Stonewell is the very best of vintage, one of the new world's great Shiraz. A powerful, stately wine, Stonewell is the jewel in the crown of Peter Lehmann's most spectacular efforts, the grapes are drawn from the lowest yielding, old vine blocks in all Barossa Valley. Some planted well over a century ago, produce frugal bunches with parched berries, precious little black gems which are at the heart of Stonewell Shiraz. A wine of great intensity and refined muscularity, which demands time under the Lehmann estate cellars before release.

For his style, integrity and skill as a professional and artisan, Peter Lehmann has come to be known as Mentor by many of Australia's eminent winemakers. His conviction that the Barossa was capable of making the best wines in the world extended far beyond Shiraz, he always called it the Garden of Eden, a winemaker's paradise. When it came to selecting a wine to dedicate to Peter Lehmann, it was not without a sense of irony that the choice should be Barossa Cabernet. Each year, the best of vintage is fashioned into a wine of great distinction.

Magill Estate Shiraz is a very important Penfolds single vineyard wine. It is of great symbolic importance, from fruit grown to the remaining original vineyard (5.2 ha) and crafted at the original Penfolds winery at Magill, established 1844 in Adelaide's eastern suburbs. First produced in 1983, Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz is an elegant, medium-weight style with velvety texture and fine tannins, matured in both French and American oak. It is a sleek, contemporary wine, yet crafted in the old fashioned way in the 120+ year old winery.

Magill Shiraz is a very important Penfolds single vineyard wine of great symbolic importance, the only current edition from the remaining original vineyard at the historic Estate. An elegant, medium-weight style with velvety texture and fine tannins, matured in both new French and American oak, it is a sleek, contemporary Shiraz, yet crafted in the old-fashioned way at the ancient wineworks. Hand-picked, vinified in open fermenters and then basket pressed, Penfolds Magill is an exclusive Adelaide Hills Shiraz from a grand and historical monopole.

The Magill Estate style has evolved over the years. While the early vintages were quite lean and tight, the recent releases have shown much greater fruit definition and palate vitality. The winemakers paid particular attention to flavour development and tannin ripeness for this Magill, and this release triumphs in a show of supple structures and more fruit richness. The aim of Penfolds Senior Winemaker Peter Gago in crafting Magill is to create a wine which expressess the character of the vineyard, and is more elegant in style than most Penfolds reds.

No other red wine in Australia can rival the reputation, consistent quality or proven development pattern of Penfolds Grange. The pinnacle of Australian reds, Grange is a rich, opulent, full-bodied Shiraz, destined for a long cellar life. The winemaking process involves great attention to detail, from selecting the best possible grapes sourced from low-yielding, old Shiraz vines, through to fermentation and fastidious oak maturation. The 1992 Grange has great complexity and balance, a powerful and rich vintage with mouth-coating tannins.

Penfolds remarkable winemaking philosophy ensures each vintage of Penfolds Grange has its own vintage character, which continually evolves and surprises. The 2002 is at the other end of the Grange spectral offer to its previous vintage, purely as a result of two very different climatic vintages.100% new oak is completely absorbed, meshed with ripe tannins, completing a palate of impressive length and youthfulness.

The pinnacle of Australian reds, Grange represents opulence, vintage 1992 offers great complexity and balance, a powerful and rich release with mouth-coating tannins. No other red wine in Australia can rival the reputation, consistent quality or proven development pattern of Penfolds Grange. A full-bodied Shiraz wine, fleshed out with a component of exceptional Cabernet fruit, under magnum, the 1992 was destined for a long cellar life. Deep crimson in colour, with smoky/dark chocolate/blueberry/ plum aromas and flavours, fine grained with slightly leafy tannins, finishing very firm and tight.

Established 1841, the McLaren Vale Taranga vineyards are still owned by the founding Oliver family. Even more remarkably, Taranga wines are today crafted by a sixth generation of the original winemaker. For most of the twentieth century, Oliver Taranga sold their precious yields to other wineries, much of it was destined for the nation's most esteemed labels and memorable flagship vintages. Since 1994, the Olivers have been reserving the pick of their low yielding, old vine grapes for bottling under the Oliver Taranga label.

William and Elizabeth Oliver emigrated from Scotland, eventually settling McLaren Vale in 1841. Their homestead flourished, the sixth generation Olivers are one of the region's great winegrowing dynasties. For many years, they sold fruit to Penfolds, where it became one of the primary components to the mighty Grange. HJ is the ultra premium flagship Shiraz, purposefully crafted at the Boar's Rock wineworks. A vigorous wine offering immeasurable girth of fruit, great poise, elegance and the strength of character to evolve majestically.

