Head Wilton Hill Shiraz Barossa Ranges Wilton Hill is comprised of an old vine vineyard, perched atop the Barossa Ranges as it encroaches on the Eden Valley. The soil, a complex polyglot of sandy loams, limestone and ferrous ironstone over a substrata of mottled quartz. The geology is arguably more intrinsic to the makeup of the wine than the variety, or maker Alex Heads deft hand. This is top- drawer Barossa Grand Cru speaking. Make no mistake! Think a swirl of dark fruits, aromas of iodine, lilac and violet, punctuated with a swab of tapenade-encrusted tannins. Dig deeper and there are scents of smoked meats, thyme, lavender and mocha, trailing across a peppery trail of freshness that tows this full-bodied wine long. Sumptuous gear that is ready for an aggressive decant, or extended time in the cellar.

The Shiraz grapes for The Struie come from old vines in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. The Eden component brings floral spicy aromas that are supported by more brooding notes of tar and chocolate from the Barossa. The palate is luscious and silky, and this is a Fine Wine favourite.

Nose: Dark berries & spice notes and vanillin oak aromas. Palate: Shows dark fruits, chocolate and spice aromas, enhanced by cedar and vanilla notes. Spends 12 months in French oak.

Perched high above the Barossa, the Eden Valley can be a precarious but highly rewarding place in which to grow grapes. This single vineyard, at 550m above sea level is hauntingly beautiful. Home to the majestic wedgetail eagle, the soils composed of pink quartz and ironstone, provide a formidable substrate in which the vines takes a tenuous hold. Intense, tightly coiled and vital, this wine is like a great orator. Every component measured and well timed, the tone lifts and falls, all the while building emotion and resonance. Tension and excitement builds and leads through to a memorable finish. Oh, and it tastes amazing!

"The Barossa is known for its diurnal temperatures - warm days and cool nights - which help to ripen grapes during the day, while locking in the flavour throughout the cool nights. It is these cool nights that act like a guard, protecting and locking in the delicious juicy flavour of a Barossa Shiraz that we all know and love. This Shiraz is the perfect example of a rich barossa shiraz providing you with a lifted plum and blackberry aromas and flavours, followed by soft subtle oak and a fine tannin finish."

The dense purple red colour highlights the aroma of dark cherry, blackberry and cedar oak. The palate is full of intense dark fruits, with supporting mocha oak, sweet spices and hints of black pepper. The velvety tannins support the fruit and focus the length of flavours to produce a seamless wine with the potential to age for 10 or more years

Grant Burge is the 5th Generation of his family to be involved in winemaking in the Barossa Valley. Such a long and distinguished history deserves to be celebrated and here they do it with their 5th Generation Shiraz. A Barossa icon in itself, Shiraz from region displays ripe, dense and complex fruit weight and the 5th Generation delivers on all fronts. A delicious mid-palate followed by sublime length of flavour round out a fantastic Barossa Shiraz buy.

Chris Ringland's Barossa Ranges Shiraz is steeped in the Barossas post-colonial story and the high art and science of winemaking. Typically deep in colour with intense dark berry, paneforte, espresso roasted chestnut aromas, it displays a plush and concentrated palate with blackberry, mocha, paneforte spicy flavours and dense fine chocolaty tannins. Despite the opulence, flamboyance, richness and concentration, the wine has superb percussion and freshness. The wine is a small vinification of around four to five hogsheads or 1500 litres. The "unusually thick skinned" Shiraz is entirely sourced from Chris Ringland's dry-grown vineyard on the edge of the Barossa Valley, but technically in Eden Valley, along Flaxman's Valley near Randall's Hill. The wine is "painstakingly hand-made" in open fermenters and regularly pumped-over to extract colour, flavour and tannins. After draining and pressing through a traditional basket press, fermentation is completed in 100% new French oak hogsheads. A period of up to 50 months oak maturation follows to achieve optimum complexity and balance between oak and fruit. The extraordinarily high release prices (higher than Penfolds Grange), limited production and reputation make Chris Ringland Barossa Ranges Shiraz the stuff of legend.