Intense dark red with a hint of violet. The bouquet gives an impression of sweet earthiness and lifted florals, blueberries, fresh tobacco, white pepper and spice. Pure florals, red berries and a silky texture.

An aged parcel from Xavier's cellar. 2013 was a curious vintage. Grapes with little development mid-August, all saved by a fabulous Indian summer. Xavier's first solo vintage and a challenging one, but a very special one. There is no Viognier in 2013 and there are more stems than is normal. What Xavier produced may not be as lifted and elegant as mormal, but it is a fabuloulsly classic Northern Rhone Sytah that really is aging beautifully. Interesting now, but with at least 10 years. "85% destemmed and aged 24 months in 10% new barrels and demi-muid, it offers classic, northern-styled minerality, iron, spring flowers and darker styled fruits. Tight, focused and beautifully pure, with a classic feel in its tannin and acid structure, give this beauty another 2-3 years and enjoy bottles through 2025." Drink 2016-2025, 90-92/100 Jeb Dunnock from erobertparker.com #216, Dec 2014

"Its too easy to use the term 'Reserve', but occasionally a blend or parcel within the portfolio of Shiraz wines I make demands special bottling. Increasingly, these parcels are coming from Eden Valley as I find more nice little parcels of very Old Vine Shiraz." Tim Smith, 2014.

Charming and moreish, with a lovely appetising style and impressive persistence. Has all the St-Joseph hallmarks in place, with lovely purity of fruit and finely woven tannins.

Another perennial favourite, this is a Syrah-dominated cuvee that comes from vines around the village of Roaix, which is northeast of Gigondas. Its vibrant ruby color is followed by terrific notes of blueberries, blackberries, pepper and resinous herbs, and it has a kiss of vanilla that will be completely integrated by the time this sees the inside of a bottle. This is a medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure beauty.

Very deep crimson in colour. Definitive Mount Edelstone shiraz aromas of sage and crushed black pepper lead to brightly spiced plum, blue and black cherry characters, enveloped by crushed flowering herbs with cedar nuances. Vibrant, wild forest berries are layered beautifully into a rich and elegantly textured palate with fine velvety tannins and lingering notes of black pepper and sage for an extremely long finish. (Liberty) Comes in a presentation box.

An easy-going, laid back & fruity wine with a soft velvet mouthfeel. Bursting with flavour with notes of black cherry, spice & liquorice, all adding up to a pleasant & tasty wine.

Jancisrobinson.com 17.5 "The 2013 vintage won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy. Lower yield 40% less than 2013 and picked 17 days later... Very dark crimson. Silky and polished. Racy and really succulent. Treacle top note but overall it's not sweet. Great balance and length. Very bright fruit. Sinewy finish."

This wine boasts a lovely deep ruby-red colour and a concentrated bouquet revealing notes of ripe fruit and mild spices. It is a well-structured wine, fleshy on the palate and with hints of liquorice to finish.

Very solid GSM from Torbreck! Intense plum, cherry and black earth with smoke and vegetal overtones. Great fruit intensity!

A deliciously vibrant style of Australian Shiraz with succulent raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, hints of spice and elegant, glossy texture.

Franck Faugiers 12 hectares of old vine Syrah are planted on the stony, red-clay and sandy soils of Les Châssis, one of the most prized plots of land in all of Crozes-Hermitage. He works his vines as naturally as possible, utilizing Biodynamic farming methods to ensure the health of his soil and plants. From these stony soils, Franck is able to craft expressive, juicy Syrah that drinks with fabulous freshness, complexity and fruit intensity.

Halliday 93/100 "combines heft with restraint and that's its key. Black coal, redcurrant, blackberry, clove... a hearty red wine to sit down and settle in with."

Jonathan Livingstone Learmonth "this is solid Value: has a shiny, bright dark red, jolie robe. The nose is sweet-noted, a good pile of cherries in the frame, with salt clarity, licorice, good life overall. This is direct, off we go: solo drinking right on the agenda here, thanks to a burst of live black fruits, some good, fresh lift. It is quite flashy, suited to a crowded bar and noise. The fruit is exuberant"

One of Australia's greatest Shirazes, from a vineyard first planted in 1912. "The classic Edelstone aromatic profile - sage, bay leaves, pepper both black and Sichuan. Blacker fruits on the palate, rubbed sage and fine cedar too. There’s a lovely momentum to this, an elegant flow across the palate finishing with the gentle grip of fine brick dust tannins. A spectacular Edelstone, one of the greats." Nick Ryan. The Australian. May 2021 Comes in a presentation box.

"This is the embodiment of elegance, sweeping you through its colour (bright, not dense), bouquet (raspberry, plum and wild blackberry) and palate (a bowl of sombre fruit) held in the arms of tannins with no chance of fading in the next 30 years." 97 Points. James Halliday. "There's a certain amount of hype surrounding the release of Henschke’s revered Hill of Grace. For collectors and wine aficionados, anyway. The fuss is merited. This is the 59th vintage (55th release) and buzzes with energy. The nose is fresh, fragrant, and beckons... "drink me". Make like Alice and oblige, tumbling through an Eden Valley Wonderland of plush dark fruit and playful red berries. Such elegance. It is a deep and meaningful in a glass." Katie Spain, The Advertiser, May 9th 2021 Comes in a presentation box.

