One of Victoria's stellar performers puts their stamp on Australian Shiraz. The windswept maritime aspects of Bellarine Peninsula punish vines into extracting the maximum amount of cool climate spice while developing the ripest, luscious berry flavours. The Scotchman displays an engaging intensity of Shiraz fruit characters, pliant tannins and crisp acidity in support of liquorice and plum notes, along with vibrant Bellarine expressions of freshly milled spice, minerality and brine.

$3799each $455DOZEN EACH DOZEN The Bellarine Peninsula's role in the development of the Australian wine industry began in 1842, when vines were planted in the surrounding Barrabool Hills. Grown and managed mainly by Swiss immigrants, these vineyards yielded wines which were sold through regular auctions in the city of Geelong. Established in 1982, Scotchmans Hill has become a producer of some of Australia's most complex, elegant and consistent wines. Shiraz vines, clone PT23 are trained to vertical shoot positioning. Fruit is fermented in small open top pots, hand plunged and left on skins for three weeks, followed by a year's maturation in a selection of new to four year old French Troncais oak barriques.

Deep vibrant purple. A complex and rich nose of dark fruit, plums and black cherry, complemented by spice, earth and clove, over a charry oak background. Fully flavoured cool climate, sweet and savoury palate, dark fruits make way to red plum and cherry, spices and briar are supported by firm acid and fine grained tannins. Scotchmans finishes balanced, structured and long, a Shiraz of intensity and charm.

A glad all over, western districts Shiraz with strong regional expression and superior concentration of fruit. Hamish Seabrook comes from a long line of wine merchants, most notably W.J Seabrook & Son. He has made the most of his family's contacts in the industry to isolate and secure parcels of the finest Pyrenees Shiraz, all grown to great vineyards, closely husbanded by the most devoted local vignerons. Crafted to an old fashioned claret style, driven by a hansom carriage of refined, ebony oak tannins, brimming with the moreish decadence of spiced cherry ripeness and chocolate plum richness.

$2999each $359DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Deep red colour. Enticing aromas of plum and blackcurrant with hints of sweet pitch and lively spice. Complex and integrated palate of plum and espresso, strong supportive tannins and pencilled, cedary oak, an intense Shiraz wine packed with blackberries and spice. A powerful fruit filled finish of impressive length.

$2299each $275DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Confined to a precious precinct of Yarra Valley, is a belt of superb red earth renowned for producing wines of exceptional quality. Sir Paz produce award winning red on red wines, crafted from red grapes planted to Terra rossa soil. Formerly a chestnut tree grove, the elevated site is perfectly suited to vines, as the grapes experience cool conditions, ripening slowly for maximum flavour development. A racy Victorian accord of Merlot and Shiraz with sophisticated oak handling, a wine of style and character, worthy of a place in any cellar.

$3099each $371DOZEN EACH DOZEN The most valuable part of Yarra Valley for vines is a unique belt of volcanic Terra rossa soil, which encourages vines to yield grapes of extraordinary character. Sir Paz Estate is situated at the very heart of this belt. Whilst the property is meticulously maintained by a highly professional and dedicated team, the most significant feature of the Sir Paz vineyard are its rich soils. Grapes are hand picked at different times, depending on the particular section of vineyard, to be immediately crushed, minimizing any oxidation. Six weeks of extended maceration and transfer to a selection of older French hogshead integrates the fruit while gently taming the tannins.

Redgum brick in colour. Red cherry and white pepper nose, bouquets of dried flower and smoky oak, cherries and plum. An engaging, savoury palate supported by a solid tannic backbone, ferrous elements and a light dressing ov vanilla oak, persisting on a long clean finish of mulberry, cherry florals and fresh Shiraz/ Merlot spice.

$2099each $251DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Following decades of devoted viticulture, Plunkett Fowles have accumulated extensive local knowledge of soils and microclimes peculiar to the Strathbogie Ranges. Their efforts have crystallised into some of Victoria's most memorable wines. Stone Dwellers represents the fruits of labour and of experience, the best varietal expressions from Strathbogie Ranges each and every vintage. Roughly equal portions Shiraz are sourced from the estate's Whitegate and Upton Run Vineyards, to construct a wine with a generous palate and vibrant aromatic lift.

$2699each $323DOZEN EACH DOZEN The Strathbogie Ranges are inland, cool and elevated, characterised by ancient granite boulders. The soils are typically sandy clay loam overlying orange clays of varying depths. Shiraz is sourced from a number of blocks from within the Whitegate and Upton Run properties to increase complexity. Grapes are harvested and crushed, inoculated to a Cote du Rhone isolate yeast and vinified at 23ËšC to 28ËšC in high tech sweep arm fermenters to maximise colour and flavour intensity while preserving primary fruit flavours. Upon completion, the finished wine is matured in a mix of American and French new oak barrels and older 300 litre oak hogsheads.

A deep, dark red. Aromas of dark chocolate, red fruits and that characteristic pepper and spice from the Strathbogie Ranges. Big, rich and dense with lovely fine grained tannins. Stone Dwellers is pleasingly dry, has balanced alcohol, graceful tannins and refreshing acids. A medium to full bodied wine with structure and very good length, ideally suited to seared beef with kipflers & redwine jus.

