VINEYARD: Fruit is sourced from 120-year-old dry grown Shiraz vines from Martin & Joan Smiths vineyard in the Polish Hill River. Grey loam acid soils over sandstone and slate make up the profile with much of the top soil littered with rock, hinting at just how tough the vines need to be to sustain growth and produce quality fruit - not to mention the work of the vigneron to ensure overall balance. Despite growing these vines organically since their planting in the 1970s, 2012 marked the first year of NASAA Organic Certification for these vineyards. VINIFICATION: Handmade in 2 and 4-tonne fermenters, the fruit is de-stemmed and fermented using natural yeast. Hand plunged up to 4 times daily to control temperature and maximise flavour and tannin extraction. Left on skins post fermentation for 15 days, then lightly pressed and transferred to French Oak barriques for 30 months.Only 630 x 6 packs produced. COLOUR: Deep dark red brick with a slight purple tinge. BOUQUET: Concentrated with blackberry spice with hints of chocolate and cedar. PALATE: Powerful Clare Valley Shiraz with rich mid-palate fruit with long grainy tannins, oak complexity and balance of acidity. FOOD MATCH: A delightful complement to strong cheeses and gamey meats.

A delicious modern Australian version of an old world classic. This is a full bodied wine with complex layers of flavour. At its core is rich blackcurrant, and dark cherry, beautifully melding with dark chocolate and hints of charry oak with supple underlying tannins. Overall a very generous, balanced and most enjoyable wine.

Bright and taut yet also textural thanks to garnacha’s fruit qualities and bobal’s rounded yet determined tannins. At one sip it is raspberry coulis, the next sip plum jam, another sip and there springs forward wild rabbit slowly stewed with prunes and thyme. A quietly rich palate, but the ever-present tannins and the lick of acidity guarantee dignity..