McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Shiraz continues lead the pack of great Hunter Valley Shiraz. A lovely return to old form, this Maurice has a striking purple hue to it in the glass. To the nose aromas of liquorice and spice with hints of cedar will beguile. Layers of complex flavours dance across the palate including savoury, spicy dark fruits like dark plums and cherries. A classic of classics.

Jasper Hill and Ron Laughton are true pioneer's and icons in the central Victorian wine region of Heathcote. Georgia's Paddock is the larger of 'Jasper's' vineyards, with 12 hectares planted to Shiraz to produce a wine rich in character and complexity. Always known for it's extreme ageability, Georgia's Paddock Shiraz will comfortably lie down for over a decade to deliver a Heathcote Shiraz simply bursting with concentration.

St Henri is a time-honoured and alternative expression of shiraz, and an intriguing counterpoint to Grange. It is unusual among high quality Australian red wines as it does not rely on any new oak. A wine that immediately invokes interest, black cherry, mulberry, blackcurrant, boysenberry and more are propelled from the glass. A subliminal waft of stare anise and savoury spices (not sweet) hover above. On the palate, red and dark-fruited, a compote of fresh prune and quince.

With a name that directly translates from French as 'The Soil', the Le Sol Syrah (Shiraz) pays homage to the terroir that creates this rich and evocative wine. With the trademark Gimblett Gravels stony soil, with exhibits amazing refinement and breeding while not relinquishing body and complexity.

The Torbreck Descendant has a powerful nose of blackberry and tar complemented by floral lavender and a violet lift. Full-bodied and concentrated with ripe silky tannins and plenty of extract this wine has a great future ahead.

Best's Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz is an amazing wine and is without doubt one of the most important wines made in this country, with fruit coming from the original Thomson Family Vineyard planted in1867. These vines are over 140 years old! Hand picked and hand crafted, produced using century old techniques, this is a wine of true beauty, complexity and character. Only 2800 bottles produced.

Powell & Son Steinert Flaxmans Shiraz, Eden Valley Powell & Son (first vintage 2014) is the venture of Barossa Valley legend Dave Powell and his son Callum. The Steinert vineyard is located in the hills of the Eden Valleys Flaxmans Valley and is home to some of the most prized vines of the Barossa -- dry-grown, rod and spur pruned, and planted before the turn of the 19th century. The 2ha vineyard faces north-east on dark quartzitic loam soils at 480m. The vines experience a long, cool ripening period, producing fruit with outstanding accumulation of complex flavours and elegant, powerful tannins. Fruit is hand-picked in three separate passes and fermented traditional open-top concrete vats and pump overs. The wine is then racked and basket-pressed for gentle extraction of tannin, then transferred to new Dominique Laurent barriques for natural malolactic fermentation followed by 18 months maturation before bottling without fining or filtration. The Steinerts complex perfume combines dried herbs and spices, lifted florals, dark cherries, red currants, charcuterie meats and wood-smoke. The palate is supple, framed by fine-grained tannins and typically offers dark fruits with thyme, lavender, cedar and cloves, finishing with plentiful soft, powdery tannins.

St Hallett Mighty Ox Shiraz (Magnum) St Halletts Mighty Ox Shiraz is a new icon for the heritage Barossa label. It is a decadent, classic style of Barossa Shiraz, saturated with black fruit and fit for many decades of cellaring.Fruit for this wine is sourced from several sites in the Northern Barossa, in Ebenezer, Greenock, and Moppa Hills. Bold and strong, it is named for the oxen that were once used to plough the soils of the Barossa. All parcels for this wine are treated individually, then spend 8 to 12 days of warm fermentation on skins. It is aged in American oak. The result is a full bodied showstopper, luscious and driving on the palate. The fruit intensity here is immense, with oak nuances teeming with vanilla and dark chocolate. The finish is incredibly long.