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.

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.

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

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%

YANGARRA ESTATE VINEYARD Kings Wood Shiraz Shiraz, McLaren Vale

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.

The Shingleback D Block Reserve Shiraz is named for the Davey Block of the Davey Estate vineyard and is the personal expression of the McLaren Vale from the eyes of winemaker John Davey. True reserve wines, the D Block is only made in exceptional vintages just like this 2009. In the glass the wine has a colour that is impenetrable purple red. On the nose there are aromas of mulberry and blackberry that mingle with dusty cashew, milky chocolate (typical of McLaren Vale), spice and forest floor. There are tight, fine tannins to counter the bold, fresh fruit which results in an alluring and unmistakable wine that expresses the essence of the vine, the time and the place.