Vibrant red purple colour. Vibrant blackberry and dark chocolate fruits with French oak. A classic, full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with silky cassis and dark chocolate fruit finishing with fine dry tannins of tremendous length.

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.

A beautiful blend of Shiraz and Viognier from the Hilltops region. This wine has lifted perfume and dark berry characteristics.

Aaron Mercer's new self-named venture is going from strength to strength, and is delivering some exceptional wines from across NSW, in this case Hilltops Tempranillo.Bright, deep purple. Youthful black cherry, blood plum, plum, pepper and cedar box. Crisp and refreshing entry, in a medium-bodied frame, with supple red fruit flavours, silken tannin structure, vibrant red berry acidity and good complexity throughout.

Tim Kirk has quickly become Australia's Shiraz-Superstar. With cool-climate vineyards that are managed pefectly and with expert guidance, Clonakilla is a must have for all serious wine lovers. Tim's Hilltops Shiraz has luscious dark Shiraz fruit, with blackberry, roasted meat and gentle spice in the background. The tannins are ripe, the fruit juicy, the finish long and savoury. Superb.

Rockbare's second label, Mojo Shiraz punches way above it's weight in the quality division. Rich and ripe, this versatile wine would not be out of place at the dinner table or at a BBQ.

Created in 1962, Penfolds Bin 128 is a regional wine that reflects the unique climate and growing conditions of South Australia's Coonawarra district and the relatively elegant style of cool climate Shiraz. From the 1980 vintage, French oak replaced American, highlighting the pepper, spice and floral characteristics that define this style. Since the mid-1980s, a greater attention has been paid to fruit ripeness, resulting in a wine that is fuller in style and structure.

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.

The beauty of this wine is in the perfumed lift of spice and violets overlaying the subtle tobacco characters on the palate. Oak maturation has imparted a little extra complexity and structure making the palate supple with fine lingering tannins.