Another hearty expression of Barossa's generous fruit from the impressive Teusner stable. Black olives, black pepper and blackberries, there's a dark side to this feisty Shiraz. Concentrated and thick yet artfully constructed with balance and efficiency.

Vintage conditions The 2019 growing season was a challenging one from the start with a very dry winter and spring with frost events in September disrupting budburst. Windy conditions affected flowering and further frost episodes and hail in November caused further challenges. Very hot and dry conditions during summer and lack of rain resulted in small berries and low bunch weights resulting in the lowest yields in recent decades. The resultant wines have great colour, intense flavours and firm tannins. Vineyard selection The “Home Block” Shiraz was exclusively sourced from our estate-grown Block 3A Shiraz vines planted in 1994. Winemaking Once the grapes have been identified to be of optimum maturation and flavour ripeness, the parcels are brought into the winery where they are destemmed and crushed into the open top fermenters. Manual pump overs are conducted twice daily to provide extraction of colour, flavour and tannins. Towards the end of fermentation, the wine is drained and then pressed to a combination of predominately new French oak barrels for 19 months maturation. Careful barrel selection takes place before the wine is blended. The wine is neither fined nor filtered. Tasting Evaluation Colour: Dark purple, with almost black core. Aroma: Intense bouquet of dark plum, black cherry, espresso, with mocha notes. Vanilla pod and gingernut biscuit hide in the background. Palate: Saturated palate of dark berries, savoury French oak spice complimented with fine grain tannins. Vibrant red apple acidity provides focus and length.

Dark red in colour. This wine has a complex nose of dark fruits, blueberry, herbs, spice & pepper. The palate is diverse and fine with dark plum & black fruits all to the fore in this rich & succulent wine that will age well into the future.

It’s no secret that Shiraz is the core strength of the Barossa. It has; is, and always will be quintessential to our region. This is due to the dedication of generations of Barossans. With this, I pay the highest respect to the great wines of the 80’s and 90’s; the wines that showed the world how great the Barossa is, in the hope the new generation of winemakers and grape growers don’t forget the thing that gave them the opportunity to do what they do and love now.

Krondorf 121 Settlers Barossa Valley Shiraz The 121 Settlers Old Vine Shiraz is sourced from a single site at the cooler southern extremity of Barossa, in St. Jakobi, abutting the western ridge of the Lyndoch sub-zone. Here, a conflation of red clay and loam promotes earlier ripening, a mitigating factor against inclement weather and the growing risk of early season frosts that Climate Change has foisted upon us. As importantly these dense soils imbue the wines with a firm tannic carriage, ensuring passage to greater complexity in the cellar, while serving as a structural harness for typically exuberant Barossan fruit. The average age of the vines is in excess of 35 years, with gnarled octogenarian survivors among them. Yields are inherently low as the established root systems reach deep below the soils substrata in search of water and the requisite nutrients drawn through it. Yet the fruit that is produced is immaculate: vibrant, concentrated and firmly stamped with the regional postcode of generosity. The winemaking is dutifully sensitive, chaperoning the fruit from vineyard to bottle with minimal intrusion: gravity feeds, gentle pigeage and 16-18 months in used, rather than new, oak. The result is one of dark fruit allusions from plum to blackberry, underlain by a potpourri of spice including black pepper, clove and star anise, all melded to a pungent thread of mineral. The oak is apparent, but only as an adjunct to propel the finish long. As with many Barossan greats, the fruit weight allows for early appeal, albeit, this is a wine that will easily cellar for 15 years onwards.

Yalumba has always had a passion to keep exciting barrels or small batch wines separate from the blending table, regardless of quantity. This is where the Steeple Vineyard Shiraz was discovered. Sourced from antique vines within the Yalumba Steeple Vineyard on the Barossa Valley floor, this Shiraz is a strong expression of terroir, with a dynamic scent, energetic freshness and cooling earthy tannins.

One of Australia's true great wine treasures, Henschke produce a range of wines that are the envy of most. Keyneton Estate is often the first premium wine from this most famous of producers that people try. As such, the attention to detail and meticulous craftsmanship of this wine is a testament to the vision and passion of Stephen and Prue Henschke.