After twenty years of the most distinguished winemaking, having amassed over sixty trophies and three hundred gold, including a Jimmy Watson and twice International Red Wine Maker of Year, David O'Leary and Nick Walker came home to Valley Clare. Two heart surgeons from Adelaide own the Doctors Vineyard at Polish Hill River. Grey loam soils over sandstone and slate, ideal for the Drs Cut style, a highly perfumed Riesling of gorgeous minerality, these old Clare Valley vines were always destined for something special.

David O'Leary and Nick Walker combine a wealth of experience, acquired during their time as corporate winemakers behind such labels as Hardy and Krondorf, Yellowglen and Annies Lane. From a single block of ancient, organically grown vines, established to Joan and Martin Smith's property over a hundred twenty years ago, the rich grey loam and pebbled slate soils yield an august, powerful wine. Generous and elegant, a refined seamlessness of palate and substantial weight of fruit for such very old vines, Clare Valley Shiraz of opulence and grace.

Murray Street was established in 2001 by families Seppelt and Jahnke. They shared a vision of crafting small batch artisanal wines, in the painstaking old world traditions of Barossa Valley's early settlers. Murray Street's vineyard and wineworks are fortuitously positioned on a tapestry of beautiful rolling landscape near the ancient winemaking village of Greenock at the western end of Barossa. Working together with a small but dedicated team of vignerons and friends, the folks on Murray Street produce small amounts of the most intensely flavoured Shiraz.

Metala Original Plantings Shiraz is sourced from the original Metala Old Block and Cellar Block vines planted in 1891 and 1894 respectively. The superior vineyard sits right on the edge of the Bremer River, flooded during the winter, it's nourished by rich alluvial soils that provide natural irrigation to the vines. Planted on single wire trellises, which was at the time, cutting edge viticultural practice and nearly unheard of in the region, the ancient low-yielding vines enjoy a natural balance of fruit and leaves. Only ever released in exceptional vintages, the 1994 is an extremely rare flagship wine.

From nineteen invaluable rows of Reynella clone Cabernet Sauvignon, the descendants of John Reynell's original import of vine into McLaren Vale circa 1838. Planted to the crest of a cave, excavated 1916 to cultivate mushrooms in the dense limestone bluffs overlooking Maxwell vineyards. Aged twenty months in a high proportion of new French oak hogsheads, the classic Cabernet characters of currant, cherries and cassis, a generously proportioned palate underpinned by soft, chocolatey McLaren Vale tannins and seamlessly integrated cedar vanilla oak.

Experience is a wonderful thing. After many generations of trial and error, the French have learned to make a delicious drink from a harvest of pure Grenache. Maxwell employ the same approach to create a juicy, rich red wine with a gossamer palate. Maxwell's old Grenache vines have grown for nine decades on a classic contoured hill with south facing aspect. They were bush vines with their thick trunks and sprawling arms until a few years ago when they were lifted up and put on a trellis wire to keep them ripening evenly as they grow older.

Single block Shiraz from a parcel of Shiraz clone 1654, planted near the intersection of Olivers and Chalk Hill Roads at the very north of Maxwell vineyards. Deeply influenced by the unique alluvial grey brown loam soils over Tortachilla limestone, Eocene is treated to the luxury of two years age in a selection of the finest French oak hogsheads. Vibrant and animate, highly articulate of its single site provenance, generous with intense weight of fruit, the syrup blackberry, raspberry and plum flavours cascade over the length of opaque, bittersweet chocolate tannins.

The sixty year old Shiraz vines from Greenock which are the source of Eleventh Hour were ready to be uprooted due to the lack of yields and the reluctance of wine companies to pay extra for the exceptional quality fruit. Following repeated requests by Massena for access to the grapes, the growers finally decided to stop the bulldozer and retain a small area of these vines at the eleventh hour. For well informed cohorts of the Cotes du Rhône, think a warm season in Cornas meets Maxime Graillot's Crozes Hermitage from the splendid Domaine de Lises.

From the bespoke Manno Vineyard at Hillier in Mt Lofty Ranges, off vines over fifty years of age, planted to grey alluvial loams over limestone substrate. Treated to a traditional old world vinification of open top, whole bunch ferments and hand plunges, a good old fashioned basket press and twenty two months in a selection of seasoned French and American oaks. Its elegant, silky palate in support of clove and dark chocolate fruit flavours, it continues to build, dark and full of old vine power, its fine tannins drawing out the long satisifying finish.

