Shiraz Viognier is an obsession which consumes the Yering Station team, as they continue to enjoy and refine the artisanal process with each new vintage. Co-ferments of Viognier skins and Shiraz berries, hand picked off closely managed vines to the most opportune schedule, the careful extraction of aromatics, flavours and colour, make for a wonderfully perfumed, complex wine with velvet tannins and prolonged, engaging finish.

The flagship Pinot Noir by one of Australia's most eminent Pinot specialists, from the best parcels grown to the most precious blocks. The near perfect climes and terroir produce concentrated, intense Pinot Noir berries with profound articulation and remarkable structure. Tiny yields of less than 1½ tonnes to the acre translate into a pure and distinguished wine. As with all Yering Station's Reserves, an edition that's suitably rare and extremely limited, whatever the vintage, the first growth in Australian Pinot Noir.

The uncompromising pursuit of excellence brings the Yealands team to the extreme viticultural climes of Gibbston Valley in Central Otago. It is here under the frigid cloudless night skies that Pinot Noir vines, planted to undulating granite schist soils, struggle to yield harvests of parched grapes, redolent with cherry berry perfumes, bursting with an intensity of flavour and wrapped in a muslin of seamless, velvet tannins. Treated to a year in a proportion of new French oak barriques, the Otago Pinot of choice to match with red meats, lamb roasts and game.

Sourced exclusively off the unirrigated eight acre block, established 1973 at the western extremity of Yarra Yering. Cool climate new world Shiraz starts here. A high inclusion of stalks and whole bunches are added back to the traditional half tonne open tea chest fermenters to lend juiciness plus extra cut and persistent tannins to the sweeping finish. Basket pressed and aged eighteen months in a high proportion of new French oak. A slight westerly aspect and propitious clay soils yield a wine that's a perfect foil for the feminine Dry Red No.2

Inspired by the complex and eclectic diversity of noble French styles, intriguingly binding two distinct genres from Burgundy and the Valley Rhone, all done in a very Yarra Valley way. Dry Red No.3 is an elegant accord of hand selected fruit, picked off the 1981 Pinot paddock and 1995 Waterloo block. Half the Cuvée is Shiraz, treated to a whole bunch vinification and interrupted by a laborious destemming until completion of ferments. Components are filled to French oak barriques for nine months of age before assemblage into the final wine.

Yarra Yering are profound, intelligently made wines. Dry Red No.3 is crafted to the timeless and enduring recipe of flamboyant Portuguese varietals, traditionally foot stomped and aged in a perpetual endownment of well seasoned oak. Hand picked parcels of Touriga Naçional, Tinta Cao, Tinta Amarela and Roriz, Alvarelhao and Sousao, are destemmed into a field blend, retaining as many whole berries as possible. Defined by its integration, elegance and depth, articulating the excellence of terroir and artisanal winemaking at the Yarra Valley hamlet of Gruyere.

Inspired by the complex and eclectic styles, famously originating from the Shiraz grape's spiritual home within the diverse appellations of Vallee Rhone. In true stylistic authenticity, Mourvedre, Viognier and Marsanne add a further element of intrigue. Complex and traditional winemaking methods are employed to craft this most extraordinary, some would say most eccentric of Yarra Valley reds. The internationally renowned Dry Red No.2 is perpetually fine tuned as the team adjust the proportions of fruit to the performance of vintage.

Yarra Yering's Dry Reds are national flagships, based around complex varietal blends. Assigning the mercurial cepage of grapes a unique bin number, has liberated the winemaker to modify the mix as styles evolve. No.2 Dry Red is a perfumed, mostly Shiraz wine, rich and generous, co fermented with inclusions of Mourvedre, Viognier and Marsanne for vibrancy, suppleness and an extra dimension to the range of expression. Feminine and seductive, beguiling yet elegant, with long, lingering impressions of violets and eucalypt, cherries and spiced plum.

The classic Claret style, five decades of the most memorable editions, new world classics offering the greatest finesse, profound richness of fruit and impeccable structure. After a few years of trials and tribulations to achieve the ultimate construct, Dr. Carrodus settled on a mostly Shiraz Cuvee with judicious inclusions of Mataro, Viognier and Marsanne.

Excellent Langton's Classification. The timeless Claret style of red wine, this is the bespoke blend on which Yarra Yering's reputation was built and continues to endure. Almost deceptively, they drink well in their youth, yet are known to evolve for decades. Half Cabernet, a fifth of Merlot, the balance in Malbec and Petit Verdot, all harvested off the original 1969 unirrigated estate plantings at Gruyere in Yarra Valley. Beautifully balanced and integrated, the fruit of an iconic vineyard, such delicacy within a sleeping powerhouse of precision.

Agincourt is one of the more sheltered blocks at Yarra Yering, vines were established circa 1990 and yield the finest harvests of Malbec anywhere in the nation. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a quarter of the gentle Malbec, grapes are all hand picked, crushed and destemmed into good old fashioned, half tonne open top fermenters, manually plunged twice daily and treated to extended time on skins for a softening of tannins. Batches are delicately basket pressed into seasoned French oak barriques for malolactic and twenty months maturation.