James Halliday Top 100 96 Points A full-bodied shiraz that reflects cunning winemaking. Whole berry fermentation has put a rich gloss on the palate without overloading the tannin structure. The predominantly black berry fruit is shot through with licorice, spice and an airbrush of dark chocolate. JH, 96 Points, Nov 2020

The combination of the Shiraz grape blended with the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal gives this wine blackcurrant and plum fruit flavours together with a tantalising hint of spice and soft yet integrated tannins.

Proper Crozes-Hermitage style Syrah – thick berry fruit, a bit of dark chocolate bite, nice crisp acidity and tannin, tastes almost cool/minty. A satisfying meat wine.

Guigal's 2018 Crozes Hermitage reveals another level of ripeness and plushness. It's full-bodied, maybe even a little jammy (not a problem at this youthful stage of its evolution), without being heavy or overdone.

A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre with a light touch of oak from ageing in older barriques. The Mourvedre is noticeable in the aroma of leather.Full mouth, velvety soft, aromatic purity of fruit, flowers and wood. Full bottle 1,166 g. Old vines, hand-picked. "Strikingly unusual nose – I can smell guava jam (something I haven’t smelt in 27 years) and tamarillo, rose hips and wood polish, and a tiny, intense floral note that makes me think of walking in the garden on a hot summer night. Wonderful freshness. It has the cool rustle of walking through russet leaves in autumn woodland. A touch of tamarind paste, white pepper, za’atar, baharat. I love the sense of metal sculpture I get in this wine – it’s not that I am literally tasting iron or rust or copper or pewter, but when I taste this wine, it’s like the wine version of a Rochelle Ford metal sculpture. It carries in its molecules the twist and sinews of the old vine trunks, the battering and weathering of nature and time, the glow of a thousand sunsets, edges and angles, sheen and rust, rain and dust". VGV (TC) jancisrobinson.com

Excellent producers Eric and Joel come from an old mixed farming family who went into making their own wine commercially in the late 1980s. They still grow apricots. The brothers have plenty of drive, and are making fruit-filled wines that can be enjoyed from an early stage.

This wine is full of vibrant red fruits balanced with spice and sweet oak. The mid weight palate has lots of red cherries and blackberries and finishes with gentle spicy oak and mocha characters.

Superb Cornas from the brothers becoming known as masters of the region. The Durands' top cuvée, the 2017 Cornas Confidence comes from mature vines on the family's most granitic sites. Aged in 30% new oak, it combines notes of crushed stone, resiny herbs, almond paste, raspberries, blueberries and cassis into a harmonious whirl of intense flavor. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's also richly tannic, picking up hints of mocha on the lengthy finish.

An aromatic bouquet of ripe fruits, cherries and blackcurrants, with notes of freshly ground coffee, dark chocolate, peppermint, liquorice and subtle pepper. Thick and smooth with good balanced fruit weight.

Ben Glaetzer sources the fruit for this exceptional wine from the Ebenezer subdistrict of the Barossa. The vines are between 50 and 130 years old, and as a result play a significant role in hot dry years like this one. It’s intensely concentrated yet beautifully smooth and textural. The oak and fruit balance is spot on with the tannins sitting comfortably within. It’s a 100% new oak contribution of largely French, and the fruit has absorbed it perfectly. Bottled unfiltered.

At this price point Ben Glaetzer starts to get his mitts on some really mature vine fruit. This is 100% Barossa shiraz sourced from vines that are between 35 and 120 years old. It’s remarkable that such old vine fruit could be included in a wine at this price, but hey, who’s complaining. In this hot year those old vines kicked in and provided some excellent fruit that doesn’t have a hint of being cooked or out of whack in that important flavour sugar trade-off. It gets a reasonable amount of oak with about 40 % new and largely French for about 16 months. Loaded with that mix of black fruits and dark plum with a typical Barossa coffee grinds character. Generous grainy mouth feel with a sustained finish. Another cracking good wine at a mighty good price.

A blend of mourvèdre, grenache noir, syrah and carignan. From the south of the Saint Chinian appellation. There's a slightly confected feel to the nose, but also some stony minerality. Very silky, fresh flavours and textures in the mouth. Lovely peppery spice on the finish. Full bottle 1,150 g. Certified HVE. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Carignan from steep, pesticide-free vineyards in the south of St-Chinian. "A touch of glacé cherry on the nose, crushed ripe raspberries, fine-crushed wet gravel. Unusually fine tannins – this really plays in the mouth on tiptoes. Lovely carpaccio layers between the cool red fruit, threaded with rosemary and sansho pepper and sarsaparilla. A particularly delicate expression of St-Chinian, but that's not to say it's insubstantial. If you prefer your reds elegant, this is for you". Good Value. Tamlyn Currin on jancisrobinson.com 16.5/20 jancisrobinson.com

Beautifully resolved and brilliant Faugeres in a handy lunch time 50cl format. A dreamy bin-end offer. Snap it up!

