The Malleea (an aboriginal word for 'green paddock') is a very fine exapmle of the classic Australian Cabernet/Shiraz blend. The 2008 is rich, dark magenta in colour, with ripe plums, spice and vanillin oak on the nose. The palate is like a complex fruit cake with layers of fresh berries, black olives and hints of chocolate.

Named after the famed Johann Gramp's grandson, Hugo, this is the very best Cabernet Sauvignon in the stable. From the very best sites in the region of Coonawarra, this wine shows classic regional mint and blackcurrant on the nose with a silky supple palate, elegant fruit characters, toasty oak and long, fine tannins.

From a 37-acre vineyard, Château Pavie Macquin is stunningly situated on the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion on the right bank of Bordeaux. 2010 has produced a formidable wine: a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a top release of the harvest year and a highlight from St-Émillion in 2010. Tannins, restraint and inward concentration are motifs, this is a wine for the patient, sophisticated collector who wishes to embellish a cellar with pedigree wines that need time and maturity to come to the fore.

Flavabom Vine Dried Shiraz delivers flavour with depth and concentration. Single vineyard, the vine-dried Shiraz grapes grown in the estate's soils, are the backbone to this intense style of this beautiful red. The integration of flavours, tannins and fruits, are hit with a judicious lashing of oak for a real flavour kick. Flavabom keeps its promise.

A magnificent example of what the Coonawarra has to offer, with a distinctive intensity of both varietal and regional characters melded with a balance and harmony that belies its ability to be enjoyed for many years to come. Intense dark berries throughout the palate with dark chocolate and plum, fine tannins and lingering acid hold together in perfect balance for an extended lingering finish.

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.

Lloyd Reserve Shiraz is produced from a single vineyard at Coriole, planted in 1919 by Geoffrey Kay. It was first retained as a separate wine in 1989, and is one of Langton's Classified Wines of Australia. This vineyard typically produces a wine of great intensity and can be cellared for many years. The wine is matured in French oak with typically about 40% new.

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.

Katnook Prodigy Shiraz is a wonderful example of great Coonawarra Shiraz. Savoury spice and dark berry fruits with a hint of white pepper. An elegant wine with medium intensity and great length. Amazingly concentrated for current drinking, the Prodigy will benefit for over decade in the cellar.

Crafted from the estate's best Bordeaux-origin Cabernet Sauvignon grapes planted in 1985 on terra rossa soil and aims to rival Bordeaux First Growths. First Growth is only produced in vintages where fruit quality and varietal typicity is deemed to be exceptional. Fermented for 12 days and macerated for a further 28 in closed fermenters, the wine gained tannin structure and aging potential. Pressed into 80% new French oak barriques and matured for 18 months, developing fine-grained tannins and a tightly structured wine capable of improving over 20 years of cellaring. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, dense red with purple hues. Aromas of cassis, blackberry, dried herbs, and cigar box. Palate of cassis and dried herbs leading to blackberry and spice, with restrained, long-lasting tannins.

The Author pays homage to pioneering vigneron John Riddoch (1827 - 1901). A true visionary, Riddoch is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Australian wine. An influential figure, he established the Coonawarra fruit colony in 1890 and is synonymous with the region's story. The Author represents the finest expression of the vintage. Dark red in colour with a vibrant crimson hue, the wine shows ripe red berry fruit and plum flavours with hints of spice. Matured in new and seasoned French oak hogsheads, the seamlessly integrated oak intertwines with a core of intense dark fruit. Plush, velvety tannins lead to a long and persistent length of flavour. This has all the hallmarks of a classic Coonawarra Shiraz and will drink well now but will reward patient cellaring for 10 to 15 years.