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.

Jim from Mount Pleasant accentuates a Shiraz with a cleanly structured mulberry and redcurrant with soft liquorice notes and a persistent high quality backbone.

A concentrated and complex wine with dark choclate, liquorice and spice aromas and flavours accentuated by nutty oak from barrel maturation.

David Hook's Shiraz is medium bodied, some vibrant characters of spicy red berries and soft rounding tannins with hints of vanilla oak on the palate. Ripe fruits richness with a lengthy finish. A great number to have handy when friends drop by.

The 2015 De Iuliis Steven Vineyard Shiraz shows a deep crimson colour with a purple hue and contains 13% of alcohol. Intense aromas of berry, spice and pepper flow from the vibrant bouquet while the palate is rich and juicy with flavours of black cherries, ending the wine in a captivating climax. This Shiraz varietal develops strong fruit characters with a cellaring period of 10 years and tastes best with slow cooked lamb shoulder and BBQ pork.

The warm and dry 2017 vintage allowed perfectly ripe fruit to be harvested. The red plum and black cherry aromas lead to a fruit driven and softly textured palate with background vanillin and spice from oak barrel maturation.

Tyrrell's Vat 8 is the archetypal blend of tradition and modernity. With a strong history in both the Hunter Valley and Hilltops regions, Tyrrell's are able to showcase the very best in modern Australian winemaking. The Vat 8 consists of a majority Hunter Valley Shiraz the lends beauty, flavour and ripeness and a small parcel of Hilltops Cabernet which supports the Shiraz with power and structure. Elegant and pristine early, this is a wine that will enjoy some time in the cellar to further develop it already obvious complexity.

De Iuliis (De - uli - iss) wines are known for their trademark regionality and commitment to showcasing the very best the Hunter Valley has to offer. Their Shiraz is a fine balance between power and subtlety. Spice driven aromas with mild hints of the berry fruit to come on the palate. Blackberry, raspberry and dark cherry come to the fore and are in harmony with the round, soft tannins.