Fragrant notes of cherry and plum with lifted oak notes. Silky smooth palate, beautifully balanced with dark fruit flavours, smooth integrated oak and a long finish. 2017 marks our third vintage of Shiraz from the Hilltops region. We have the pleasure of working with two wonderful growers, who operate some of the very best vineyard sites in the area. Shiraz from Brian Freemans vineyards (Home and Back blocks) makes its way into our Hilltops Shiraz No.1 release, while Jason Browns Moppity Vineyard is the source of our fruit for the Hilltops Shiraz No.2. We try to approach the production of the two wines in a similar fashion, to better highlight the differences between the two vineyards. Warm fermentations followed short cold soak periods, after which maturation took place over 12 months in French oak puncheons approx. 25% new oak. I aim to produce two clean, yet complex, styles of Hilltops Shiraz; honest expressions of where they are grown. I am always enamoured with how Shiraz from this region offers such generosity and intensity, whilst still retaining a medium bodied framework, and trademark cool-climate elegance.balancing the richness of fruit on offer, and building some impressive structure and drive. A boutique producer of premium Semillon and Shiraz, Gundog Estate engages passionate growers who deliver the highest quality fruit year on year. In the winery, the winemaking team, lead by award-winning winemaker Matt Burton, employ a thoughtful combination of new and old world practices to deliver high quality, innovative wines which balance fruit flavour and complexity whilst telling a story of the season and region. Matt firmly believes that all wine should offer drinking appeal from day one, but also have the potential to age gracefully and the Marksmans Shiraz is the perfect illustration of this philosophy. The grapes for the Marksmans Shiraz come from vineyards situated in Murrumbateman and the combination of the regions loamy clay, pre-Cambrian era soils and classic continental climate of low rainfall, freezing winters and a wide temperature range during the growing months, ensure that the fruit grown is consistently of the highest quality.

Having grown grapes for generations, the Skidmore family provides premium fruit for multi-award winning winemaker Liz Silkman to turn into stunning wines. In the glass: Medium red garnet. On the nose: Blood plum, mulberry and cedar with a hint of mocha. On the palate: Featuring darkly fruited characters with bay leaf and pepper complexity, its a medium-bodied style with lovely dry, savoury tannins.

Displaying an abundance of classic Cabernet Sauvignon flavours and oak characteristics from aging in French barrels. With a nose and palate dominated by blackcurrant fruit flavor, this wine is well balanced. A lovely red plum colour that will deepen with age. Ripe varietal characters of blackcurrant with leafy notes. Is rich with French oak yet still approachable.

McWilliam's Flagship 1877 Hilltops Shiraz poses a medium-bodied shiraz with bright acidity and fine slatey tannins. Rich in perfumed fruits and features a meatiness on the palate. Ideally suited for cellaring.

The Rosso regional blend is made up of Sangiovese (60%), Barbera (25%), Sagrantino (8%), and Nebbiolo (7%) all sourced from Hilltops and Canberra. In the glass, it’s gorgeous and that’s before you get your nose in there. A bright pale ruby, the aroma dances with red fruit from strawberry to cherry to pomegranate, accented by the slightest hint of mint and rose petal. The palate is juicy and crunchy, more red fruit and the mint is replaced with a note of sage and even a touch of white pepper. There’s good concentration and length too, attesting to the quality, and it finishes with a tweak of fine tannin.

The 2016 Nebbiolo is a lovely ripe true to style Hilltops Nebbiolo. These vines are meticulously looked after throughout the growing season. It is interesting to consider when the winemaking begins for such a great wine - Is it when the grapes reach Bryan at the winery or perhaps when "Windows" prunes the vines in Winter, or is it when the vines were planted by Mark, John, and Michael and there families. Or did this wine have its beginning when the soil was taking formation, obviously all the above and much more was involved in the final wine, so please enjoy, respect and linger over all that goes into each bottle as we have.