William Downie and the Thousand Candles team are keen to expand our understanding of premium wine from the Yarra Valley. A shy complexity; a layered sense of tone and colour, and a nervous acceleration as the wine slips seamlessly from beginning to end. A wine that tells the story of its place more so than its varietals. A wine that pushes the boundaries, from one of Australia's most innovative and skilled wine makers.

Glaetzer-Dixon's wine maker Nick has taken four generations of Barossa shiraz wine-making knowledge and applied it to carefully selected parcels of shiraz grapes from the Coal Valley in Southern Tasmania. The Mon Père Shiraz is a pre-eminent cool-climate shiraz, with flavours and textures evocative of Northern Rhône valley wines.

Dense aromas of plum pudding, dried apricots and eastern spice introduce a voluptuous palate, boasting silky tannin, delicate hints of fresh summer berries and earthier tones of toasted oak and freshly cracked allspice. The wine has a clean, persistent acid line, with lingering red berries, white pepper and vanilla pod. Ray Jordans Best Shiraz in his 2016 Wine guide.

Bannockburn’s Shiraz is drawn predominately from vines in the south-facing Winery Block (planted in 1990) and some declassified De La Roche (planted in 2007). All sites possess soils of mainly volcanic scoria over basalt, clay and loam with a limestone clay base. The 2020 was a low yielding year and a cooler season than 2019. The fruit was wild fermented with 10% whole bunches and some carbonic maceration. The wine spent two weeks on skins before being pressed, settled and racked to French oak hogsheads (10% new) for 12 months élevage. Alongside a reduction in the use of new barrels, Matt Holmes has gradually been introducing more influence of carbonic in his Shiraz. Holmes feels the mature Winery Block has inherent savoury qualities (due to the clay/limestone, old vines and poor soils) and the carbonic impact helps to lift the impression of brightness and fruit purity.

This wine shows a colour of deep red or garnet with a crimson hue around the edge. Aroma of blood plum and a bit of spice. Lovely flavours with early fruit sweetness of plums and cherry followed by black pepper and a beautiful acid finish and certain longevity. Perfect example of cool climate Syrah. Drinks well now and for upto 8-10 years.