wonderful accompaniment to all red meats, savoury and lightly spiced dishes of Mediterranean cuisine, as well as soft cheeses.

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.

DOMAINE BELLE Roche Pierre , Crozes-Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage