Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No.2 Yarra Valley Shiraz One of three wines from Yarra Yering featured in the original 1990 Langtons Classification, Dry Red No. 2 is recognised as the first Côte Rôtie style wine made by anyone in Australia. Its fruit is sourced from 1973 plantings of Shiraz, often backed by small amounts of Mataro, Marsanne and Viognier. A highly collectable and cellar-worthy offering from one of the cornerstone wineries of the Yarra Valley.

Penfolds has a rich history dating back to 1844 when Dr. Christopher and Mary Penfold arrived in Australia with a vine cutting and a bold vision. They purchased 500 acres of land in South Australia and began producing tonics, brandies, and fortified wines made from grapes and Australian sunshine. Christopher's planting of vines and his philosophies continue to influence Penfolds to this day. Mary Penfold, the unsung chief of Penfolds, played a significant role in the winery's experimentations, growth and winemaking philosophies. Max Schubert became the company's first Chief Winemaker in 1948 and created the long-lasting Penfolds Grange in the 1950s. The tradition of 'bin wines' began in 1959 with Kalimna Bin 28 becoming the first official Penfolds Bin number wine. Penfolds continues to innovate, with the release of the rare 2004 Kalimna Block Cabernet Sauvignon in 2012 and the 170th anniversary celebration in 2014. Today, Penfolds remains one of Australia's most famed and respected winemakers, driven by generations of visionaries and innovators who strive for excellence in winemaking. St Henri is a time-honoured and alternative expression of shiraz, and an intriguing counterpoint to Grange. It is unusual amongst high quality Australian red wines as it does not rely on any new oak. Released for the first time by Penfolds in the early 1950s (first commercial vintage 1957), it gained a new lease of life in the 1990s as its quality and distinctive style became better understood. Proudly, a wine style that hasn’t succumbed to the dictates of fashion or commerce. St Henri is rich and plush when young, gaining soft, earthy, mocha-like characters with age. It is matured in an assortment of old large vats that allow the wine to develop, imparting minimal, if any oak character. Although a small proportion of cabernet may sneak into the blend, the focal point for St Henri remains shiraz. The Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz 2020 (Gift Boxed) is a delightful wine that has been matured for 12 months in large seasoned oak vats. The wine has been crafted using outstanding parcels of shiraz grapes grown in South Australia's Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale regions, which faced adverse climate conditions. The winter drought continued from the previous year, leading to low root-zone moisture levels, requiring irrigation to ensure healthy vines. The beginning of summer was marked by a heatwave, with the Barossa Valley experiencing 26 summer days over 35°C. Cooler conditions in January and February provided much-needed relief and McLaren Vale experienced above-average rainfall in February, enabling the vines to finish the season in good shape. Although yields were significantly below average, the low yields produced outstanding quality parcels of shiraz suited to the St. Henri style. The wine's color is garnet red, with a dark purple core, presenting elegant profundity. The nose showcases the unadulterated shiraz fruit profile without oak influence. The fruit aroma is delightful, with fruits of the forest, berry conserve, strawberry flan and rhubarb tart. There is a hint of confectionary, reminiscent of red glace cherries. The savoury notes of German Blutwurst - a spiced sausage, pan scrapings from roast lamb, salt-cured beef with black peppercorns and Ferric notes of iron filings and whetstone swarf - round out an impressive showing. The palate is quite savoury, with a morish umami nuance of Japanese nori paper and olive brine. The mid-palate anchors fresh blueberry and mulberry leaf, with exotic spices adding intrigue - Alleppey turmeric, toasted cumin, pimento. The tannins are very tactile, comparable to Dutch cocoa, creating excellent texture and mouthfeel. This classic St Henri wine will reward extended time in the cellar, offering a peak drinking window from now until 2050.

Krondorf 121 Settlers Barossa Valley Shiraz The 121 Settlers Old Vine Shiraz is sourced from a single site at the cooler southern extremity of Barossa, in St. Jakobi, abutting the western ridge of the Lyndoch sub-zone. Here, a conflation of red clay and loam promotes earlier ripening, a mitigating factor against inclement weather and the growing risk of early season frosts that Climate Change has foisted upon us. As importantly these dense soils imbue the wines with a firm tannic carriage, ensuring passage to greater complexity in the cellar, while serving as a structural harness for typically exuberant Barossan fruit. The average age of the vines is in excess of 35 years, with gnarled octogenarian survivors among them. Yields are inherently low as the established root systems reach deep below the soils substrata in search of water and the requisite nutrients drawn through it. Yet the fruit that is produced is immaculate: vibrant, concentrated and firmly stamped with the regional postcode of generosity. The winemaking is dutifully sensitive, chaperoning the fruit from vineyard to bottle with minimal intrusion: gravity feeds, gentle pigeage and 16-18 months in used, rather than new, oak. The result is one of dark fruit allusions from plum to blackberry, underlain by a potpourri of spice including black pepper, clove and star anise, all melded to a pungent thread of mineral. The oak is apparent, but only as an adjunct to propel the finish long. As with many Barossan greats, the fruit weight allows for early appeal, albeit, this is a wine that will easily cellar for 15 years onwards.

Head Wilton Hill Shiraz Barossa Ranges Wilton Hill is comprised of an old vine vineyard, perched atop the Barossa Ranges as it encroaches on the Eden Valley. The soil, a complex polyglot of sandy loams, limestone and ferrous ironstone over a substrata of mottled quartz. The geology is arguably more intrinsic to the makeup of the wine than the variety, or maker Alex Heads deft hand. This is top- drawer Barossa Grand Cru speaking. Make no mistake! Think a swirl of dark fruits, aromas of iodine, lilac and violet, punctuated with a swab of tapenade-encrusted tannins. Dig deeper and there are scents of smoked meats, thyme, lavender and mocha, trailing across a peppery trail of freshness that tows this full-bodied wine long. Sumptuous gear that is ready for an aggressive decant, or extended time in the cellar.

With a name that directly translates from French as 'The Soil', the Le Sol Syrah (Shiraz) pays homage to the terroir that creates this rich and evocative wine. With the trademark Gimblett Gravels stony soil, with exhibits amazing refinement and breeding while not relinquishing body and complexity.

Robert O'Callaghan's Rockford Basket Press Shiraz is one of the Barossa Valley's most important wines. It entered Langton's Classification of Australian Wine in 2000 and is one of 21 wines in the 1st Classified tier today. It is sold almost exclusively to Rockford's own mailing list customers and is rarely made available to the retail market. Rockford’s squat, high–shouldered brown bottle - reminiscent of 1940s red wine packaging - is instantly recognisable. Basket Press manages to combine the concentration and power of the traditional Barossa Shiraz style of the 1950s and '60s with the supple freshness of contemporary winemaking. It has achieved its high status in a relatively short time: the first vintage was 1984.