Fragrant notes of cherry and plum with lifted oak notes. Silky smooth palate, beautifully balanced with dark fruit flavours, smooth integrated oak and a long finish. 2017 marks our third vintage of Shiraz from the Hilltops region. We have the pleasure of working with two wonderful growers, who operate some of the very best vineyard sites in the area. Shiraz from Brian Freemans vineyards (Home and Back blocks) makes its way into our Hilltops Shiraz No.1 release, while Jason Browns Moppity Vineyard is the source of our fruit for the Hilltops Shiraz No.2. We try to approach the production of the two wines in a similar fashion, to better highlight the differences between the two vineyards. Warm fermentations followed short cold soak periods, after which maturation took place over 12 months in French oak puncheons approx. 25% new oak. I aim to produce two clean, yet complex, styles of Hilltops Shiraz; honest expressions of where they are grown. I am always enamoured with how Shiraz from this region offers such generosity and intensity, whilst still retaining a medium bodied framework, and trademark cool-climate elegance.balancing the richness of fruit on offer, and building some impressive structure and drive. A boutique producer of premium Semillon and Shiraz, Gundog Estate engages passionate growers who deliver the highest quality fruit year on year. In the winery, the winemaking team, lead by award-winning winemaker Matt Burton, employ a thoughtful combination of new and old world practices to deliver high quality, innovative wines which balance fruit flavour and complexity whilst telling a story of the season and region. Matt firmly believes that all wine should offer drinking appeal from day one, but also have the potential to age gracefully and the Marksmans Shiraz is the perfect illustration of this philosophy. The grapes for the Marksmans Shiraz come from vineyards situated in Murrumbateman and the combination of the regions loamy clay, pre-Cambrian era soils and classic continental climate of low rainfall, freezing winters and a wide temperature range during the growing months, ensure that the fruit grown is consistently of the highest quality.

Made from mature Shiraz vines grown on elevated sites at Kyeema, and Mount Nanima near Murrumbateman. Showing plenty of youthful charm now, this wine by Collector will be at its best at between five to twenty years of age.

Whenever we taste a blind Shiraz line up where this wine is featured, it's hard not to be lured into its enticing character of purity and style. Hauntingly akin to a Northern Rhone example, violets, spice, wild herb and earth wrap around a delicious core of red fruits and plum. Bravo Nick O'Leary. 'Canberra's benign 201213 growing season produced, in abundance, grape quality not seen in the much cooler, wetter 2011 and 2012 vintages. Our exciting 2013 reds include Nick O'Leary's shiraz a jaw dropper that kept judges gaping as they piled gongs on it at the 2014 Royal Brisbane Wine Show. They gave it a gold medal, then three trophies: best one-year-old red of the show (Stoddart trophy), best shiraz of the show and best red of the show. This is a significant achievement for Canberra shiraz and not just for O'Leary. It provides yet more recognition, in a hotly contested national event, of our region's distinctive style. O'Leary's highly perfumed, medium-bodied wine shows the vibrant red berry- and-spice character of cool-grown shiraz on a luscious, silky palate, cut with fi ne tannins. This is a lot of wine at a modest price.' (2013 Vintage) - 4½ Stars. - Canberra Times, 03 Sep 2014.

Shiraz By Farr is one of Victoria's premier cool-climate Shiraz's, made by the iconic Geelong winemaker, Gary Farr. The nose is incredibly complex showing notes of red and black fruits, spice, black pepper and iodine. In the mouth the wine is incredibly fresh. Wonderfully braced fruit and fine framing tannins and an outstanding length.

Longview Yakka Shiraz is a fantastic cool climate Shiraz from the hinterlands above Adelaide, great length, fruit intensity and mouth feel.

Another great success story of grape grower turned grower/winemaker. Troy Kalleske is the latest custodian of a family heritage that dates back to 1853 when the Kalleske family first planted vineyards in the Moppa sub-discrict of Greenock, in the north-west of the Barossa Valley. This Shiraz (with a touch of Viognier and Petit Verdot) is 100% biodynamic and has concentrated aromas of blueberry, cloves, violets and dried fig. The silken palate that follows has dark fruit and lifted notes of floral with a sublime length of flavour.

The savoury and smooth Tempranillo is complimented by thespicy fruit and structure of Graciano. The resultant wine has greater intensity, depth and length.