The Signature has been around for almost fifty years and has developed a loyal following, due to its quality and consistency of style. The defining Australian Cabernet Shiraz, Signature has set the benchmark for this iconic style, drawing on Yalumba's baronial resource of vineyards. A sentimental favourite, with a heritage deeply rooted in Barossa viticulture, Signature has an ability to unravel a myriad of flavours when enjoyed in it's youth, and to age gracefully in the bottle.

The Hill-Smith family were at the very genesis of the Australian wine industry and made a major contribution to the development of Cabernet Shiraz as an internationally recognizable genre of wine. Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, migrant and brewer, he settled in the village of Angaston. Smith and Smith Jr planted their first vines by moonlight. Samuel liked the name Yalumba, an indigenous term referring to all the land around. The Signature has been relied upon by enthusiasts of the enduring claret style, ever since inaugural vintage of 1962.

Langtons Outstanding Classification. An exclusively Barossa Valley Shiraz this year, from a number of very old vineyards most being between seventy and a hundred years of age.

Outstanding Langtons Classification. Octavius has established a reputation as one of Australia's Shiraz icons. In addition to being sourced from a number of very old Barossa vineyards, Octavius is treated to an extended period in American oak octaves of ninety litres capacity, the only red wine in the world to be matured in such small barrels. The secret of the wine not becoming overpowered by oak lies in the wood itself, which is open air seasoned at Yalumba's own cooperage for eight years before the octaves are coopered and put to use.

Menzies is a stellar single vineyard Cabernet from the House of Yalumba, grown to an exceptional site at the heart of cigar shaped Coonawarra Terra rossa. Since inaugural vintage, Menzies has been crafted to small batch techniques, maintaining the integrity of each constituent parcel right through to maturation. Only the finest of the candidate wines of vintage are selected before assembling into Yalumba's flagship Cabernet, crammed with rich blackberry fruit, supported by the most extravagant oak and polished, showroom tannins.

Yalumba can be proud of a history which dates back to 1849 and FDR1A is a wine of great significance to Australia's eldest family owned winery. Fine Dry Red 1A is only ever released in the finest vintage years, a no expense spared project to construct the ultimate accord in Cabernet and Shiraz, stylized by one of the nation's most eminent, baronial winemaking estates. The quality of fruit is second to none, vinification is assigned to the most accomplished masters and the quality of oak is an indulgence representing the pinnacle of the cooper's trade.

Tod Dexter has made a very special wine out of a small planting of superb Shiraz. In 1997 when the Yabby Lake Vineyard was acquired, it was identified that there was a thin strip of soil through the middle of the property which was unsuitable for Burgundian varietals. It was decided that the two small blocks in the section would be best planted to Shiraz, a bold move in 1997 for the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay obsessed Mornington Peninsula. Two ancient Australian clones were selected, BVRC 12 and PT23, both known to be outstanding performers.

It is while grapes are still growing on the vine that great vintages are made, the focus at Yabby Lake is to translate the fruit into a wine without any distortion. Yabby Lake are renowned for their splendid intensity and exquisite balance, speaking clearly of terroir and of clime, it's all about expression over impression. Engagingly complex with immense depth of character, the palate is powerfully structured, laden with impenetrably dark berry fruit flavous, lined with silky textures and driven by amazing persistence.

Yabby Lake are focused on crafting wines that have integrity, personality, energy and presence. It is the vineyard that dictates these inherent qualities, Yabby Lake's goal is to provide a clear and precise translation with no distortion. Wines that speak clearly of their origins require little manipulation, a reflection of the Yabby Lake philosophy, expression over impression. A single block Pinot Noir, clearly marked with the DNA of the site whence it is sourced, Block 6 speaks clearly of its origin, an extraordinary articulation with a profound sense of place.

A pure Shiraz wine drawn from vines planted to historical grounds at the heart of Coonawarra. The sites date back to John Riddoch's original development of the district as a sheep grazing and fruit growing colony. The precious fruit from Wynns V & A Lane blocks exhibit a signature density and richness, the defining characteristics of this location along the cigar shaped Terra Rossa strip. The exceptional quality of Shiraz derived from this superior terroir moved the Wynns winemaking team to isolate and vinify the parcels into a single bottling.

V & A Lane is a long, straight road that dissects Coonawarra's famous Terra rossa strip at its midpoint. Originally surveyed in the late 1840s, the lane divides the original electorates of Victoria and Albert. Traditionally it has been used as a landmark to separate northern and southern vineyards in Coonawarra, a prestigious and highly sought locality for growing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The precious fruit from these vineyards exhibits a signature density and richness, the defining characteristic of this location along the Coonawarra strip.

V & A Lane is a long, straight road which drives through Coonawarra's famous Terra rossa strip at its midpoint. Originally surveyed in the 1850s, V & A Lane divides the bygone electorates of Victoria and Albert. Traditionally, it has been used as a landmark to separate northern and southern vineyards in Coonawarra, a prestigious piece of real estate that's in high demand by the most eminent labels in the land for establishing blocks of superior Shiraz vine.

