Its fair to say Luke Lambert hasn't looked back since 'relocating' his Syrah to the Tibooburra vineyard. This southwest sloping site lies in the southeastern corner of the Valley, near Gembrook, and might be the coolest microclimate of the Yarra. The site is expertly managed by Greg Kerr, the grower who planted the vineyard in 2001. The soils here are considered very unusual for the Yarra, comprising a seam of black volcanic topsoil over yellow clay with a smattering of granite rock throughout. Furthermore, the quality of the clonal material in Tibooburra supplies Lambert with deeper and darker Syrah fruit that also has more depth and structure. This is what drew him to the site and a good chunk of the reason the Syrah has become a touchstone example of cool-climate Yarra Shiraz.

Serrat Shiraz Viognier is a spicy, elegant, cool-climate style, sourced off a small plot of close-planted vines in Yarra Glen. Serrat is the family label of renowned winemaker Tom Carson and his wife Nadège. The fruit is hand-picked, lightly destemmed and co-fermented with a small amount of Viognier in small open fermenters. Following fermentation, the wine is pressed to 500L French oak puncheons for 11 months maturation.

Hoddles Creek 1er Pinot Noir is the flagship red from the Yarra Valley darlings. The 1er range stands as a benchmarknot just for the exemplary Hoddles Creek portfolio, but for the Yarra contemporary Yarra wine landscape. Every vintage, winemaker Franco dAnna assesses the fruit grown in the SRM block of his Top Paddock vineyard. If he judges it worthy, a vintage of 1er Pinot Noir goes into production. With 20-25% whole bunch, fruit purity is the goal. Aged in up to 35% new oak, it is bright with red fruit and a deep Burgundian heart. Hoddles Creek is considered by many to be one of the best (and the best value) wineries in the Yarra. This is its top shelf white. Drink now, or cellar with confidence.

Bright and spicy perfume with lifted blackberry fruit and a subtle mélange of smoked spices. Wonderfully soft and textured - the wine has the classic suppleness and generosity of shiraz with the fineness and freshness associated with great cool climate fruit. The flavours are fresh and lively with fine tannins and core of pure fruit. Medhurst Wines is the realisation of the long held and shared vision of Ross and Robyn Wilson to own a property in the Yarra Valley and produce high quality wines. Ross was CEO of Southcorp and drove the companys acquisition of Penfolds, Lindemans and Wynns in 1990. He has remained passionate about wine ever since. Ross and Robyn Wilson spent years looking for the perfect site and for many reasons they jointly decided on the Yarra Valley. Robyn Wilson spent her childhood here, and the Australian and international status of this excellent cool climate wine region and its incredible beauty, helped make their decision. The Medhurst Vineyard was also particularly chosen for its favourable micro-climate, north facing slopes, good drainage and magnificent aspect. It was planted in 2000 with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. With the sole objective of making the best wine possible, careful vineyard management ensures yields are low, averaging two tonnes per acre and providing intensely flavoured fruit.

Levantine Hill Syrah has lifted complex aromas of dusty red berries, musk, cardamom and white pepper and vanillin oak. The elegant medium-bodied palate abounds with spice and earthy nuances in a concentration of savouriness. The silky ripe tannins have been deftly integrated with the underlying oak providing carriage for the fruit weight and lingering flavours to a pronounced and persistent finish.

This 20ha vineyard was planted on red clay loam soil at Woori Yallock in 2001 by Lou Primavera, with whom Giant Steps has a long-standing grape-supply relationship. Pinot Noir (114, MV6 and G8V3 clones) grown here on the north and north east facing slopes at 230m is noted for its complex structure and pronounced perfume. The 114 and MV6 are fermented as whole bunches in open vats, while the G8V3 is destemmed, given a long cold-soak and fermented separately to enhance its aromatic contribution. All ferments use indigenous yeasts and the whole-bunch components are periodically foot-stomped to release additional juice. The wines are pressed to 228 litre, French barriques (about 8% new) for 11 months before blending and bottling without fining or filtration.

Australia's premier cool climate Cabernet. It was John Middleton's dream to create such a wine and purchased the Mount Mary property in the Yarra Valley in 1971 to persue this dream. Quintet is his dream realised and is a blend of the classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

From Kate Goodman's team, who already bring us the wonderful Punt Rd range, this second label perpetuates their well deserved reputation. This is a soft, fruit driven Pinot from sites around the Yarra Valley. It offers great complexity at this price.

From some of the earliest plantings of Shiraz in the Yarra Valley with vines dating back to 1969. Shiraz (96%) co-fermented with small parcels of Viognier, Marsanne and Mataro aged 12 to 18 months in 50% new French oak barrels produces a wine that is perfumed and feminine with the tannins and acidity as integral to the wine as the fruit. Proven to age for 25+ years, Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2 was the first Cote Rotie style blend made in Australia