Gold Mundus Vini International Wine Awards + the 2006 Jimmy Watson Winner. A spectacular red wine fashioned from a small batch of superlative Cabernet berries with intense fruit flavours, out of an outstanding McLaren Vale vintage. Brothers Kym and John Davey planted their family vineyard in the Willunga Basin, on land acquired by their grandfather in 1959. Within a small niche, the soil, climate and vines combine to create something special - the fruit that is ultimately hand-crafted to become D Block Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Shingleback know about Cabernet Sauvignon, having claimed a Jimmy Watson Trophy in 2006. Winemaker John Davey selects the best blocks of vine, then picks them right at the precise moment that both sugars and flavour are mature. With the right fruit, minimal handling is required and the character of the luscious McLaren Vale Cabernet grapes shines through. A fully aromatic, blackberried wine with rich earthy flavours, made in the ripe fruit forward style that has distinguished Shingleback as one of the McLaren Vale's finest ever Cabernet Sauvignon.

Serafino Maglieri came to McLaren Vale in 1968 and devoted his life to wine. From picking to pruning to cellarhand, he worked his way up to plant his own vines and build his first winery. He was twice crowned McLaren Vale Bushing King and claimed Trophy for Best Shiraz at the 1997 Great Australian Wine Challenge. He gained international renown after winning Trophy for Best Shiraz and Red Wine of the Year at the prestigious London International.

The Brunello clone of Sangiovese, harvested off Serafino's Little Road block in McLaren Vale. Parcels are treated to a good old fashioned open ferment, hand pressed for malolactic and racked into a selection of well seasoned American oak barrels for an extravagant three years age. Magenta hued, dark cherries, black olive and plum bouquets, bay leaves and herb over savoury, meaty tannins, its refined, silky textures brought to account by an exquisite integration with fine cedar oak, nutmegs, clove and an exquisite smack of McLaren Vale hazelnut chocolates on the finish.

A collation of superior parcels from the Serafino estate vineyards in McLaren Vale, vinified in small, open top fermenters, pumped over twice daily for optimal extraction, pressed into French and American oak hogsheads for a luxurious twenty months maturation. Magnitude's mocha and mulberry spice nose precedes a full bodied palate of intense red berry fruits, sublimely integrated oak and mocha chocolate richness, all supported by an exquisite length over a carriage of supple, velvetine tannins.

Giovanni Maglieri worked at Pirramimma in the late 1950s. He was joined by 17 year old Serafino in 1963, the father and son team bought forty hectares of scrub and set about the task of clearing it for vines. After founding one of McLaren Vale's most eminent wineries, Serafino embarked upon his own label, cultivating a lineage of the most memorable vintages in McLaren Vale viticulture. The idyllic growing seasons and pristine soils along historic Kangarilla Road contribute to the creation of outstanding wines which express the uniqueness of terroir, sunshine and clime.

Certain grape varieties are naturally suited to particular climes whence they can create superior wine, it's simply second nature. Is there any mix of grapes in the world of wine that can replace the affinity between Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot? Likely not. It's up to the devoted growers of Dowie Doole to bring together the most suitably symbiotic batches of fruit from their superlative McLaren Vale sites. Vinified to the most exacting standards, treated to the most fasidious handling, mellowed after a spell of ageing in the highest quality seasoned oaks.

From the home of the 2007 Jimmy Watson, prior vintages of School Block have claimed gold medals at the London International and UK Sunday Times. A deluxe assembly of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot from three Scarpantoni vineyards, each with a unique terroir and mesoclime. One of McLaren Vale's more artisanal blended reds, a wine of ripe currant and plum flavours, interwoven with attractive cedary oak. School Block has earned a stellar reputation with McLaren Vale enthusiasts, it's seamless integration has made the wine a modern classic.

Here is the culmination of over fifty years viticultural and winemaking expertise, only ever produced in the finest years. An accord of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, exuding intense aromas of blackcurrant, mocha and spice, the palate is rich and robust, the tannins are mouthfiling and refined. Estate Reserve is a wine of exceptional quality, of perfectly framed fruit and pliable long lived tannins, for those wanting the reward of genuinely outstanding McLaren Vale Cabernet Shiraz, built to go the distance by a Jimmy Watson winning team.

From two blocks of superior vines grown to the McLaren Flat estate, hand planted by the Scarpantoni brothers in the early 1970s. Brothers Block claimed Australia's most illustrious award, the highly coveted Jimmy Watson trophy in 2007. A tremendously well received wine throughout the years, claiming a multitude of prestigious awards. A luscious full bodied Cabernet wine which exudes intense bouquets of blackcurrant and mint, exhibiting a richer more layered style, showing strong regionality and compelling varietal definition.

From the home of the 2007 Jimmy Watson, the fruit of McLaren Vale's illustrious Block 3 has also claimed Winestate Shiraz of Year and hotly contested VISY Great Australian Shiraz Challenge. Estate founder Domenico Scarpantoni established a peerless reputation as vitculturalist during distinguished tours of duty at Seaview and Thomas Hardy Tintara. Block 3 sets the benchmark in McLaren Vale Shiraz, vinified from grapes hand picked off gnarled and parched, dry grown old vines, seventy years and more of age.

A mostly Old Vines Grenache, redolent with lifted aromatics and dulcet fruit flavours over a length of refined, sandy tannins. Shiraz contributes red berries, spices and palate weight, Touriga brings pungency, plum pudding, dried herb and floral notes. Mataro adds textural tannin structure and the perfumes of Provence. SC Pannell GSTM is so much more than the sum of parts, a complex and edifying old world recipe of grapes, fashioned to a style which will enthuse and delight all true red wine zealouts.

