Shiraz

James Halliday 97 points. "Selectiv-harvested at night, open-fermented, maceration pigeage, 9 days on skins, maturation in French hogsheads and puncheons (30% new) for 18 months. A shiraz of great quality and style, with the dark berry fruits, the tannins and the oak in perfect harmony. 220 dozen made." WINERY NOTE: Max & Me Shiraz 2017 is from our Boongarrie Estate ‘House Block’ Shiraz, a small ironstone-rich block planted in 1998 with cuttings from the old-block Shiraz on Poonawatta Vineyard, a legendary local Eden Valley source block. Pick date: 13/04/17. Winemaking continued methods used for the previous 3 vintages, where harvesting...

JH 97 points. Hand-picked in the first flush of berry ripeness, allowing 30% whole bunch inclusion in small open fermenters and pigeage for maceration, 10 days on skins, pressed to old French puncheons for 12 months, 140 dozen made. The Max & Me wines all have a touch of magic, this a bit extra as the fruit flavours float above the tannin and oak components. James Halliday Published 01 August 2020 #max

Fruit off Quarry Hill vineyard near Murrumbateman. A noir red with a purple tinge to the rim, then a decadent, structured wine follows. A mass of dark plums all spiced up with savoury oak following through on the full-bodied palate. While there’s a succulence within, there are also ripe, compact tannins keeping the wine firmly in shape and leading to a slightly drying finish.95 points. Jane Faulkner Published 16 August 2022 The Single Vineyard range is site specific, showcasing individual style and personality, delivering wines of terrific nuance and detail. The McWilliam’s winemaking team continually strive for quality, pushing the...

James Suckling 99 points. "This has a very complex and alluring array of rich red plums, blackberries, dark cherries and blueberries. Entrancing depth and purity with some stony, graphite-like notes, too. The palate has a striking core of intense, fresh dark-berry and plum flavors and some orange peel and dark chocolate to close. Drink or hold. Screw cap." Planted in 1880 by Charles King, the 'Old Hill' or 'O.H' vineyard has produced some of the Hunter Valley's greatest red wines. Legendary winemaker Maurice O'Shea first made wine from the 'Old Hill' in the 1920's & 1930's. These early wines are still regarded as some of the greatest...

93+ Points - Gary Walsh Wine Front "It’s just so nicely balanced and good to drink, and while it will age well and surely, it’s a delight right now. Fresh blackberry and raspberry, a little liquorice, rose and pepper, and a coverlet of cedar/umami oak. It’s a classic medium-bodied style with a little Hunter earthiness, balanced acidity, and gentle powdery tannin. It’s good from front to back. Really like this. It’s how you should make Hunter Shiraz." Inspired by the first visit of a reigning monarch to Australia in 1954, Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz is the personification of a distinguished family history dating back more than 130...

Gold Medal and Trophy, Hunter Valley Wine Show. James Halliday 99 points. Arguably, one of the greatest red vintages in living memory', says Mount Pleasant. The flagship wine. Destemmed and crushed, short cold soak, open-fermented, matured in large format French oak (30% new) for 18 months. Has the gently throbbing power of a Rolls Royce; superb, deep crimson-purple hue, itself rare in the Hunter Valley. Countless layers of black fruits have absorbed the oak and put the undoubted tannins into limbo land. O'Shea would have died a happy man had this been his last wine. Dissecting it now is an academic exercise at best, so great is its future....

97+ Points - Gary Walsh Wine Front " The winemaking and style of these 2017 reds is probably the best I’ve seen from this venerable old winery. Hats off to Adrian Sparks and Jim Chatto. This is a mix of Rosehill and ‘Estate’ fruit, with a sneaky, but very clever addition of 6% Pinot Noir. It’s now being made in a way that O’Shea would approve of, I suspect. It’s a beautiful wine, excellence in simplicity and verity of fruit, rather than industry in the winery. Perfumed, so fine and long, effortless flow and sense of grace, with an amalgam of mixed berries, spice, aniseed, and earth, supple but deep-seated and controlling tannin,...

