Château Brane-Cantenac sits in a prime position on the plateau of Cantenac and makes full use of its excellent terroir. No doubt something that Baron de Brane was aware of and along with his viticultural talents were the reasons behind the estates rise to fame. Now tended by the Lurton family, the wines continue to be in great hands. Of the 2009 vintage, Henri Lurton is known to have said that the winery was enveloped in aromas of raspberry and blackberry even before fermentation began! Even though fruit ripeness is an obvious trait, the balance and structure of the wine are also clearly evident which will see the wine age for a decade or two more.

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste produce some of the best value wines in the Pauillac region, if not simply some of the best quality in general. Cabernet based reds are their staple and generally produce wines of a robust and masculine nature. In recent years the wines are close to rivalling the famed Pichons .

Barossa Valley legends, Rockford, tend their hand here to producing one of the world's unique wine styles, a sparkling Shiraz. Inspired by a sparkling Burgundy Rocky O'Callaghan found in his father's cellar at Seppelt when he was a child and when working with Colin Preece in Rutherglen, the man who responsible for the grand style. Rockford take this truly Australian wine to a new height with the 2011 discorged Black Shiraz that will live for quite sometime in your cellar and will reward those in spades who have the patience.

Australia's premier cool climate Cabernet. It was John Middleton's dream to create such a wine and purchased the Mount Mary property in the Yarra Valley in 1971 to persue this dream. Quintet is his dream realised and is a blend of the classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

The soils of the Craggy Range sites that supply fruit for this blend are scarily Pomerol-like. This is a wine of finesse and restraint, showing complexity and depth that we have come to expect from this producer, but is still surprising the uninitiated. 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.

David and Jenny Jones are making wine with tremendous depth of fruit flavour, reflecting the relatively low-yielding but very well- maintained vineyards in The Pyrenees. Their flagship Dalwhinnie Eagle Shiraz is a perfect example of this. Pristine and fresh with more of everything providing plenty of stuffing, redcurrant, blackberry and sage characters.

Wynns Michael Shiraz is a 'best-of-vintage' Shiraz from Wynns vineyard sites in Coonawarra and is named after David Wynn's youngest son. Made in the years that best show Coonawarra's unique terroir, this latest release displays the qualities that have made the 'Michael' one of the most highly regarded of all Australian Shiraz with aromas of red currants, cherries and raspberry that mesh every so well with the olive and white spice characters. The palate follows with an elegant structure bursting with dark brooding spice and succulent ripe tannins.

This wine is generous and rounded at first with juicy, deep berry compote fruits then yielding to a tightly woven frame of firm yet generous tannins. There are alluring, coconutty oak and fine dark chocolate characters, with a deep, soft centre of ripe berry fruits. Elegant acids and light, long tannins carry the palate to deliver a lingering finish.

A full and fruity Shiraz, Kaesler Old Bastard is fresh on the nose with hints of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. On the palate, forest fruits, blackberry and mulberry mingle with spices of anise and nutmeg with some coffee and chocolate notes. Tannins are silky and balanced, with a nice acidity. This shiraz will cellar for 20+ years.

Meshach William Burge was Grant's great grandfather and was a central figure in establishing the Burge family in the Barossa Valley. This Shiraz named in his honour is sourced from old vines, some nearing 100 years old, and shows aromas and flavours of complex swiss chocolate, savoury spices and red currant. Grant Burge's flagship shiraz will reward the patient cellarer with 20 years in the bottle in front of it.