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.

Made from selected rows of the Schoolhouse Block at Glenguin's Hunter Valley vineyard, this wine is made for pairing with good friends and great food. A lively expression of Hunter Valley Shiraz with bright, ripe red fruits at it's core and an undercurrent of spicy oak, layered with fine tannins and a long finish.

Hand-selected bunches of the highest quality from the Schoolhouse Block at Glenguin's Hunter Valley vineyard. 12 months in 100% French oak (25% new), 30% whole bunches, aged in bottle for a further 12 months gives this wine concentration and complexity. Classic Hunter Valley savoury characters of earth and game dominate the palate, with an undercurrent of red and black fruits, complemented by spicy oak and held together by fine tannins.

From one of the Hunters oldest wineries, this stunning Shiraz exemplifies what the region can do with a great vintage, great fruit, and great winemaking. Bryan Currie and team, take a bow this wine is exceptional. In the glass: Deep red purple. On the nose: Plum, blackberry, black pepper and vanillin oak. On the palate: Shows a fleshy core of dark fruit with attractive peppery spice notes, well-judged vanillin oak and fine, savoury tannins.

The intensely perfumed, sumptuous and seductive Brokenwood Graveyard articulates the very best of Hunter Shiraz. It is arguably the Hunter Valley's greatest red wine of the contemporary era. The east-facing Graveyard vineyard, first planted out in 1968, was once earmarked in 1882 as the Pokolbin cemetery but this did not eventuate. First made in 1983, Graveyard Shiraz is a meticulous classification selection of the best parcels, mostly from the oldest plantings. After vinification in open-top stainless steel vats, it finishes fermentation in barrel. Maturation takes place in a combination of French and American oak barriques for a period of around 14 months. Young elemental Graveyard typically shows ginger bread, blackberry aniseed fruit, plenty of savoury oak and floral/herb garden notes. The opulent gamey/French polish characters develop with time bringing a rich palimpsest of aromas and flavours.