The 864 Close Planted Syrah is a wine of light and shade. The brightness of red and black fruits, with hints of bramble, are layered with stewed rhubarb, licorice, pastry, and a cabinet of spice. This multidimensional syrah boasts a long finish with mouth-coating, pinot-like tannins, and a pleasing moreish quality. The Close Planted block, on Coldstreams’s grey alluvial loam, is east-facing at 120 metres above sea level. The R6VW28 clone is planted at 5,200 plants per hectare, and is farmed to yield 6.3 tonnes per hectare. Grapes are hand-picked and sorted to open top fermenters with 70% of fruit placed over 30% whole bunches. During its three-week fermentation, the wine is regularly pumped over and plunged. At the end of this process, it’s pressed to French oak puncheons to mature for 14 months on gross lees. Representing the pinnacle of winemaking at Oakridge, the 864 range are high-scoring, limited-release, single-block wines that stand out internationally as exceptional varietal examples.

Cedar, touches of tobacco and glac cherry on the nose. The palate is gentle and medium bodied, very savoury, showing dark cherries, vanilla, black olives and nuttiness. A classy wine.

Hand-crafted from a single vineyard site, The Paringa is a Pinot Noir of utmost class, pedigree and intensity. Made from specifically selected barrels of Pinot Noir that were clearly superior at the time of blending and bottling, the wine is a powerful amalgamation of spice, cherry and charry oak characters with a palate of extreme persistence and integrity. Yet another Lindsay McCall masterpiece.

The Glaetzer family have been part of the Barossa winemaking scene since 1888 and now Ben takes over the reigns and produces Shiraz of the utmost intensity and concentration. Named after the ancient Egyptian god Amon-Ra who was the champion of the poor and troubled and was central to personal piety, the temple of Amon-Ra is believed to be the first to plant a vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple. This incarnation is rich, full-bodied and viscous to the palate, yet with sublime oak integration and a balance on the back palate that is quite lifted allowing it to be paired with many meals and a prime candidate for medium to long term cellaring.