A friendly blend of appealing value for money that unites plush red and black berry fruit with layers of spice and nicely integrated dark chocolate oak, all underlined by supple, fine tannins that draw out the finish long and balanced. Best price direct.

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Made by the super-talented Kym Teusner since 2007, this is a value for money Eden Valley shiraz that captures black plum and blackberry fruit in a tightly structured style of compact focus, well contained within a fine shell of brittle tannins. It will benefit from a couple of years to open out. A well crafted […]

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Jester is a value-for-money expression of the intense, black fruited glossiness of Mitolo in a great McLaren Vale season. This is a deep, powerful and impenetrable release with a black liquorice slick set against a fine, squeaky tannin shell. Density for dollar, it’s a top buy. $19 at Our Cellar.

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Black fruits unite with deep intensity of coal, pepper and dark chocolate in a style of stature and concentration. It achieves such dimensions with poise and grace, retaining freshness in its fruit expression and restraint in its palate shape, thanks to fine-grained structure and well-defined acidity. Impressive. $19 at Discount Wines.

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The lower yields and slightly drier and warmer condition of 2013 have produced an extremely serious release for Chalambar, a wine of stature and endurance that outrank the reputation of even this highly recognised label on its 60th anniversary. A full, vibrant black purple hue is a prelude to a wine of satsuma plum and […]

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A blend of Wayne Dutschke’s neighbours along his evocatively-named road just south of the Barossa village of Lyndoch, this is a luscious, spicy, fruity and faintly exotic shiraz of juicy blackberry and blueberry fruit, even showing hints of black fruitcake and orange rind. Such a ripe fruit fanfare makes for an appealing and earlier-drinking GHR, […]

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Blackberries, black pastilles and black cherries define a style that synergises impressive black depth and at the same time lively, fragrant vibrancy. It’s driven by tangy acidity and finely structured yet confidently firm tannins, guaranteeing a strong future. $25 at Wine Culture.

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With just 2% viognier skins for aroma, texture and complexity, winemaker Louisa Rose says the story of this wine is really all about Eden Valley shiraz, based on two parcels planted in 1973 and 1993. A benchmark of shiraz viognier in South Australia, it’s a wine of class and well-measured restraint. Its tiny touch of […]

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From Echunga, at 410m altitude in the southern Adelaide Hills, this is a magnificently deep, vibrant, purple coloured shiraz. Delightful depth of blueberry, blackberry and black cherry fruit is spiced up with the exotic complexity and violet lift of a touch (15%) of whole bunch fermentation. It’s softly textured, built on a beautiful bed of […]

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Full purple in hue, 2013 is a St Jakobi of voluptuous depth locked seamlessly with well-scaffolded, enduring structure. Signature Barossa black plums, blackberries and dark cherries unite with liquorice and dark chocolate in a magnificently glossy and polished palate, scaffolded with long, fine, taut strands of carefully placed tannins. Benchmark St Jakobi and signature Barossa […]

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