Eleven exceptional reds which have you sorted for any occasion which required good wine. Plus a gob smackingly good single vineyard sparkling Shiraz. Read on for more detail...Brick Kiln Late Disgorged Sparkling Shiraz 2016
Take high quality McLaren Vale Shiraz, give it the Méthode Champenoise treatment, and then age it ‘sur lie’ in bottle for 28 months prior to disgorgement, dosage and bottling. This late disgorged bottling of the '16 Brick Kiln Sparkling Shiraz is exclusive to us at windirect.com.au and is a beauty. Rich, fluffy, spiced, black fruited and bubbly, it finishes relatively dry and is a joy to drink by itself, with an antipasto platter or pork belly.
Dandelion 'Firehawk Farm' McLaren Vale Shiraz 2018
2 x Gold Medals
This is just the second release of Firehawk Farm which is produced from Dandelion’s finest vineyard. There is mammoth concentration of fruit here and perfect integration of fruit, oak and acid. Closed on opening, this morphs into an absolute stunner if you can let it breathe and open over several days. Sweet fruit, searing acid, savoury complexities, chocolate, graphite and blue fruits are all on show, along with earthiness, cedar and plenty of tannin. This might just be the McLaren Vale’s best Shiraz.
Kilikanoon Meymans Shiraz Cabernet 2018
97pts Kim Brebach
Kim Brebach describes the wine as follows: "Gorgeous wine, makes you wonder why the reds from Clare aren’t rated more highly. ‘The fruit from Meymans vineyard provides the foundation for our Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz,’ says the website. It’s not hard to see why: the fruit is gorgeous, rich and generous, the wine is big but civilized, and the oak handling reminds me of Wolf Blass in his heyday. Texture of velvet, perfect pitch, stunning wine. Already drinking well but the balance suggests it will last for 10 years or more. 97+ points. It’s a serious bargain at $35 from winedirect.com.au.".
Allegiance Wines 'The Artisan' Reserve Barossa Valley Shiraz 2018
7 Gold Medals, 96pts Wine Matrix, 94pts Huon Hooke, 94pts Sam Kim
Such a great perfume on the nose with violets, blue and black fruits all evident. The palate is rich, big and smooth, with pepper, plum, cranberry, chocolate, vanilla and cedar all making an appearance. Plush, silken tannins on the finish. This is one of those perfectly balanced wines which is an absolute joy to drink now but will improve over the decades like a great friendship.
Through the Tasting Glass 'The Mad Hatter' GMS 2017
95pts Kim Brebach
A truly beautiful and fruit driven blend of Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz. The Grenache brings spice, confected notes, raspberries, rhubarb and sour cherry. The Mataro proffers chocolate, brooding brambles and other slightly angry things sourced from dungeons deep. The Shiraz brings blue and black fruits, chocolate and fine, fine tannins. It’s a mad mélange this, one we’ll tip our hat to, whilst asking for it to be filled.
Dandelion Lioness of McLaren Vale Shiraz 2017
Trophy, Platinum Award, 6 Gold Medals, 95pts James Halliday
This is a complex beast, basket pressed into a mix of old French and American oak where it lives for 8 months. It offers an array of bright black and blue fruits, meaty braising liquid and plums. finishing with plenty of fine tannins, cedary goodness and an enlivening prickle of acidity.
Heirloom Vineyards Alcala Grenache 2019
2 x Trophies, 2 x Gold Medals, 96pts McLaren Vale Wine Show, 96pts Halliday Grenache Challenge
Selected from Heirloom’s best McLaren Vale vineyard. We saw musk, cherries, earthiness, black pepper, blackberries and more. A delicious, complete, complex yet playful Grenache and clearly one of Australia’s best.
Through the Tasting Glass 'Cheshire Cat' Barossa Shiraz 2018
96pts Kim Brebach, 96pts Sam Kim
Stunning modern Shiraz from one of the best vintages in the Barossa Valley in living memory. Polished and bearing an exceptional intensity of black and blue fruits, this is stunning now and will just keep getting better over the next 10 years. Dip a toe in the water now with a bottle or two... we are quietly confident you’ll be back for a case or three to luxuriate in over the next 10 years or so.
Richard Hamilton Little Road Shiraz 2018
2 x Gold Medals, 95pts James Halliday
Pitch perfect. Medium bodied and juicy red and black fruits, chocolate and savoury notes. Plenty of length and intensity.
Martins Vineyard Limited McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016
97pts Sam Kim, 95pts James Halliday, 94pts Patrick Eckel, 94pts Tony Love
Medium to full bodied, this offers exceptional clarity of blue and black fruits... drink any time over the next 10 years.
Jeanneret Cabernet Shiraz 2017
95pts Kim Brebach, 94pts Sam Kim
This is an exceptionally complex, rich, deep, and dark red wine. The Cabernet dominates both in terms of the aromas and flavours. We see blackcurrant, plum, cedar, powdered dark chocolate and a lovely underpinning herbal characteristic that screams Caaaberneeet! There are some big, chalky tannins to finish but they sit well as a backstop to the beautifully intense, dark fruits. You could drink this now or anytime over the next decade, perhaps even 20 years.
Two Sisters Wine Co. Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016
97pts Kim Brebach
The 2015 edition was a stunner, earning the following praise from wine writer Kim Brebach… ‘96++ points. Penfolds would charge $200 for a wine like this.’ The 2016 is even better, offering intense black and blue fruits, spice and perfectly integrated oak. Brilliant drinking now and over the next 10-15.
