Entry: Velvety and plush and fragrant rich blackberrycherry fruits. Some tangy cedar and lingering cigar box characters. Middle Palate: Juicy round black cherry fruits, tempered with the soft idiosyncratic "milk chocolate" McLaren Vale Shiraz sweetness and roundness. After Palate: Lashings of trademark milk chocolate with blackberries and dark-fleshed plums and spice with velvety, smooth tannins. Finish: Juicy blackberry and mocha notes intertwined with signature lush McLaren Vale tannins. It's like taking a big mouthful of Black Forest cake.

The Hill Block straddles the ridge running through the Chapel Hill estate. The wine was then aged for 19 months in 100% tight grained French oak. The proportion of new oak was kept low to encourage the continued expression of the characters that are unique to the vineyard site.

Winner of 'Best Value Australian Shiraz' and 'Best Dinner Party Red Wine' at the World Wine Championships, the multi-Gold-medal Lake Doctor Langhorne Creek Shiraz shows why Zonte's Footstep wines are "out of this world!" (Matthew Jukes). Australian red lovers know that Langhorne Creek provides incredible flavour – it was the ‘secret’ weapon in many of Wolf Blass’s famous Trophy-winning reds. And here you have it in pure form. The fruit comes from a single Shiraz block in the heart of Langhorne Creek – the Lake Doctor Vineyard on the shores of Lake Alexandrina. On hot summer afternoons the cooling breeze of the ‘Lake Doctor’ arrives and revives vines and vignerons alike.

Deep rich red showing a youthful purple rim. Lifted notes of blackberry, chocolate and spice, with secondary characters of blueberry, leather and soy provides a complex and intense introduction to the wine. The palate is full bodied, displaying classic spice and ripe berry notes, integrated oak and concentration for which Australian Shiraz is renowned. It has spice and savoury notes with plentiful ripe succulent tannins on the finish.

Chris Hatcher of 'Hatch Wines' has been a winemaker for almost 50 years including more than 35 years at Wolf Blass, 27 as Chief Winemaker. After many years of contemplating releasing his own wines, Hatch retired from TWE in June 2023 and then in October/November released my own label HATCH, his monicker for most of his life. Hatch McLaren Vale Vesey Shiraz is a powerful, rich and plush wine with great vibrance and purity. The palate is intense, opulent and silky, delicious now, however will be reward with medium to long-term cellaring. 'A dense vibrant purple, aromas which simply leap from the glass. Generous in style, indeed opulent, with a seductive and soft texture, silky tannins. This will easily age and improve for eight to twelve years. Love it'. - Ken Gargett

The Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz is an opulent concentrated and complex style with plenty of spicy fruit and a dash of chocolate. True to the style that Wolf himself made from the very beginning of this now iconic brand, this is very tasty and enjoyable now yet it has the weight and complexity to improve with cellaring.

Chapel Hill makes great value wines in the maritime climate of McLaren Vale. This Shiraz is a beauty. Dark berries and vanillin oak are evident in the bouquet with spice coming through on the palate.

A black curtain of density introduces this thumping Cabernet from Brothers in Arms, unveiling five spice, mint chocolate and full bodied black fruits coated in grippy tannin.

The Adams brothers and their vineyard are responsible for many of the iconic wines that take pride of place in many cellars. Parcels of their best fruit is kept aside for their own label, Brothers In Arms. Fantastic Langhorne Creek concentration is on show here with layers of chocolate and dark, black fruit. A brute with a touch of style.