$3899each $465DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Originally planted to Shiraz in the 1970s, Summerfield vineyard borders Taltarni. The earliest harvests were actually sold to them, along with the illustrious houses of Great Western and Chateau Remy, now known as Seppelt and Blue Pyrenees. This is the style of Shiraz which placed Victoria's Pyrenees on the world wine map. The palate fills with winegum tannins, dark brooding fruits, plums, berries and spice, finishing with incredible length. No other appellation makes such majestic Shiraz, this is what Summerfield's old vines are all about, it only gets better from here.

$6299each $755DOZEN EACH DOZEN Generations of Summerfields struggled against the arduous terrains and challenging climes at Moonambel along Stawell-Avoca Road. They ventured into viticulture in the 1970s planting ten acres of predominantly Shiraz vines, now providing the backbone of fruit for Summerfield Reserve. The estate has continued to make wines in a traditional way. Grapes are all handpicked, treate to an old world open vat fermentation, basket pressed and treated to a luxurious term in the most extravagant new oak.

A completely engaging construct of Victorian Shiraz, fashioned to a bright new world styling, endowed with ample complexity, derived from a combination of old vine fruit, controlled yields and selection of site. Scotchmans Hill can access and retain many of the smallest and most propitious parcels of fruit, grown to good vineyards on Bellarine Peninsula, providing a virtual artist's palette of balmy regional characters, from which to assemble a wine that's complex and animate, yet graceful and restrained.

$2049each $245DOZEN EACH DOZEN Whilst a large proportion of fruit for Swan Bay Shiraz is harvested off a National Trust property which commands views of Port Phillip Bay, Scotchman's Hill also manage considerable vineyard holdings in the Strathbogie Ranges, where they husband and grow some of the region's finest. Grapes are delivered to the wineworks, gently crushed and vinified in closed steel fermenters to retain all the vital characters of slowly ripened Bellarine Shiraz. To add complexity and infuse the tannins with fine charry cocoa and vanillan characters, Swan Bay is treated to fifteen months maturation under a selection of fine French oak barriques.

Deep purple in appearance. Bouquet displays a complex nose of ripe dark fruits, red berries and plum with a touch of chocolates and licorice, all balanced by spice and well integrated cedar oak. A full flavoured and complex wine which is dominated by plum, cherry and red fruits, rounded out by white pepper, liquorice and spice, before a long and lingering cedar oak finish, the length of palate supported by tight but fine grain tannins.

Outstanding Langtons Classification. From one of the most famous vineyards in the world, a half hectare of ungrafted, prephylloxera plantings, amongst the oldest productive Shiraz vines to be found anywhere. Internationally renowned for its eloquence as well as its historic significance, 1860 Vines Shiraz is treated to an old world vinification in a collection of hundred years old, oak fermentation vats. 1860 is crafted to remain true to its ancient heritage, the smells and flavours of an old fashioned wine, within a structure of enduring elegance and timeless refinement.

$29999each $3599DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Bright, deep scarlet. Violets, blackberries and spice, a background of savoury herbaceousness, espresso and chocolate oak. A remarkably elegant palate structure, lithe, fragrant and clean, its gravelly tannins and biscuit carob oak in support of savoury fruit flavours, mulberries and anise plum, exquisitely evolved at five years of age, an immeasurably long finish.

A profuse and intricate, old vines Shiraz, articulating the complex personality and extraordinary depth of character achieved through the legacy of historic estate plantings. The majority of fruit is picked off a precious endowment of vines planted 1933, treated to an old world style of vinification which has changed little since 1860. Stunningly perfumed before a penetrating palate, polished showroom tannins and velvet textures, a truly remarkable Shiraz to match with fragrant red wine braises and seared aged meats.

$6499each $779DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Deep garnet colour. Savoury black olive aromas, brambleberries and mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon and star anise. A palate that's redolent with blackberry and dark cherry flavours, plum fruit characters, reductions and char, seasoned by pepper and allspice, all supported by a carriage of refined, robust tannins, resolving on a lengthy, mouthcoating finish.

Tahbilk are a bulwark of Victorian Shiraz, the original plantings are some of Australia's eldest productive vines. Traditional vinification techniques, as practised by Tahbilk's winemakers in the 1860s, are still employed, the original Chais of the wineworks remain to this day a most integral part of the operation. Wine & Spirits Magazine selected Tahbilk's original 1860 Vines Shiraz Vineyard as one of the great twenty five vineyards in the world, along with such illustrious icons as Romanee Conti La Tache and Chateau Lafite, Vega Sicilia and Chateau Y'Quem.

$2999each $359DOZEN EACH DOZEN Tahbilk does the Rhone varietals so very well and enjoys an international reputation for its protected and ancient pre-phyloxera stock. Located in the heart of Nagambie Lakes region, the property comprises over a thousand hectares of rich river flats with a frontage of eleven kilometres on the Goulburn River and eight kilometres of permanent backwaters and creeks. A measure of the expertise and alchemy that go into Tahbilk's distinguished limited release, flagship wines are applied to the vintage Shiraz. Vinified in the original estate open oak vats, over 150 years old, twice racked into clean casks, leaving the lees behind, followed by maturation in fine French oak barrels for up to eighteen months.

A deep red/ magenta colour in the glass. Aromas of plum and spice with background peppery hints leading to a solidly constructed palate of blackberry, plum and anise fruits with firm but not overly intrusive tannins on the finish. A rock solid wine that will please the faithful as well as leading new converts to the Tahbilk Shiraz altar.