Located within Murrumbateman in the now prestigious wine region of Canberra District, comes Eden Road who are well known for cool-climate, elegant style wines. Here their 'The Long Road' Syrah is actually sourced from vineyards that are both within the Canberra District and other nearby regions, like Hilltops. The result is a Syrah that is lifted in both aroma and flavours of ripe red cherries and strawberry. 14 months in older French oak has also provided a subtle savoury note with extreme elegance.

This wine, a Piebald, meaning black and white, is a co-fermentation of the blackest Syrah grapes, with a hatful of the purest white Viognier. Deep in colour, the wine is almost black, yet is also vibrant and bright. The nose is perfumed with apricots, spice and liquorice; a pretty, fragrant wine with a sweet juice and velvety palate. The finish is elegant with savoury spice and a fine tannin length and persistence.

Rosemount Estate Balmoral Syrah Rosemount Estate Balmoral Syrah is the flagship red from the iconic McLaren Vale winery. An exemplar of its genre, Balmoral is a Syrah in the truest sense of the word. It is McLaren Vale by way of the Rhône. With perfume redolent with blackberries, violet and nuances of spice, and a palate of dark cherries, ripe plums, and pepper that finishes with great length, it recalls in no small way the wines of the Northern Rhône while retaining a McLaren Vale sensibility. Tannins are smooth and velvety, and some oak influence is seen through ageing in a combination of new American and French oak. Grapes for this wine are sourced from tiny, perfect parcels in vineyards dotted around the Vale, most notably Seaview. Vine age stretches well beyond a century for many of these parcels, and the result is a red wine that, over its decades-long history, has established a reputation as a McLaren Vale icon.

Deep red with a bright purple edge, Estate Vineyards Syrah '18 has an incredibly inviting fragrance of dark cherry, raspberry, vanilla and allspice. The palate is immediately fullflavoured; a celebration of fresh boysenberry, blueberry, mocha and fine tannin that extends to a long and satisfying finish. With an exquisite level of detail and finesse, Estate Vineyards Syrah '18 is the perfect addition to any occasion. Estate Vineyards Syrah '18 was harvested between 19 March and 17 April 2018 from Te Mata Estate's own vineyards in Hawke's Bay's Bridge Pa and Woodthorpe Terraces Triangle sub-regions. The individual parcels of syrah from each plot were destemmed for fermentation and remained on skins for extended maceration before pressing. It was then run off to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels for five months' maturation, during which time it was regularly topped and racked. The wine received a traditional egg white fining before bottling. Established in 1896, Te Mata Estate remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawkes Bay vineyards. A temperate maritime climate with low rainfall, due to the rain shadow from mountains to the west, ensures Te Matas sites make the most of every vintage. At the heart of Te Mata Estate are the Havelock Hills Vineyards - the first legally-protected vineyards in New Zealand. Te Mata has five sites on these free draining, north-facing slopes. Soils to the east are mostly sandy loam over a sandstone base, and towards the west are sandy loam over a thin layer of clay and a silica pan. The distinctive shape of the hills is due to their comparative youth, in geological terms. At the meeting point of two tectonic plates, sandstone has been pushed up then worn away relatively quickly leaving a landscape of steep and gentle slopes, and terraces ideal for grape-growing. Under vine for over 120 years, and including some of the oldest grape growing sites in New Zealand, the Havelock Hills are protected for their distinct character, special ambience and unique viticultural heritage.

Levantine Hill Syrah has lifted complex aromas of dusty red berries, musk, cardamom and white pepper and vanillin oak. The elegant medium-bodied palate abounds with spice and earthy nuances in a concentration of savouriness. The silky ripe tannins have been deftly integrated with the underlying oak providing carriage for the fruit weight and lingering flavours to a pronounced and persistent finish.

From the oldest vines of the estate, aged in old oak for 12 months prior to bottling, unfined and only very lightly filtered, this is always a serious and complex Syrah. Oozing with opulence and flavours of cassis, spices and ripe plums, it has velvet tannins and black pepper on the long clean finish.

A vein of ironstone runs through the vineyard producing Syrah of exceptional quality. Landau displays red fruits, a medium-bodied palate with whole bunch influence giving, spice, complexity and structure. Downer naturally ferments the Landau with approximately 50% whole bunches and whole berries in small one tonne, open fermenters. Again, oak maturation is minimal, with the wine raised in older French oak puncheons for roughly 9-10 months. Adelaide Hills is buzzing with change and innovation and Murdoch Hill is a producer that is now at the forefront of this action. Its worth pointing out that Murdoch Hills is not a new player in the Australian wine scene - the Estate vineyards were planted by the Downer family in 1998. But it has been the return of the familys youngest member, Michael Downer, to take over the winemaking duties in 2012, that has created the excitement here. Pumped from stages at Vietti (Piedmont), Best's Great Western and Shaw+Smith, Downer has wasted little time in applying his experience and passion to his family vineyard practices and winemaking. The most obvious changes he has implemented have been bringing the winemaking in house (it was previously outsourced to a neighbouring winery) and the creation of the Artisan range of single-parcel, minimal intervention bottlings. Tapping into the freshness gifted by his high-altitude vines, while keeping winemaking artefact to a minimum, Downers approach has led to a range of juicy, vibrant wines that highlight the detail and freshness of each site. We are not the only ones who have been following this young winemakers progress with interest - Downer was a Young Guns of Wine finalist in 2014 and the joint winner of the Winemakers Choice in 2015. His wines have also been getting great reviews and a number of gongs in recent times (including two wines in the top ten at the Adelaide Review Hot 100 last year). The winemaking specs include wild yeast ferments, various degrees of whole bunch, extended skin contact and more and more older wood in the aging. Bottling is without any fining or filtration. In terms of the vineyards, the original 1998 Estate plantings are situated around the winery, nestled in the undulating hills of Oakbank. The shallow red loam soils here are shot through with varying levels of schist and ironstone. Varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition to the home vineyards, Downer also works with a range of nearby sites in Lobethal and Basket Range and the high altitude Uraidla vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley. These sources offer Downer a broad range of flavours, structures and textures with which to do his thing.

Le Maison De Ong 'The Hermit' Syrah