James Halliday 99 points. "An utterly stupendous wine, in the same league as Penfolds 1962 Bin 60A. This O'Shea has the complexity of a great tapestry woven centuries ago when time was of no consequence. The sky, the soil and the fruit coalesce into an entity that throbs with intensity and a never-ending kaleidoscope of blackberry, earth and leather flavours." HUNTER VALLEY - James Halliday (01 November 2020). This iconic wine is a fitting tribute to the legendary winemaker and Mount Pleasant founder, Maurice O’Shea, one of the most important figures in the modern Australian wine industry. The Maurice O’Shea Shiraz is the flagship red...

Top Ten Best Selling Wines - December 2022 Under $60 James Suckling 98 points. "This very old-vine blend of two parcels is a classic of Hunter Valley elegance and power. The aromas of such pure red plums and berries are deeply intense and have a spicy thread, as well as some earthy tones. The palate has impressive depth and richness of darker-toned berries and delivers unwaveringly long, deeply powerful style. This still holds medium-bodied yet packs so much concentration. Drink over the next decade. Screw cap." #TOP

James Halliday Wine Companion 96 points (Campbell Mattinson) "It's not a 'look at me' wine, but it's so beautifully well fruited, balanced and flavoured. This is a seriously good option for the cellar. The tannin is ripped with earth and coffee notes, the fruit is black-cherried and bountiful, it's svelte of texture and sustained through the finish. It's both faultless and characterful and, all things considered, is extremely well priced." TROPHIES (5) 2019 HUNTER VALLEY WINE SHOW Doug Seabrook Memorial Trophy / Best Red Wine of Show Hector Tulloch Memorial Trophy / Best Shiraz of Show Alexander Munro Trophy / Best Current & 1 YO Shiraz of...

Cellar Door Price 80 aud. MV3A (McLaren Vale III Associates) is the coming together of three like-minded passion driven friends to create not only remarkable wines, but also a memorable experience and service that resonates the McLaren Vale region. A family owned and operated winery the three associates is made up by Reg Wymond and Mary and John Greer, who along with their son and Winemaker Campbell Greer share 80 years of Industry experience. A single vineyard, old vine Shiraz this fruit demanded attention from day one. It demonstrated the epitome of McLaren Vale and with that we had to be respectful. Offering magnificent fruit purity and...

WINERY NOTE: "This opulent and densely concentrated wine is sourced from the ‘20 Rows’ block within the Borrett family’s Langhorne Creek vineyard. It is vinified in small, open vats, pressed using a traditional basket press and aged for 18 months in new (30-40%) and seasoned, 300-litre American and French oak barrels. It is unashamedly a full-bodied, generously-flavoured wine with annual production between 750 and 850 dozen." - Noon Winery #NOON

Real Review 95 points. Ray Jordan 95 points. Sourced from the subregions of Polish Hill River and Armagh this Shiraz screams Clare Valley. Black olives, liquorice and spice fill the bouquet, while the palate exhibits characteristic of mocha. plum and blackberry fruits.

Wine has always been an integral part of Nikki Palun's life and growing up in a family of backyard winemakers has left her with a deep-seated passion for wine. In 2014 Nikki decided that she wanted to pursue her dream of creating her own wine and started to make wines under the Octtava label, with the vision of bringing her two passions of music and wine together. Melodic high notes of cola and violets slide gracefully into a fresh cherry, mulberry and black plum riff. Step into the shadows to feel the peppery bass groove cascade over layers of luscious dark fruit that tango softly in a tight and silky embrace. Sam Kim 95 points. "Gorgeously...

COLLECTION RECOMMENDED. THESE BOTTLES ARE AGEING PERFECTLY BUT WILL EXPERIENCE SOME SEEPAGE AS A RESULT OF NATURAL HEAT TRANSFERANCE BETWEEN CHILLED STORAGE AND YOUR HOME. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU WISH TO TAKE DELIVERY THIS WILL BE AT YOUR OWN RISK. WA 95 The outstanding 2004 Shiraz Jimmy Section (100% Shiraz aged in French oak, of which one-third was new) exhibits a big, sweet nose of blackberries, licorice, pepper, and flowers. It’s a stacked and packed, opulent, moderately tannic effort with superb density and richness as well as a multidimensional mouthfeel and persistent finish. It should age beautifully for 10-15 years.RPJ Oct 2005

