Blackwood Valley Wine Region, WA Tasting: Super rich, with plenty of intense berry fruits.Blackberries and dark cherries intertwine with raspberry and spice. Fruit-first, and a very attractive wine. Firm tannins that aid in structure and complexity, while remaining silky and highly approachable. Subtle earthen notes, with tobacco and cigar box. Winemaking: The fruit here comes from the Boyup Brook Vineyard. Small, concentrated berries are the source of the depth, structure and complexity of this wine. Fermented in open-tops and plunged twice daily until optimalextraction and maceration was achieved. Pressed off the skins and allowed to finish ferment in stainless tanks, before being racked to barrel and aged for around 8 months in older oak. Precise blending of the two varieties took place to achieve the desiredcharacter of this wine.

HOUGHTON C.W. Ferguson Cabernet Malbec, Great Southern

A beautifully elegant form of Shiraz from Picardy displaying notes or red fruits, cracked black pepper and spice. A fresh, vibrant wine with suede like silky tannins and a wonderfully lingering finish. Super stylish effort.

Voyager Estate Shiraz is deep red in colour with an explosive nose of oak blackberries and spice that is succeeded by a rich flavoursome palate and some chewy tannins. Will improve wonderfully with time.

Swings & Roundabouts continues its run of form of outstanding value-for-money wines with a definite nod to their Margaret River region with the Shiraz. Medium-bodied flavours of red berries and more than a hint of spice that matches perfectly with a whole range of game meats.

Vasse Felix produces fine Margaret River reds with great balance and style. This traditional blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon shows sweet mid-palate fruit with liquorice and spice and good tannin structure. Fantastic French oak integration enabling soft tannin complexity and a lovely length of flavour.

The Tate name is synonymous with Margaret River after John Tate helped create arguable the regions most well-known winery, Evans & Tate. Today, Franklin Tate has brought the Tate name back to life with new, exciting terroir driven wines. Franklin painstakingly selected the very best vineyard sites, those that held unique micro-sites within them to enable him to achieve his goal of producing some of the regions best wines. This Shiraz was picked at optimum ripeness and fermented with 10% whole bunch. French barriques were used in the fermentation process to give a softness to the palate, as was a small percentage of Viognier. The result is a great Margaret River Shiraz with grounded savoury notes along with ripeness and spicy lift.

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.

One word - legend. Jack Mann served Houghton for a remarkable 51 consecutive vintages. His determination to create wines of intensity, elegance and regional character have inspired a generation of Australian winemakers to achieve great things. Simply one of this country's greatest Cabernets, this wine is not just single vineyard fruit, the selection process is so rigorous that often it is just a few rows from the Justin Vineyard. Such is the reverence for that great man - Jack Mann.

An excellent example of cool-climate Shiraz with dark black fruit, spice and pepper characters. The oak and tannins are well balanced ensuring that this wine is drinking well now and has plenty of life ahead.