The best

• red wine
• white wine
• champagne
• rosé
• whisky
• spirits
• beer

deals in Australia

With one of the longest and most pedigreed histories in the Medoc region, Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases has passed through the hands of some of Frances most notable and wealthiest noble families, culminating in the Las Cases family - the final royal family to hold title to the Chateau. Up until the French Revolution, after which large portions of it were sold off, it was one of the largest vineyards in Bordeaux. Today, the estate remains family owned by the Delons, of which brother Jean Hubert and sister Genevieve manage proceedings. Famed for producing a wine of structure, power, and traditional style, the 2016 vintage has earned outstandingly high praise, including a score of 100 from Andrew Caillared and a 19/20 from Jancis Robinson who praised its extraordinary vitality and energy and proclaimed it glorious to taste now.

The intensely perfumed, sumptuous and seductive Brokenwood Graveyard articulates the very best of Hunter Shiraz. It is arguably the Hunter Valley's greatest red wine of the contemporary era. The east-facing Graveyard vineyard, first planted out in 1968, was once earmarked in 1882 as the Pokolbin cemetery but this did not eventuate. First made in 1983, Graveyard Shiraz is a meticulous classification selection of the best parcels, mostly from the oldest plantings. After vinification in open-top stainless steel vats, it finishes fermentation in barrel. Maturation takes place in a combination of French and American oak barriques for a period of around 14 months. Young elemental Graveyard typically shows ginger bread, blackberry aniseed fruit, plenty of savoury oak and floral/herb garden notes. The opulent gamey/French polish characters develop with time bringing a rich palimpsest of aromas and flavours.

On the palate ripe berries, rich fruitcake and chocolate flavours can be noted, along with a silky smooth and velvety finish. Dense fully body with an aromatic display of dark fruit, spicy oak and sweet tobacco. Lovely full bodied wine that is sweet and fruity in the mouth. Very flavoursome with well balanced oak.

Tony and Lita Bradys spectacularly individual Wendouree Shiraz has remained true to its origins since Alfred Percy Birks planted vines in 1893. It is considered by many as one of Australias greatest Shirazes. The vineyard is tiny, with low-yielding, beautifully formed old vines, many from the original plantings. Low input viticulture, laissez faire winemaking and maturation in about 1/3 new oak allows the wine to speak of place. These are dense, strongly flavoured wines with beautifully intense varietal fruit, massive concentration and a hallmark muscular sinewy tannin structure. The overall mass of fruit sweetness complements the toughness of the wine. Wendouree Shiraz will age for a long period of time maintaining prominent tannin structures but evolving further complexity and interest.

St Hallett Planted 1919 Shiraz Eden Valley St Halletts Planted 1919 is a new premium flagship wine for the heritage Barossa label. Made from vines over 100 years old, it honours the Centenarian vines of the Barossa and the growers who have tended them. The debut release of this cuvée is the 2015 Shiraz, dedicated to the Noack family, sixth-generation Barossa farmers who have cared for these vines for 30 years. Planted 1919 is striking in its intensity, surprising in its freshness, and utterly memorable. Its ageing potential knows no bounds. Fruit for this wine is hand-harvested and fermented as a single parcel, with skin contact for 10 days. It is matured for 18 months in 100% French oak (34% new), and then left to age for two further years in bottle. The result is a medium-to-full bodied Barossa red, rich with dense black fruits, dried herbs, white pepper and florals, leading to a lingering finish.

The word ‘areti’, Romanized from the Ancient Greek, refers to ‘excellence’ of any kind. Paulmara Estates define it as ‘excellence of character bound with fulfilment of purpose to live up to one’s full potential’. Areti is typically deep in colour, with complex dark berry aromas, rich velvety textures, and prodigious length. Andrew Caillard MW has observed that Areti is distinctly ‘Penfoldsian’ in style, which makes sense as the viticulturist (Paul Georgiadis) and winemaker (Jason Barrette) are both ex-Penfolds. Areti is made from Barossa Valley shiraz (with 5% cabernet sauvignon) from two distinct, estate-owned, Marananga vineyards—Block 1A and Paradigm vineyard. Planted in 1995, Block 1A rises up to 290m, and its soils range from red-brown loams over red clay with ironstone, to red-brown loams over clay and limestone. Paradigm’s vines range from 50 to 90 years old, its soils are predominantly red-brown loams over red clay, with shattered ironstone and quartz, and its fruit carries a reputation for having contributed to Penfolds Grange.

Sourced from pioneer planted Shiraz vines that have been continually hand tendered in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. This wine expresses the complexity, structure and intensity of flavour of the unique vineyard source. Rich dark red fruit and abundant ripe tannins integrated with perfumed oak. Cellaring potential of 15 plus years.