COLLECTION RECOMMENDED. THESE BOTTLES ARE AGEING PERFECTLY BUT WILL EXPERIENCE SOME SEEPAGE AS A RESULT OF NATURAL HEAT TRANSFERANCE BETWEEN CHILLED STORAGE AND YOUR HOME. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU WISH TO TAKE DELIVERY THIS WILL BE AT YOUR OWN RISK. WA 92 "The 2007 Jimmy Section Shiraz received the same elevage as the Clarendon bottling and reveals a similar personality but with considerably more fruit. It will profit from several years of cellaring and its outstanding balance makes it a better bet to provide pleasure from 2012 to 2025. Oliverhill is an underrated source for back strapping red wines with plenty of personality. JM Feb 2009

WINERY NOTE: Single Vineyard Shiraz, fruit sourced from ‘Springs Hill Vineyard’, Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale grown by the Whaite family Dry Grown on Holocene Sand, North/South aspect 205-210m altitude. Planted 1998. A vineyard we both have worked with in previous roles and one we were instantly drawn to for our Shiraz. 2020 is our third release of this single vineyard wine. Hand-picked fruit, wild-fermented in a 132-year-old wax lined concrete open fermenter, 22% whole bunch (foot trodden for tannin extraction from ripe rachis), remainder destemmed. Cold soaked for 5 days, plunged and pumped over during peak of ferment, 13 days on...

PRODUCED BY WINEMAKING PIONEERS THE HICKINBOTHAM FAMILY PREVIOUS VINTAGE NUMBER 8 IN WINE ENTHUSIAST BEST VALUE WINES ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST VALUE WINES TASTING NOTES The colour is a dark, inky deep red, almost black with a vibrant garnet hue. The bouquet is lifted and intense with aromas of ripe plum and blackcurrants as well as exhibiting notes of integrated oak, mocha, white pepper and caraway seed. The palate is extremely rich and generous with a labyrinth of dark plum, chocolate, cedar and spice. The subtle and integrated French and American oak tannins add complexity to the secondary notes of the wine and compliment the fruit and acid...

Paringa is owned by the Hickinbotham family (reknowned for their excellent South Australian vineyards). This is their value driven export label. Paringa Sparkling Shiraz has a saturated deep burgundy color with a crimson hue and an abundance of aromas that include fresh black current preserves, with dark strawberry and blackberry jam that are surrounded by underlying hints of butterscotch, menthol and spice. The palate is lively, refreshing and medium-bodied, comprising of sweet berry fruits, ripe plums and cassis, with hints of chocolate, molasses, caraway seed and fennel. The origin of the “fizz” has ensured that the grape’s fresh,...

James Halliday 94 points. "The Gods of Value have big smiles on their faces. This is in the sweet spot for value, quality and style. It's dark fruited and amply so, but its savoury edges give it a wider appeal. Soft, modestly/appropriately oaked, tidy with tannin and perhaps most importantly, moreish." - Published 30 June 2021. 93 Points “Pirathon is an ancient word for pinnacle. This shiraz from the north-western Barossa is a dark, inky purple in the glass with black plum and toasty vanilla oak along with fruit cake notes and clove spice. Excellent fruit flavours are full-bodied, rich and intense. Good support from unobtrusive oak and...

Ray Jordan 92 points "A juicy and vibrant shiraz chock-full of plummy ripe fruit displaying a little spice and damp, earthy characters among the more perfumed exotic notes. The palate has a grainy texture with chalky tannins and a little oak balancing the medium weight fruit. The 30% new oak adds that little extra dab of spice on the finish. Best drinking now to 2028." WINERY NOTES: COLOUR Deep crimson with a purple hue NOSE Elegant perfumed bouquet of bramble fruits and savoury spice. PALATE The palate displays considerable fruit concentration of plum and dark berries. The fine ripe tannins are very well integrated with fruity and savoury...

