St Hallett Mighty Ox Shiraz (Magnum) St Halletts Mighty Ox Shiraz is a new icon for the heritage Barossa label. It is a decadent, classic style of Barossa Shiraz, saturated with black fruit and fit for many decades of cellaring.Fruit for this wine is sourced from several sites in the Northern Barossa, in Ebenezer, Greenock, and Moppa Hills. Bold and strong, it is named for the oxen that were once used to plough the soils of the Barossa. All parcels for this wine are treated individually, then spend 8 to 12 days of warm fermentation on skins. It is aged in American oak. The result is a full bodied showstopper, luscious and driving on the palate. The fruit intensity here is immense, with oak nuances teeming with vanilla and dark chocolate. The finish is incredibly long.

When it comes to the quality and price ($320 a bottle!) of this outstanding Shiraz, the term Super Premium is an understatement. The story of this winery began in, you guessed it, 1847. After the proclamation of a land grant by the Governor for the historic Rowland Flat property, Bavarian immigrant Johann Gramp planted what was the first commercial vineyard in the Barossa Valley. 1847 winery now encompasses some 200 acres of premium estate vineyards. “There's a bright, spicy crunch to the best of '17 Barossa shiraz. This is a refreshingly medium-bodied style laced with red cherries, greengage plums and a hint of black pepper. Tangy acid line and a fine tannin grid carry a finish of impressive persistence... 95pts” (Halliday Wine Companion, Tyson Stelzer).

Deep red with purple hues. The nose is complex with chocolate, coffee and raspberry aromas balanced by lifted liquorice, leather and a hint of white pepper. The palate is rich and full bodied with prominent raspberry flavours, alongside beautifully balanced oak with hints of vanilla. 2018 was a high-quality vintage in Barossa, with good yields and excellent flavours and colours in reds. The growing season started off well, thanks to winter 2017 rainfall being around 10% higher than average. Spring rainfall however, was lower than usual and drier soils, combined with warmer than average October and November days meant the vines grew quickly; flowering well and setting a good number of bunches. January and February were warm and dry, with very warm temperatures in February slowing the pace of ripening. The Indian summer of March and early April proved perfect for finishing off ripening before vintage, capping off a very good year.After picking, the grapes were fermented in a combination of five tonne concrete and seven tonne stainless steel fermenters for 7-12 days. The wine was then racked off into a combination of French and American hogsheads and matured for 22 months. One of the largest landholders in the Barossa, Grant Burge wines is a bastion of well made, value for money wines. Drawing on depth of experience in the region, Grant Burge and his wife Helen established the brand in 1988 and have developed a formidable range of wines across a broad spectrum of price points. The history of the Burge family and their long association with winemaking in the region can be traced back to March 1855, when noted tailor John Burge immigrated to the Barossa from Hillcot, near Pewsey in Wiltshire, England with his wife Eliza and their two sons. John worked as a winemaker at Hillside Vineyards and his love of viticulture was passed onto his son Meshach, who continued the tradition making his first wine in 1865, while becoming a prominent community leader. Meshach married Emma in 1883 and they had eight children. First-born Percival established the Wilsford Winery near Lyndoch in 1928. Percival had two sons, Noel and Colin, and Colin and his wife Nancy had one son, Grant. Following in the footsteps of his father and forefathers before him, Grant carried the winemaking tradition into the 21st century. Grant Burge Wines came under the ownership of the Accolade Wines' family of brands in 2015. Since then, the winery has flourished both nationally and internationally.

"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."

St Hallett and Shiraz goes hand in hand when you start talking about the Barossa. St Hallett Gamekeeper's Shiraz displays lifted and pretty notes of lively purple fruit characters with a delicate hint of violets. Pure red fruits dominate on the palate, with lifted spices of cinnamon. Long, lingering finish.