Packed full of mint, blackcurrants, spice and cedary oak, this wine is indicative of how a great the 2004 vintage was. Drinking beautifully now.

This limited release Merlot is produced from a 5 star Halliday rated winery, Parker Coonawarra Estate. The wine reflect the stylistic approach to creating beautiful wines from the rich terra rossa soils of the Coonawarra region. The Merlot combines dark cherries and plums, dusted with a hint of tobacco. This wine is savoury and lush with persistence and a fine, silky finish.

The Parker Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is made in a riper, more generous style to its peers, yet with enough restraint to display the distinct varietal and regional characteristics. Offerings of ripe blackberry and damson plums, wafts of warm earth, iodine, mint and black olives. The palate shows a lot of restraint and freshness, fuller bodied not big though with determined tannins. A solid performer not just a backup singer.

The Composer is a vivid dark magenta red colour with a crimson hue. Lush eucalyptus and red fruit aromas are paired with a bright, flavour filled, medium weighted palate of cassis and red berries. Subtle oak integration enhances the smooth and balanced finish.

HIGHBANK VINEYARDS Single Vineyard Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc, Coonawarra

Our Two Blocks Shiraz was matured in a combination of new American & second use French oak for 24 months. This gives the wine structure, complexity and a lift of chocolate oak flavour. The finish is smooth and lingering. Cellar for another 5-10 years to see the wine soften and develop further complexity. Winemaker’S Note: 2017 was a great year for both freshness of fruit and balance of spice and elegant tannins. This Shiraz is a great example of our cool climate style, being approachable and elegant with just a touch of oak. Vintage Note: A cool growing season and above average rainfall lead to a mild growing season that presented some challenges towards the end of harvest. Fortunately the rain cleared enough for the Shiraz to ripen and be picked just in time. It was the stand out variety of the season with the balance of spice and ripeness returning to a more traditional style cool climate wine.

A great example of Coonawarra Shiraz showing raspberry and mulberry fruit characters and nuances of black pepper found only in wines created from old vines. Time in bottle will see even more complexity develop, with an increase in cedar and savoury characters.

A rich wine with a soft creamy texture, just the way a traditional Aussie sparkling red should be. Drink it now while it still has plenty of bubbles. Try it with roast turkey or any game meat or even with fruit cake and raisins.