A nose of leather, pepper and a nod to the Rhône with sultry dark berry fruits and some meatier charcuterie notes. The palate is supple yet expansive with an elegant weave of spice that is wrapped around plums and ripe blackberry; the undercurrent is of earth and cured meat with sweetness of spice and moreish tannin and acidity. The wine has peppery nuance to finish with this release a cool climate Shiraz of the highest order. Drink to: 2030; Rating: 96 Points; Patrick Eckel; The Wine Reviewer. Hand-picked, fermented with 25-50% whole bunches, or crushed and destemmed, matured in French oak (35% new). In Adelaide Hills terms is full-bodied...

Wine Advocate 97 points. Standish's 2017 The Relic Shiraz-Viognier includes 2% Viognier, just enough to soften the wine's considerable tannins and add a floral element on the nose. Gorgeous scents of brambly blackberries and anise lead into a wine that's full-bodied and plush, long and silky, adding hints of cocoa and espresso on the finish. JC Nov 2019.

Stuart McCloskey 99-100 points. "Ripe black fruits tinged with orange rind flood the palate. Totally effortless, sensual, precise and without fault. An astonishing wine and one that will provide 50 years of pleasure..." James Suckling 94 points. "Aromas of blackberry and dark chocolate with toasted spices, cherry, raspberry coulis and vanilla. Like a liquid black forest cake. Rippling with intensity and concentration, the palate has very soft and satiny tannins that sit smoothly into the finish. Sultry. Drink over the next five years." #CLEAR

Wine Advocate (96-98). Mint, sage and thyme accent blackberry and black cherry fruit in the 2018 The Schubert Theorem Shiraz. Full-bodied and rich without being heavy, it finishes tremendously long, with silky, cocoa-powder-like tannins. It should drink well for a couple of decades. JC Nov 2019.

99 Points - Nick Stock (jamessuckling.com) “Just incredible shiraz, this has the x-factor of purity and inherent complexity. So layered and so detailed. The aromas and flavors of intense blackberry, rich plum, blueberry and cherry fold over and over each other, together with plenty of spice and a flicker of dark stones. The palate is so saturated and so deeply set with dark fruit cascading long and lively on the finish. Stunning shiraz once again. Drink over the next decade.”

James Suckling 98 points. Such concentrated blueberry and cherry aromas, as well as violets and fresh-earth aromas. This delivers an immediate sense of richness with chocolate in the mix, too. Very pure. The palate has a very resolved feel with deep, essence-like fruit flavors that hold a rich, plum and blackberry line that drives long and very even. This is really something. Drink over the next decade.

Wine Advocate 96 points. The 2020 The Standish Shiraz was made with fruit from the Laycock family vineyard, in Greenock. The first vintage was 1999. This vintage saw 30% whole bunches in the ferment. It offers notes of red dirt, a bit of blood, salted heirloom tomato and satsuma plum. This is concentrated, compacted, plush, dense and muscular, with notes of ras el’hanout, allspice, torched cinnamon and salted Dutch licorice. This wine is like playing "Magic Eye." There’s a lot going on, but if you relax, a pattern emerges and the detail becomes obvious for all to see. Within the fine but plushly tannic frame, there is saltbush and bay...

Wine Advocate 94-96 points. Sourced from a vineyard not far from the winery in the Light Pass subregion of Barossa Valley, the 2018 Andelmonde Shiraz boasts lovely raspberry perfumes and gentle herbal nuances of mint and black tea. Full-bodied and creamy-textured, with a long, silky finish and mouthwatering acids, it's another fabulous effort from Dan Standish. JC Nov 2019.

Wine Advocate 97+ points. The 2020 Lamella Shiraz was made with fruit from the Angas family vineyard in the Eden Valley (Hutton Vale Farm), with cuttings from the Mt. Edelstone vineyard, which is close by. It is made with 100% whole bunches in the ferment. "This is the last pick, and by that time the stems have fully lignified," said Dan Standish. It is floral, and granitic and minerally and über spicy all at once. It is the elegant wine of the lineup, thanks to the elevated vineyard and the cooling acid, but it also is possessed of a nuance and range of flavor that makes it distinct from the others. The Lamella has the breadth and range...

