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Powell & Son Kraehe Marananga Shiraz, Barossa Valley Powell & Son (first vintage 2014) is the venture of Barossa Valley legend Dave Powell and his son Callum. The Kraehe vineyard is at 235m with eastern exposure on Maranangas ironstone ridge. Its soils are red, ironstone-rich clays. The wine is aged for two years in so-called Magic Casks, French oak barrels with staves double the normal thickness. Kraehe is the epitome of Barossa Valley Shiraz -- rich and generous in fruit: plum, dark cherry and blackberry, with smooth, powerful tannins and a mouth-coating palate. The style is intense, opulent and concentrated. Kraehe Marananga Shiraz typically shows blueberry and plum fruits, attractive oak characters and great complexity -- ground coffee and mocha, meat, earth and dried herbs. The palate has layers of flavour -- blackberry compote and kirsch liqueur, wood smoke, cured meats and black olive -- through to the long finish.

Back in 1998 Chief Winemaker, Chris Hatcher, decided it was time to take Wolf Blass into the modern world and the result was a single varietal Shiraz that was 100% aged in French Oak, unlike their famous flagship the Black Label which is a blend and aged in American Oak. A wonderful contemporary version of Wolf Blass that is a cavalcade of rich blueberry, blackberry and complex elements of dark chocolate and warm spice. Superbly long on the palate with an obvious hint to a long future in the cellar.

Château La Conseillante is a classic Pomerol red that regularly fights it out with Pétrus as appellation wine of the vintage. Whether it be slightly more difficult years like the 2007 or 2008 or in sublime vintages like this 2009, La Conseillante's Merlot dominated wines have a refinement about them coupled with an unctuousness that make them very pleasing to drink early. Notes of mulberry, ripe raspberries and earthy truffle/mushroom are all present in a medium to full-bodied wine that will age confortably for the next 20+ years.

The Master pays homage to Wolf Blass's founder, Wolfgang Blass who was committed to creating outstanding wines of quality, character and consistency. This Cabernet Shiraz has complex layers of bramble berry fruits, warm spice and mocha on the nose with elegant mineral notes which combine with tightly-woven tannins and oak resulting in a wine of great personality.