A pure single vineyard release from the distinguished Alexander block at the heart of Coonawarra. One of the most consistently performing, low yielding vineyards of the entire region, Alex 88 is regularly called upon for contributions to the icon John Riddoch Cabernet and eminent estate Black Label. The choice terra rossa soils underlying Alex 88 are mixed with deep, light clays, which yield a painfully meager harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon, translating into intense wines of the most remarkable concentration.

Distinguished Langtons Classification. A piece of Australian wine industry folklore, Michael was conceived as an exclusive bottling of two exceptional barrels, it still represents Wynn's best of vintage. Named after Wynn's young son, Michael 1955 is a legend of the Australian wine industry. It gained much richness from the prior use fortified wine cask in which it was matured. Good bottles of the original release still represent a memorable tasting experience. An expression of the finest Coonawarra vineyards, only ever made in the most outstanding vintage years.

Distinguished Langtons Classification. Michael is Wynns best of vintage Shiraz. The first Michael, labelled as Hermitage, was a special edition from the 1955 vintage, made after David Wynn noticed the outstanding quality of wine within two particular barrels, he ordered they be bottled separately. Michael vintage 1955 is an industry legend, good bottles of the original release still represent a memorable tasting experience. A regal Shiraz wine from nothing but the very finest Coonawarra vineyards, only made in years when fruit is of extraordinarily high quality.

Excellent Langtons Classification. A multiple trophy and gold winner at national and international wine shows. Acknowledged as one of Australia's and indeed one of the new world's finest Cabernet Sauvignon. A long term cellar dweller with concentration and intensity of flavour, this immensely powerful wine requires long term ageing, ten or twenty years, to fully appreciate its complexity.

Excellent Langtons Classification. John Riddoch is made in small quantities from the best fruit grown to the estate's extensive plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon. Conceived as a flagship wine for the Wynns portfolio, it carries the name of the Coonawarra's founding father into the 21st century. Arguably richer and more concentrated than any other Coonawarra, made only in years when Cabernet Sauvignon of extraordinarily high quality is available, less than one per cent of the most superior estate grown grapes are destined for inclusion into John Riddoch.

An exceptional harvest, single vineyard release from a superior block of Coonawarra vine which has been at the core of the most memorable Wynns vintages. The Harold vines ripened evenly and early in 2013, translating into a delicately featured wine in the style of Wynns early Clarets. Matured fifteen months in a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques, its intriguing violet and lavender floral bouquet leads on to an expansive palate of dark Coonawarra fruit characters, olives and spice, the exquisite eloquence of a beautiful old vineyard.

Established by John Riddoch in 1891, Wynns now retain some marvelous old vineyards. With each harvest, Wynns select a single distinguished site to bottle as a superior vintage release. Glengyle was planted in 1969 and is traditionally one of the first Coonawarra vineyards to ripen. Matured eighteen months in a selection of French oak barriques and hogsheads, beautifully evolved after years of bottle age under the Wynn estate cellars, Glengyle's silky tannins, precision and length, support a concentrated palate of animate black currants flavours, black cherry and cassis.

Named after a set of medieval leg pillories which remain preserved as a museum piece in Oxfordshire. The team at Woodstock consider themselves lucky to be caring for some of the oldest McLaren Vale vines. Fruit for inclusion into The Stocks is sourced from thirty one rows of ancient McLaren Vale vines, planted circa 1900 on a sandy north slope at the Woodstock property, only the most exceptional barrels of aged Shiraz are selected. The palate is plush with an intensity and complexity of flavour that will continue to evolve and mellow in the glass.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Franc. Woodlands have observed that some parcels of their vineyard produce aromatic ferments, while others are more structured. The finest pickings are treated to small open fermenters enhancing aromatics. Parcels showing greater structure are vinified in small closed fermenters. The best of both worlds, a Cabernet that retains vibrant aromatic fruit whilst gaining structure and adding weight. After a year in exclusively new French oak, the best barrels of vintage are determined and set aside for the final assemblage.

A stately accord of the most superior Margaret River fruit, offering great concentration while displaying an exemplary integration of tannins and oak. Woodlands Vineayard is bequeathed with plantings of elite Cabernet vines established 1973. Whilst much of their resplendent fruit finds its way into some of the better known estate flaghips of Margaret River, the pick of the crop is kept back and vinified under the Woodlands label. An assemblage of the best barrels Merlot and Malbec around a backbone of the finest Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon.

The award winning team at Wolf Blass have identified a small number of sites in the Barossa, Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills, as Platinum select vineyards, among the country's very finest, reliably delivering the most superlative Shiraz grapes, year in and year out. These outstanding parcels provide the winemakers with an opportunity to strive for perfection, to craft a wine that epitomises vintage, varietal and vineyard. Made in extremely limited quantities from low yielding vines, Platinum Label is quite literally, the pick of the crop.