94pts – Huon Hooke – The Real Review Deep red/purple colour. Earthy, pepper and graphite aromas, hints of dried spices, the palate full-bodied and rich, well concentrated and powerful, with a core of deep, sweetly super-ripe black fruit flavour. The tannins quickly wash in and balance the opulence of the fruit. A big, generous, in-your-face shiraz with much to enjoy, now or for many years to come. Impressive stuff and great value. – 15 MAY 2021 To anyone that has met Kym Teusner and Mick Page, it would come as no surprise to discover that Teusner Wines was conceived over a few beers at the local pub. Scratching together a bit of cash,...

James Halliday 95 points. The flavours pop up like the plastic clowns at the Easter Show, either to be shot or stunned and lie flat at the end of the moving belt. There is a persistent tune with spicy/savoury/preserve flavours that works very well for me, even if left field. Drink to: 2035; Date Tasted: Sept 2019; Alcohol: 14.5%; Rating: 95 Points & Special Value Star; James Halliday Wine Companion. The Barossa Valley vineyard landscape is remarkably diverse. Fortunate to have mates growing grapes all over this place, I’m able to make different wines showcasing many faces of Barossa Valley Shiraz. The Bilmore Shiraz is sourced primarily...

James Halliday Wine Companion 94 points: "Fragrant and lifted ripe plum and dark berry fruits with hints of exotic spice, violets, chocolate and underlying wafts of roasting meats, pressed flowers and light amaro herbs. The addition of a small amount of whole bunches to the ferment seems to open the wine up and let a little more light in, along with spice and textural elements. Pure of fruit with long, sandy tannins and a juicy finish, the Butchers Block provides excellent value and delicious drinking." Dave Brookes Published 17 January 2022 Winemaking Notes: Source blocks were selected for spice and lift, representing a fresher and more...

Campbell Mattison for James Halliday Wine Companion, 95 points. “Ground coffee, ripe plum/redcurrant and blackberry flavours sweep confidently through the palate, chicory and sweet earth characters carried along for the ride. It’s not flashy or necessarily seductive, but it’s the most impeccable Barossa shiraz you could ever hope to find. It will mature beautifully”. Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion 2021. 96 Points “Brilliant Barossa Shiraz that comes off the back of an unnervingly good array of new releases. This sits just above medium weight with great depth of flavour but a levity and freshness born from fine tannin...

James Halliday Wine Companion 92 points: Deep, saturated red-purple hue with aromas of black plum and cherry fruits, cut through with hints of blackstrap licorice, violets, blackforest cake, dark chocolate and oak spice. Sweetly fruited on the palate with deep blackberry and plum fruits tinged with warm earth, fruitcake spice and Old Jamaica chocolate. Impressive fruit density, tight sandy tannin and bright acid drive. Dave Brookes Published 03 August 2022. When small amounts of wine disappeared from their oak barrels medieval winemakers just assumed it was angels from above taking their cut. It was about the same time everyone thought the...

James Halliday Wine Companion 92 points. "The name here pays homage to gnarled bush vines of the Barossa, famous across the globe. Deep saturated red-purple hue, there is a distinct ginger-spice aspect to the plush black plum and black cherry fruit on display here. There is an array of spice too, with hints of dark chocolate and a plume of mulberry lift. Great fruit concentration, fine ripe tannin and a tight acid line drives things along nicely." Dave Brookes Published 03 August 2022 Hits the palate with vibrancy and pop. Bright berry notes dance across the palate. Medium to full bodied with richness of fruit balanced by bright refreshing...

93 Points - Angus Hughson, The Wine Pilot “Alan Varney sources parcels of fruit from McLaren and the Adelaide Hills for his newish range – the Shiraz coming from a combination of the two. It feels much more like your classic McLaren Vale with its bright, deep ruby colour and then robust, generously fruited style. The aromas are in the blackberry, tar and leather spectrum with a dusting of spice and red liquorice coming in to add attractive delicacy. That fleshy fruit is then joined by a chewy, slightly rustic palate where sinewy tannins and cedary oak provide a firm backbone. It drinks well now, and is quite a serious version of McLaren...