Deep purple, almost opaque in colour with an expressive nose of black fruits, pepper, cinnamon, spice and violets. A seductive palate of dark hedgerow fruits, very open and welcoming with an explosion of fruit and spice. Mineral undertones. Full bottle 1,389 g. Certified Ecocert organic. 64% Syrah, 29% Grenache, 7% Cinsault. "The 2019 reminds me much more of the 2017 than the 2018. This is full-throated cherry song, shining-glossy-gleaming with the pure joy of the fruit tumbling, laisser-aller, out the glass. Tannins that feel like the iridescence of pheasant feathers. Pomegranate soprano, sumac spice on the alto with a lick of milk chocolate, rose petals dipped in mica dust on the tenor and petrichor on the bass. A subtle, shimmering gradation of flavour and a finish that ripples out in ever-widening circles like a pebble thrown into a still lake". Tamlyn Currin on jancisrobinson.com 17.5/20 jancisrobinson.com

Violets, dried herbs, pencil lead, plums, berries OTP smooth med tannins and acidity, black licorice stewed plums

Another perennial favourite, this is an old vine Syrah-dominated cuvee that comes from vines around the village of Roaix, which is northeast of Gigondas. Its vibrant ruby color is followed by terrific notes of blueberries, blackberries, pepper and resinous herbs, and it has a kiss of vanilla that will be completely integrated by the time this sees the inside of a bottle. This is a medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure beauty. "Old vine Syrah. Bramble and blackcurrant fruit with plenty of creamy oak in the mix too." AA, Jan 2021

Syrah (33% 1940, 1945, 33% 1997-1999, 33% 2005-2013) from 0.72 hectare on gore, decomposed red granite, N-E facing, late ripening slope on Coteau de Blanchard, rented vineyard (from the late Gérard Villano & family) taken over Jun 2012, 50-90% destemmed, 2-3 day cool maceration at 10-12°C, 2-3 week vinification, cap punchings, a little pumping over, aged 1-6 year 228-litre casks 12 months, unfined, unfiltered. There’s very elegant fruit as the palate opens, real good cut and notably aromatic precision. This has a pure quality, a rather sultry note in the fruit. It’s good now, but will keep doing well until 2027-28.

A new cuvee debuting in 2019 form the Le Mollard leu-dit which is elegant, refined and with Burgundian in style. Very fine wine indeed. For those that love lifted Syrah with real class and elegance. Bravo Xavier!

A softer structure than its valley floor brethren, the cooler climate ‘Grains of Paradise’ Shiraz balances Melton's house style richness within a more nimble framework, retaining the sweet fruit but balancing the weight. Deep crimson in colour with aromas of dark chocolate, black fruits and pepper. The palate has round tannins and a smooth finish.

Franck Faugiers 12 hectares of old vine Syrah are planted on the stony, red-clay and sandy soils of Les Châssis, one of the most prized plots of land in all of Crozes-Hermitage. He works his vines as naturally as possible, utilizing Biodynamic farming methods to ensure the health of his soil and plants. From these stony soils, Franck is able to craft expressive, juicy Syrah that drinks with fabulous freshness, complexity and fruit intensity.

Deep ruby with crimson hues. Fragrant, floral aromas of violets over spicy blackberry, raspberry and blueberry, with underlying spice notes of anise and black pepper, with sage, bay leaf and cedar. The palate is spicy, juicy and concentrated with ripe blueberry and freshly cut strawberry and plum creating layers of flavour with bright acidity and complexity from long, fine, savoury tannins.

On the nose, notes of dark berries and plum supported by hints of licorice and a floral lift. Dark and brooding on the palate, with tightly wound layers of rich, black and blue fruits with hints of dark chocolate and spice, finishing long with savoury tannins

Shiraz is a variety chosen for its property of expressing a sense of place, and in this instance, vineyards surrounding Waterford in Stellenbosch. No new wood is used in the making of this wine, using 225L Old French oak barrels, 4th fill and older. Whole berry fermentation and soft extraction methods (pumpovers only) have brought out the purity in the wine. Concentrated red and dark fruit with warm earthy aromatics can be found in this Stellenbosch Shiraz, accompanied by plum fruit and leather spice undertones. The 2016 vintage produced a lovely soft and velvety textured Shiraz, with the slight addition of Mourvèdre (12%) to build in a little tension in the finish of the wine.

Excellent producers Eric and Joel come from an old mixed farming family who went into making their own wine commercially in the late 1980s. They still grow apricots. The brothers have plenty of drive, and are making fruit-filled wines that can be enjoyed from an early stage.