Stephen Pannell is one of Australia's most decorated winemakers, Jimmy Watson and twice Max Schubert Trophy winner, London International Winemaker of Year and Chairman National Wine Show. He found time in between tours of duty at Wirra Wirra, Tintara and BRL Hardy, to do vintage in Burgundy, at the illustrious Mouton Rothschild and amongst the grand old vines of Barolo. A choice parcel picked off a propitious block along Field Street has been cossetted from the artifice of winemaking, to eloquently articulate the scope and refinement of McLaren Vale Shiraz.

Few winemakers have played as significant a role as Rosemount, for bringing Australian wines to appreciative enthusiasts around the globe. Quality is the key to success, traditional techniques such as natural yeast ferments, malolactic and luxury oak, remain at the core of winemaking methodology. At the Rosemount McLaren Vale wineworks, a collection of old open vats, a century of age, are still employed to craft parcels of Grenache, Mouverdre and Shiraz, selected from the finest local vineyards, on the basis of fragrantly perfumed aromatics, intensity of complex flavours and ripe, velvet tannins.

Rosemount have drawn many of their most memorable vintages from McLaren Vale, they retain an inventory of the finest sites and know the best growers. First released in 1994, GSM is Rosemount Estate’s ultimate rendering of McLaren Vale, the rich, spicy fruit flavours of old bush vine Grenache balances the opulence and power of Shiraz, the firmness of structure from Mourvèdre. A highly fragrant style, bursting with a cornucopia of red cherries, mulberry, violets and lifted floral spice, its dark plum palate is underpinned by a length of white chocolate and nutmeg oak.

The Rockbare team love their viticulture, they work tirelessy in the vineyard to realize the most splendid harvests, the definition of McLaren Vale Cabernet, prize parcels of fruit exhibiting deep, rakish colour and lined with polished showroom tannins, profound varietal character and alluring regional charm. A course of extended macerations, long slow ferments and judicious measure of refined French oak, has achieved a compelling Cabernet Sauvignon that's seamless and superb, artfully fashioned for accompaniement alongside the finest fare.

From a splendid, hand chosen site in McLaren Flat, its deep, fertile soils encouraging the large, pungent Tempranillo berries to ripen with an abundance of flavour. Samplings of fruit off the vines become ever more frequent as harvest approaches, such is the pleasure of tasting the grapes, a swarm of local bees are equally excited by the juicy sweetness. Winemaking inputs are kept to a minimum, purposefully matured in a selection of larger format, seasoned French oak, taming the tannins while allowing the quality of fruit to shine.

RockBare are raiders of precious but wayward vineyards, planted to outdated standards of viticulture, sadly unviable for large scale winemaking. These are however, precisely the nature of site that Rockbare retain. An assemblage of old and very old vines Shiraz, the ferments display exceptional properties as soon as they are crushed, exhibiting amazing tannin structure and remarkable eloquence. By any measure, a splendid McLaren Vale Shiraz, it is not often that parcels of such high quality are collated and vinified into such an opulent yet accessible wine.

A tremendous red emanating heat from it's weight of alcohol, the very first vintage of a mostly Grenache wine by RockBare, sourced from an eighty year old bush vine, dry grown vineyard. You can't pass a duck with this wine, or a piquant chorizo sausage & homemade pasta dish.

The focus of Richard Hamilton is to construct a wine of good fruit, tight structure and lovely palate roundness. Much of the Shiraz is selected from vines up to forty years of age, planted to sandy clay loam and black clay loam soils on the Leconfield farm. Grapes are treated to a detailed hand clean up and pressed for ferments to dryness, returned to oak for up to eighteen months in a combination of new and seasoned French and American oak barrels.

Leconfield proprietor Dr Richard Hamilton's outstanding estate vineyard in McLaren Vale has delivered a salubrious bounty once again. Richard is the fifth generation of Hamiltons to make wine. For over three decades, the good doctor has directed his passion and skill to extracting the most precious yields from his family vineyards, the oldest of which date back to 1892. Richard Hamilton is crafted to represent a profound definition of varietal fruit, while exhibiting great palate length, as it represents a salient expression of McLaren Vale Shiraz.

Richard Hamilton maintains the most outstanding estate vineyards, some are of great age, all are fully mature. The vines at Hut Block on McMurtrie Road are amongst the eldest in McLaren Vale. Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from estate vineyard blocks to the south of McLaren Vale township. The oldest of the vines, planted 1968, provide the backbone. Some oak barrel fermentations are employed to enhance the body and soul of the wine. The philosophy being to augment, rather than dominate the fruit with oak.

Red Knot has been crafted to give wine lovers what they want, a delicious quaff at any time of day or night. Fashioned from choice Shiraz grown to the award winning Davey Family Vineyard, with select parcels from good friends and neighbouring growers around McLaren Vale. Shingleback's vines are closely managed to ripen grapes fully, developing intense fruit flavours for a wine of splendid balance between natural acidity and fine fruit, supple tannins and fragrant oak. Match Red Knot with lambf, gourmet snags or an eggplant and spinach lasagna.

By one of McLaren Vale's most highly decorated teams, the palate of this generously proportioned wine is bursting with ripe black and blue berry Cabernet flavours that are so rich, they're positively decadent. Every vineyard tells a story, Shingleback's is about yielding the finest fruit to be fashioned into fully accessible wines that put a smile on your dial. For those who love their Cabernet every single day of the week, a long and lingering fruit filled palate that resolves on a firm dry tannin finish makes Red Knot a no brainer in McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon.