 in the Barossa. Both regional blends from some serious top tier addresses in the region, Stonewell, Ebenezer, and Moppa to name a few. Can’t wait to get stuck into these! Cold weather = Big, bold, Barossa Shiraz and these ought to do the job nicely! -

 New arrivals from @pirathonwines  in the Barossa. Both

Expectations exceed, considerably! Curtis Family Vineyard’s Martins Vineyard Shiraz 2016 is a beaut... serious quality on show here. -

Blackberries and plums, hints of blueberry combined with anise and a touch of vanilla. Fresh, definitely in no way dense or jammy, there’s a real elegance here. The body is full, palate rich, texture perfect, and the fruit shines. Blackberry, plums, dark chocolate richness that’s silky and smooth. There’s oak, American, but it’s extremely well integrated giving the slightest vanilla notes, more complexity than expected, and super velvety tannins. What a ripper!

 Expectations exceed, considerably! Curtis Family Vineyard’s

What’s your go-to red for under $30? This might just be my newest addition.... Pikes Eastside Shiraz from the Clare Valley, more specifically from Polish Hill River, is such an easy wine to drink. Plums and black cherry aromas, verging on blueberries after time in the glass. The medium bodied palate shows layers of black cherry and plum, with earthy undertones adding a savoury edge and structure. It’s a really well put together wine at a great price-point. The perfect cellar staple!

 What’s your go-to red for under $30? This might just be my

If you’re like me and haven’t had the greatest experience then I can highly recommend Campbell’s The Barkley… this is a totally different proposition! It feels like a proper wine, if that makes sense at all. Super expressive nose of dark fruits and savoury spice, big but not “wow here comes a headache” big. On the palate it is rich, opulent, and elegant with a velvety texture. Plenty of ripe dark fruits, blackberries and black cherry, followed by graphite-like, leathery, liquorice savoury layers. One for the cellar, but also very fun now!

 What’re your thoughts on Durif? If you’re like me and

. Sunday arvos don’t get much better than this! Not one, but two stunning Standish Wine Co wines from 2016. The Standish and Relic are mind-blowingly good… maybe the best Shiraz I’ve had this year. Is there a better producer of Shiraz? If so, please let me know!

 Oops… #thishappened . Sunday arvos don’t get much better

Hands down my favourite shiraz producer in Australia, and a Greenock Shiraz of supreme class. Inky, meaty, spicy, and savoury with incredible depth and length. Laced with stunning tannin and purity of Shiraz fruit it’s a total pleasure to drink. Enjoyed over 4 hours and every sip showed something new. Magic in a bottle! -

 Hands down my favourite shiraz producer in Australia, and a

Block 6 at its magical 124 year old best. Dense, full, and effortless this is a Mclaren Vale shiraz of serious quality with a tannin structure and texture that’s a real standout. All in all, a beauty thanks to the strength of those ancient vines planted in 1892.⁣ ⁣

 Block 6 at its magical 124 year old best. Dense, full, and

. Classic Barossa, intense colour, full bodied and fruit forward. Less oak than I was expecting, but the power and concentration more than suffice. Blackberry, spices, chard meats and a feint fennel edge, balanced brilliantly with crisp acidity and grainy tannin. Quality find! If you see it grab a couple, it’s bloody good 🍷🙌

 Magical Moppa Hill by @laughingjackwines . Classic Barossa

They don’t come more mysterious, cult-like, and iconic than this Wendouree Shiraz, 2012. Ancient vines planted by A.P. Birks in 1893 produce low yields and coupled with a more hands off approach to winemaking the results⁣

are mesmerising. These wines will go the distance but it’s always worth having a little look sooner rather than later! The 2012 is a beaut, fantastic concentration, dense deep fruit flavours, and awesome tannin and all signs that this will sing decades from now! Good job I have a few more tucked away!!⁣

 They don’t come more mysterious, cult-like, and iconic than

Is bigger better? When talking wine, my answer is most definitely yes. Aging at slower rates the large formats produce rounder, lusher wines with age yet retain freshness. What’re your thoughts... is bigger better? ⁣

Certainly no shrinking violet here, just pure Barossa class at its best. Grant Burge Meshach 2008, magnum, 1500ml of outstanding grape juice from 100 year old Barossa Shiraz vines. Awesome stuff! ⁣

Surely it’s almost time to see how this beauty has developed! Just need to find some willing drinkers to join me!!⁣ 🙌 🔥 ⁣

 Is bigger better? When talking wine, my answer is most

*MAGNUM ALERT* Rockford Basket Press 2012. 1.5Ls of iconic, truly Barossan goodness. Now... there are a lot of producers in the Barossa making stunner Syrah style wines which I love, LOVE, but there's always a place in my heart for a traditional blockbuster Barossa Shiraz. ⁠

The Rockford wineworks and apparatus on Krondorf Road at Tanunda date back to the 1850s. Parcels of the best dry grown old vine Shiraz, some of which were planted in the nineteenth century, from a select cabal of growers, operating vineyards in the Barossa, Kalimna and Ebenezer, Moppa Springs and the Eden Valley, are treated to an ancient basket press followed by vinfication in old fashioned open fermentation vessels.⁠

The batches are matured in a selection of mostly well-seasoned French and American oak barrels, before a rigorous selection to determine the final assemblage. Deeply coloured wine. A dense bouquet of aromatic dark fruits and berries with a twist of spice efore the most engaging palate of reductions, power and richness over⁠

 *MAGNUM ALERT* Rockford Basket Press 2012. 1.5Ls of iconic

Golden Autumn day complimented with the magical inky Spinifex Syrah 2018. Second bottle in week and this is rapidly becoming a firm favourite! Wouldn't mind laying a few down to see how they evolve but I think the temptation would get the better of me! ⁣

 Golden Autumn day complimented with the magical inky

Ever found a wine you’d forgotten about?! -

I’ve dug up a gem during a late night cellar tidy up! Langmeil Freedom Shiraz 2010, made from the oldest Shiraz vines in the world that’re a mere 176 years young. -

 Ever found a wine you’d forgotten about?! - I’ve dug up a

Hard to beat a cheeky trip to Magill Estate when you’re in town. Bin 150, it's a pretty classy drop. ⠀

 Hard to beat a cheeky trip to Magill Estate when you’re in

Sometimes it’s good to treat yourself and the Standish Wine Co, The Standish 2016, does a phenomenal job. This Shiraz is made from fruit farmed by the Laycock family in the Greenock sub-region of the Barossa Valley. Dan has worked closely with this great vineyard since 2005, with previous releases of  Standish 'Andelmonde’ and ‘Borne Bollene’ coming from this site. Pure pedigree and coupled with his six generations of Barossan heritage means he certainly knows how to make exceptional wines. Thanks Dan! 🍷 🍷 🍷 ​

 Sometimes it’s good to treat yourself and the Standish Wine

It’s hard to imagine that this wine is produced from 167 year old vines... planted in 1843. Putting it in perspective, in 1843 Charles Dickens published “A Christmas Carol”, Hong Kong was pronounced a British colony, and the typewriter was patented...

 Staggering to think that these very vines were planted that same year. Simply put, an Aussie icon and a total pleasure. It’s a must try 🙌🍷🔥 🍷

 It’s hard to imagine that this wine is produced from 167

What’s not to like about a cheeky drop to start the week! La Maline 2015, a Barossa Shiraz filled with fruit from the Eden Valley. Most of which is 75+ years old. Monumental blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. There’s a real depth here, awesome. Beyond the fruit it sappy, stalky, and herbal from the whole bunch. Complexity in buckets. A stunning Barossan! 🍷

Tech notes: All fruit was hand harvested and cooled overnight. Around 30-40% of bunches were retained; fermentation took place in small open stainless steel and wooden fermenters, with indigenous yeasts. Approximately 1 % pressed Viognier marc was added during fermentation. The wine was raised on light lees in a selection of thick staved 600 litre demi muids, and some barriques; unfined, and bottled without filtration. 🍷 ​

 What’s not to like about a cheeky drop to start the week!

Standish Wine Co, the Relic, 2016... Monumental. Serious contender for Red of the year. ⁠

Firstly the colour ridiculous. The purplest of purple with a depth and vibrancy that's off the scale. Unashamedly full bodied, but fresh. Beautiful blueberries, spicy characters, in the smoothest of smooth packages with the tannins and acidity there holding it together. Awesomely made. Buy it, try to cellar if you can and if not rest assured either way you'll probably be smiling for a week.

 Standish Wine Co, the Relic, 2016... Monumental. Serious

I’ve now found the second hardest label to photograph after Giaconda, Jack West’s Western Barossa Shiraz. The 2017 is a quintessential Barossa Shiraz and all the better for it. Dark fruits and dried herbs on the nose. Medium to full bodied Shiraz character on the palate with plenty of plum, blackberry, spicy and slightly peppery notes going on. It’s a smart drop for the $$$, we’ll worth checking out 🙏👍🏽🍷

 I’ve now found the second hardest label to photograph after

Welcome the the cellar Sami Odi 2019. You’re in good company 👏🏼🍷🙏🏼

 Welcome the the cellar Sami Odi 2019. You’re in good

If you could pick one to try, which would it be? Lamella, Relic, Schubert Theorum, or The Standish?

In my opinion these Standish Wine Co wines are amongst the best Australian examples of Shiraz I’ve been lucky enough to stumble across in recent years. With 4 different expressions covering Eden Valley / Marananga / Greenock and a Shiraz Viognier, the only challenge is picking which one to drink!

 If you could pick one to try, which would it be? Lamella

Found a great wine this year? Let me know, I’d love to check it out! -

These little beauties were my Xmas present and they’re one of my favourite finds this year. They’ll get a year or two to chill before they’re opened... if I can find them 😂

 Found a great wine this year? Let me know, I’d love to

Found a great producer this year? I’d love to know who! -

These are two of my favourite producer finds from the last 6 months, Quin wines and Saint Petri (Calabria Family Wines), from the

. Both are producing serious quality and classy wines that I can’t recommend highly enough! If you see them they’re well worth trying!

 Found a great producer this year? I’d love to know who! -

Last post of the year and my Second NYE drop, Rusden Black Guts Shiraz, one of my favourites from the Barossa. All manner of dark fruits and spice on the nose with a cherry cola-esque richness. Powerful and elegant on the palate. Dark berries, violet, fizzy cola sweets backed by roasted coffee, a touch of oak and chewy tannins. It’s bloody great, and it’s only a baby. Give it a few years and it’ll be even better!

 Last post of the year and my Second NYE drop, Rusden Black

If you had to pick one, which would it be? I think the Farr is the front runner for me… luckily I don’t have to pick one...What a line up! 🙌🍷🙌

 If you had to pick one, which would it be? I think the Farr

Rockford’s iconic Basket Press Shiraz, 375mls of pure Barossa class. I’m a big fan of the cheeky 375ml bottle. They’re the perfect size for a decent taste, mature slightly faster, and don’t (usually) leaving your head pounding the following day. What’s not to like! Especially when it’s a Rockford 🍷 thoughts? 🍷 ​

 Rockford’s iconic Basket Press Shiraz, 375mls of pure

. The Vice is Rollick’s cracking Eden Valley Shiraz. First up, the colour is awesome; crimson, magenta, violet. Youthful intensity on the nose, dark cherries smashed with blueberries and hints of baking spices. A fresh, youthful, exciting palate of blackberries, blueberries, dark cherry and violets, with herbal touches and soft velvety tannins. It’s smile inducing and that, for me, is the sign of a quality wine. Well played Rollick! -

 Rocking a Rollick for a Sunday #sundowner . The Vice is

I’m getting my fill of hearty Barossan reds this winter and this Calabria Bros Old Vine Shiraz is such a find. Dark, inky purple with magenta hues. Medium to full bodied, fitting the traditional Barossa Shiraz style effortlessly. Lots of dark fruit. Less fresh, more stewed and rich. Great oaky characters, obvious but well balanced. Grippy tannins and persistent flavour. For under $30, it’s a classy and impressive Barossa Shiraz.

 I’m getting my fill of hearty Barossan reds this winter and

Beautiful, back and front. It’s hard to find a better “package” out there in my opinion. Year on year, they get prettier and prettier! Can’t wait to see what’s install for the next release. For now though, these will do VERY nicely! ⠀

 Beautiful, back and front. It’s hard to find a better

Here’s a bit of vertical love for your Thursday evening. If you could pick a vintage, which one would it be? 🍷 ​

 Here’s a bit of vertical love for your Thursday evening. If

Ticks every box! Stunning Barossan Syrah from

. So concentrated with beautiful length. What a perfect way to wrap up a week! Easily one of my favorite wines this year! 🍷 ​

 Ticks every box! Stunning Barossan Syrah from

Three of my absolute favourites and Australia’s best made their way into my cellar today. Both the Wendouree and

 are built for the long haul, enjoyable now, but become outrageous with time. Serious stuff. .

The By Farr CG Chardonnay 2015, the first release of this wine, received fantastic reviews. I like my Chardonnay with a few years on it, so I’ll come back to it around 2020 to see what all the fuss was about!⁣ 🍷