THORLE Saulheim Spatburgunder Kalkstein, Rheinhessen

Old, extremely low-yielding McLaren Vale vines are responsible for d'Arenberg's Dead Arm Shiraz - a wine of enormous power, intensity and real complexity - an absolute must for any serious wine cellar and d'Arenberg lover. One of the flagships for McLaren Vale for many years, this wine continues to shine with a balanced between tradition and Chester Osborne driven innovation.

Coming from one of the best vintages in recent Barossa history, the Old Block from St Hallett shows what careful vineyard management can do for a wine. Rich, dark and conerntrated but with seamless tannin intergration.

First made in 1959, Penfolds Kalimna Shiraz is an icon in the field of warm-climate Shiraz. Always ripe, robust and generously flavoured. The Bin 28 is named after the Kalimna vineyard that was purchased back in 1945 and from which the original fruit was sourced from. Today, the Bin 28 is a great example of the Penfolds dedication to multi-region, multi-vineyard blending. The Barossa Valley will always remain an integral part of the Bin 28 blend providing rich, vibrant primary fruit flavours.

Taylors St Andrews Shiraz from the Clare Valley is a classic and is consistently a show-stopper. The bouquet shows rich plum and cherry fruit with earthy spice and the palate is perfectly balanced with soft silky tannins.

Margaret River is an under appreciated region for Australian Shiraz, and it's hard to see why with Cape Mentelle's Shiraz showing a vibrant core of blueberry, mulberry and hints of raspberry. It is well balanced with cocoa and savoury oak. The palate yet, is fine, elegant and focussed, finishing with chalky and structural tannins.

Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon has a generous and beautifully structured palate, layered with dense fruits of the forest, ripe tannins and a persistent fruit finish. Taking all before it at the recent Dan Murphy's National Wine Show of Australia, this Xanadu Cabernet will be snapped up quickly!

From vines yielding less than 1 tonne/acre, 100% whole bunch, natural yeast ferment, 100% new oak. A powerful and structural Pinot Noir by Lethbridge. An unusual presentation of the MV6 clone in the Estate vineyard produces fruit of great density of flavour, and very low yield (0.5 tonnes/acre). This wine was fermented with 100% whole bunch inclusion and had pre-fermentation maceration for 7-10 days. Wild yeast fermentation in small open vats proceeded with daily pigéage. Pressing was straight to barrel (100% new French oak) to allow for gross lees contact and natural MLF.

The now much sought after Righteous range of wines from Kym Teusner was first established in 2005 with the Grenache and this is the latest incarnation of this foreboding Barossa wine. Sourced from an 80 year old bush-vine vineyard, the Righteous Grenache was gently crushed and fermented in open fermenters with regular pump-overs. Maturation was completed in a mix of French and American oak and has resulted in a modern classic Grenache.

Bannockburn Shiraz is a multi-layered wine showing blackberry, black cherry and spice on the nose which follow through to the palate. Soft tannins and medium length.

If you love your big, bold and brash Barossa Shiraz, then look no further. Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz produce wine of utmost power and strength. Their Gnarly Dudes is a perfect example. Bold black and blue fruits dominate with a healthy smattering of oak to hold everything in place. Sumptuous!