The racy mesoclimes of Eden Valley yield the nation's most elegant Riesling, redolent with majestic perfumes and defined by their remarkably clean, fruit filled palates. The Riesling of old vines go one further, achieving a measure of excellence which is as close to perfection as can be found in the world of wine. Named for the surrounding copses of native gum, Wattle Brae was identified in 1969 as a site uncannily similar to the delicate Riesling's native home along the precipitous slopes of the Mosel and River Rhine.

The Orphans are ten rows of seriously old vines Shiraz, planted before 1860 by Langmeil founder Christian Auricht. At the ripe old age of a century and a half, Section 36 in the Hundred of Moorooroo was saved from the developer's bulldozer and reunited with the greater Langmeil flock. The orphans were brought back to their new home, vine by vine with rootballs intact, to join the replantings of Auricht's original Vine Gardens adjacent to the Langmeil wineworks on rich alluvial soils along the banks of Para River.

Arthur Jackaman was a World War II paratrooper who established a Cabernet vineyard in the 1960s, selling his fruit to the big brands for bottling as port wine. Jackaman chose Langmeil to husband his treasured vines and the property remains productive as one of the Barossa's most stately blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon. Hand pruned, hand sorted and picked, the precious parcels of Jackaman's fruit are treated to a traditional vinification, followed by transfer to a luxurious selection of mostly new French oak hogsheads for an extravagant two years maturation.

Excellent Langtons Classification. The Freedom Block was established 1843, planted to vine by Lutheran settlers, Christian Auricht and his kin, early pioneers who were escaping persecution and war, just seven years after South Australia was colonised. They found freedom to work, worship and prosper in the Barossa. The Freedom has not only survived but thrives to this day, it yields an extraordinary Shiraz wine. These thick trunked, dry grown, low yielding, gap toothed old vines on the banks of North Para River, may be the oldest surviving Shiraz in Australia.

Planted to Grenache at a site very near Lyndoch in the 1950s, the Fifth Wave block was rediscovered by Langmeil winemaker Paul Lindner in 1999, he persuaded the proprietors to rejuvenate the property and release their next vintage as a pure Old Vine Garden Grenache. The hand picked parcels are treated to a traditional old world winemaking, gentle de stemming of fruit, open ferments and basket press into seasoned oak, twenty months maturation and a gentle gravity fed bottling without fining or filtration, to preserve the sanctity and virtue of a wonderful old vineyard.

Lake Breeze Winemaker Selections are only released in exceptional vintages, when fruit is of the most outstanding quality. The pedigree of Winemakers Selection has been established over a series of blockbuster vintages which have been met with the highest critical acclaim and peer approval. Only the finest barrels are chosen for the final assemblage, resulting in very limited quantities of the most exclusive editions. A national treasure, this velvety rich Shiraz is fashioned from the fruit of vines up to forty five years of age, grown to the Follett family property.

Greg Follett's great, great, great grandfather took up land in Langhorne Creek circa 1850, the first Palomino and Doradillo vines were established on Follett's farm during the 1880s. Replaced by Cabernet and Shiraz eighty years later, the property is now source to Langhorne Creek's finest red wines, all fashioned from the pick of estate grown fruit, off forty years old vines planted to the flood plain of Bremer River. Only the top 25% of harvest is worthy of bottling under the Lake Breeze label.

A vineyard of some historical import, Bernoota is the original block, planted to the Follett family homestead along the banks of River Bremer, two decades before federation. A splendid construct of Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet, selected from old vines around the distinguished Follett family vineyard, perennially released to resounding accolades. Bernoota is Lake Breeze's most highly awarded wine, amassing multi awards and gold in recent years, including the highly prestigious Royal Adelaide Max Schubert Trophy.

Crafted from precious parcels of old vines Shiraz cropped at one or two tons per acre, vinified in a collection of ancient open top fermenters. In 1891 Herbert and Frederick Kay planted 30,000 Shiraz vine cuttings, originating from the Thomas Hardys McLaren Vale Tintara Vineyard. Tintara was planted in the 1850s by Dr A.C. Kelly who probably obtained the vine cuttings from his Trinity Vineyard at Morphett Vale. Dr Kelly drew his original planting material from the Busby collection, through sources in Europe and quite likely from other local viticulturalists circa 1842.

The establishment of Block 6 commenced in 1892, upon completion some six thousand vines grew on the fertile soils of Kay's Amery property. Of the original twelve acres only four remain today, approximately 2,000 vines. Up to vintage 1987 the dry grown bush vines were spread out rather haphazardly, pumpkin patch style. Most are original plantings, replacements have been made by layering from adjacent vines. The layering procedure has been used at Amery Vineyards since the 1890s, a slow but sure way of replacing a missing plant among the vines.