Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz is a terrific McLaren Vale Shiraz with lovely suppleness of texture. Plum aniseed and rich fruit-cake flavours are woven around spicy oak and light lingering tannin.

Intensely dark reds circled by hints of purple hues. Lifted mature aromas of cedary oak with pronounced forest berry fruits and complex chocolate and leathery afternotes. A complex and well-developed palate displaying refined mulberry and chocolate flavours lend to the long, smooth savoury finish.

Vibrant in colour the nose shows plum and berry fruit with spice pepper and well integrated oak. The palate has good fruit weight with attractive berry flavours and a fine tannin finish.

Made by Corrina Wright, a sixth generation member of the Oliver family, this is McLaren Vale Shiraz to the extreme. There's bold chocolate and blackberry flavours, a hint of pepper and smokey overtones. The alcohol sits at the higher end of the spectrum and there's plenty of vanilla oak, but the fruit intensity pulls it all together to produce a superbly balanced wine.

The Syrah patch was planted in the mid 1940’s and yields a microscopic 250-300 dozen per annum. The Sandown Syrah patch is west facing and features significant ironstone content. The site yields a signature incense like spice throughout the fruit and makes for a highly exotic expression of Blewitt Springs Syrah. Cola, sarsaparilla, incense, blackcurrant, blueberry, black olive, Italian leather, Sandalwood and roasted meat are all on display with recessed power woven throughout this highly perfumed and multi-layered, seamless example.

Dense midnight black core with a deep dark red black tinged hue. Nosing offers up lifted aromatics of dark plum, black cherry and liquorice with some vanillin cedar, smoked meat and peppered clove notes also evident. Mid weighted generous dark plum, black cherry and liquorice fruits carry plenty of flesh across the palate. Scorched earth, clove and peppered meat elements lie underneath. Nicely integrated fine grained tannins concluding ripe and savoury. Drink over the next 4-5 years. Alc. 14%

The nose is opulent and complex. Dark cassis and berry compote combine with dried herb and festive spice. A generous portion of new French oak compliments the rich and full-bodied mix of dense red fruits. Complex and alluring tannins give structure and elegance with bright natural acidity providing a mouth-watering and moreish finish.

YANGARRA ESTATE VINEYARD Kings Wood Shiraz Shiraz, McLaren Vale

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.