Handpicked fruit has been aged in French oak hogs heads and puncheaons to ensure the fruit was the dominant flavour and structure of the wine. On the nose layers of bright red and dark fruits greet you with perfume, spice and earth notes. This is followed by a complex and vibrant palate with a beautiful perfume. Layers of red currants and blueberries integrate with spice, underlayed with French vanilla bean and some earthy notes. It has waves of fine grained chalky tannins and a long finish.

It’s fabulously fruited and perfumed on the nose showing Black Doris plum, cherry, mixed spice and rich floral aromas, followed by a concentrated palate delivering considerable weight and persistency. It’s succulent and fleshy with a prolonged satisfying finish. At its best: now to 2036.

Very dark, vibrant, purple with a dense crimson hue. Pepper/spice on the nose with macerated berries and a hint of pink grapefruit. Plum pudding and Christmas spices. Rich and soft entry with fragrant red fruits, some fresh tarragon and clear cedar characters complemented by dark cacao. Juicy macerated blackberries, tempered with the soft idiosyncratic milky McLaren Vale Shiraz sweetness and roundness and spike of red citrus and cranberry notes. Lush mouth filling after palate with rolling soft,

Made by Rockstar winemaker Ben Riggs, the McLaren Vale Shiraz is as true an expression as one could hope for. The fifth release of the wine is based around a core of pristine fruit with dark red berries, hints of spice, earth, tar and leather and with seamlessly integrated oak. Ripe tannins are apparent but not overwhelming, meaning this is a wine which can be enjoyed now or in the next 10-15 years.

In the glass the 2010 S has a black core with a deep red rim. There are elegant aromas of red black fruits, and spicy earthy notes with a hint of grilled meats, graphite and controlled oak. On the palate the fruit continues with rich plums, and blueberries and delicate spice and chocolate which all roll on to a juicy palate with fine tannins that go on ... and on. Smidge recommends drinking this wine betwen 2014 and 2030.

Fleshier and more structured that its predecessor's vineyards, a violet/lavender centre to raspberries, sarsaparilla and creamy blueberry pie. Plush and opulent. Always smooth and creamy in its fruit expression the site really offers a unique balance of approachability and cellar-worthiness. The Blewitt Springs site has a brilliant aged profile that may be mistaken for aged grand-cru Burgundy when tasted blind.

Sourced from vines over 60 years old, Olivers Taranga's reserve shiraz is a powerful wine. Rich, dark fruit balanced against notes of dark chocolate and spice. Throw in some super silky tannins and you've got one seriously smooth McLaren Vale beauty.

Exceptionally potent and powerful, initially giving the (false) impression its alcohol is more than 14%. Retasting brings it back into perspective, the two varieties bonded, yet each preserving its varietal integrity and structural architecture. A classic Australian blend of exceptional quality, destined to outlive most who taste it.