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.

Righteous to be called a true Barossa Shiraz; Teusner FG Shiraz is bold, packed with intense black fruits, mocha and sweet spices on the nose. Great balance in oak use, giving the wine structured tannins and extra vanilla oak flavour as the back bone on the palate. Hand picked grapes from one of the oldest vines in Barossa. This is certainly one of those wines that could impress!

Henschke have in recent years begun to identify and single out great quality parcels of Shiraz fruit that deserves to be bottled seperately and released as part of their Vineyard Selection. The Tappa Pass Shiraz is sourced from old low yielding Barossa vineyards that shows amazing depth and concentration. Rich, lush and intense it will develop further complexity with bottle age.

St Hallett Old Block Shiraz, first vintage 1980, is a stalwart of the Barossa and a stalwart of Langton's Classification of Australian Wine. A blend of oldvine Shiraz (average age 90 years) from key sites in the Barossa and Eden Valleys, Old Block is one of Barossas finest.

Penfolds RWT Shiraz is a big juicy Barossan Shiraz refined by the use of older French oak barrels. 1998 is considered to be one of the classic vintages of the modern age. Drinking wonderfully now but with many years still to come in its development, this is a great addition to any cellar.

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.

The Glaetzer family have been part of the Barossa winemaking scene since 1888 and now Ben takes over the reigns and produces Shiraz of the utmost intensity and concentration. Named after the ancient Egyptian god Amon-Ra who was the champion of the poor and troubled and was central to personal piety, the temple of Amon-Ra is believed to be the first to plant a vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple. This incarnation is rich, full-bodied and viscous to the palate, yet with sublime oak integration and a balance on the back palate that is quite lifted allowing it to be paired with many meals and a prime candidate for medium to long term cellaring.

On the nose, we find a broad depth of dark and red fruits, concentrated plums and blackberry supported by a backbone of elegant oak with underlying nuances of cedar and spice. Fruit carries through on the palate with luscious berry fruits and graphite, with amazing structure from the red clay soil. Fine, velvety tannins carry through on the lengthy finish. Will benefit from decanting. Drinks well now, or will benefit from cellaring for a further 10 plus years.

Established in 2000, Sons of Eden is intimately involved in all aspects of crafting wines of unquestionable quality, from the vineyard right through to the bottle. Varieties that the Barossa produces to a world standard are hand-picked from 30 unique vineyard sites and handled through Sons of Eden’s minimal intervention small-batch winery. As a result, the wines have a strong sense of individuality. With a combined 50 Barossa vintages amassed between the Sons’, Corey Ryan and Simon Cowham, their focus on crafting world class wines is uncompromising. Stauros is a Mourvedre made from a unique old vine single vineyard and released only in years of exemplary quality. The vineyard site, in the northern Barossa Valley, is set on ancient soils that have been home to naturally occurring, but rare, stone crosses known as Staurolite. This mineral takes its name from the Greek word stauros, referring to cross.

The initials RWT stand for Red Winemaking Trial, the name given to the project internally when developmental work began in 1995. RWT is made from fruit primarily selected for its aromatic qualities and plush texture. The result is a wine that helps to redefine Barossa shiraz at the highest quality level. Built for the long haul, with the precision, concentration and balance to age for many years. Onyx, ruby rimmed colour. Floral and berry notes on the nose, with a palate of dark cherry and blackcurrant fruits affording viscosity and concentration. Peak drinking: 2025 - 2050.