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.

Bannockburn Shiraz is a multi-layered wine showing blackberry, black cherry and spice on the nose which follow through to the palate. Soft tannins and medium length.

Coming from one of the best vintages in recent Barossa history, the Old Block from St Hallett shows what careful vineyard management can do for a wine. Rich, dark and conerntrated but with seamless tannin intergration.

Tuck into a Enjoy a Gold-winning, 95pt “bold Barossa Shiraz Durif… " "94% Shiraz, 6% Durif. Big, bold and rich. Explosive red fruit. Deep purple-black, dark to the core. Dark red currant, blackberry compote, blackcurrant, and ripe plum, then liquorice, smoky chocolate, vanilla, charry oak and warm spice. Full and powerful. Dense fruit, real weight. Fine, polished tannin and enough acid to hold it. Shiraz brings the richness and spice, Durif the extra depth. Mocha and smoke from the oak. Long, powerful finish. Built to travel, and it shows.” (Vino Masters Judges).

Another hearty expression of Barossa's generous fruit from the impressive Teusner stable. Black olives, black pepper and blackberries, there's a dark side to this feisty Shiraz. Concentrated and thick yet artfully constructed with balance and efficiency.

One of the benchmarks of Barossa Shiraz, Peter Lehmann's Stonewell is a classic example of the rich concentrated old vine style. While bold on the palate, there is always an inherent complexity to the Stonewell that enables it to be compared with all of the great Australian wines produced today.

Excellent Shiraz boasting Golds, high points and critical praise: "Opulent and sumptuous... Mouth-coating and luscious. 96pts"(Sam Kim Wine Orbit). "A super concentrated Shiraz from the Barossa, it was a low yielding season resulting in fruit of great concentration and power....smooth and velvety. 95pts (Ray Jordan WinePilot). "... packed with ripe Doris plum, black cherry and boysenberry fruit notes. Hints of dried cranberry, baking spice, licorice, fruit-and-nut chocolate, tapenade, violets and roasting meats. Full bodied, with compact, powdery tannins and some fine acidity. Nice red plum notes flow in on the palate, adding detail and a few lumens to the ripe fruit on show. Long finish too.95pts.” (Dave Brookes, The Halliday Wine Companion). The Schild Estate can boast Shiraz vines planted by Ann Jacobs in 1847. The Schild's first arrived in Australia in 1866, and the family moved to the Barossa and purchased vineyards here in 1952. They did not make their first 'Schild' branded wine until 1998, but the estate's reputation grew steadily. Although no longer owned by the family, the estate's vineyards are all still under the family's control.

Alkina Spice Garden Shiraz, Barossa Valley A very welcome inclusion into the Premium Barossa Shiraz Club, Alkinas Spice Garden is 100% organic and biodynamic certified Shiraz from one specific block from which they produced just 44 cases (and some rare magnums). It looks and tastes like a high-gear Barossa Shiraz, with all the ripeness and power matched with a unique minerality.