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.

Bird in Hand is a vibrant and dynamic winery, full of life and passion. Andrew Nugent has assembled the best team and painstakingly selected the perfect terroir. It's the attention to detail and uncompromising passion for quality which have placed Bird in Hand in the very top tier of Australia's finest Shiraz. Nest Egg is an Adelaide Hills flagship, the very best Bird in Hand has to offer, only ever made in the most outstanding vintages. Aged in the finest French oak, Nest Egg evolves elegant, intense primary fruit characters, growing ever more complex and savoury over time.

Adelaide Hills make world class Merlot, genteel, velvety wines, solidly structured, brimming with intense lozenge flavours and resonant with exemplary varietal character. Bird in the Hand are without compromise, the most exacting standards of winemaking. An excruciatingly limited edition, only a few hundred cases are ever made, quality of harvest permitting, from the most superlative parcels of vintage. Vinified and pressed into the finest French oak for eighteen months, its fleshy plum and mulberry palate is draped in a delicate muslin of fine, silky tannins.

Andrew Nugent grew up next door to the ancient Penfold wineworks at Magill. He established a profound reputation as viticulturalist amongst the grand old estates of McLaren Vale, before returning to sow his very own vineyards in Adelaide Hills. Treated to eighteen months in a selection of the finest French oak, Nest Egg's bramble, anise and cherry largess are supported by a caisson of opulent ebony tannins. Only ever made of the finest vintages, growing season 2013 yielded a mere 800 dozen individually numbered bottles of Nest Egg Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Clay Hills are six unique blocks of varied sloping clay aspects, planted to a ridge which divides Brancott and Omaka Valleys in southern Marlborough. A mixture of stemmed and whole bunch fruit are treated to eighteen days of cold soak and a spontaneous, wild indigenous yeast ferment, pressed and settled into a high proportion of new French oak barriques for eleven months maturation. This very special site sets the benchmark which inspires the dedicated Nautilus vineyard teams to emulate the excellence of Clay Hills Pinot Noir.

Elite single vineyard Pinot Noir, Mt Difficulty reflects the virtue of painfully low yields and uncompromising standards of winemaking. The artisanal commune of dedicated growers have harnessed the once brutal terrains of New Zealand's deep south, to achieve vintages which set the benchmark for all new world wines. Packspur was established 1993 along a track that was used to pack supplies to the goldfields of Cardrona Valley. Three hectares of north facing Pinot Noir clones 5, 6, 115 and Lincoln Mix, were planted to escape the worst of Central Otago's withering winds.

Clones 113, 114 and 115, planted to a site of schist glacial gravels along the banks of Kawarau River, a terroir that's heaven sent for superior vintages Pinot Noir. Grapes are all destemmed, cold soaked and treated to a fortnight of ferments, followed by several days of maceration, rested and racked to barrel for malolactic and sixteen months maturation. Painstakingly hand crafted, its earthy, savoury, sauvage raspberry notes before a background of violet florals, densely sculptured palate with lovely tension over persistent fine grained tannins and very cherry fruit.

Long Gully Vineyard is perched atop the banks of Kawarau River, one of the oldest sites in Bannockburn. A mix of destemmed grapes and whole bunches are treated to days of maceration followed by a week of warm temperature ferments. Batches are punched down for a week, pressed and racked to barrel for malolactic and sixteen months maturation. Dark cherryness and earthy, savoury brown spice over a background of mocha oak. Long Gully Pinot Noir is hand crafted in very limited quantities and only ever released from the finest vintages.

By virtue of their prolific range of single vineyard editions, assembling parcels with the greatest synergy are central to the production of a Mt Difficulty in perfect balance. Fruit is sourced from the south side of Kawarau River at Bannockburn, where different clonal parcels on the same block, which can ripen together, are handled as a unique individual parcel. Exhibiting an amazing weight of fruit on the palate, a powerfully structured Otago Pinot, fleshy and plushly textured, finishing with a lovely extraction of velvet tannin and perfumed cherry plum richness.

From two priceless blocks of Shiraz, some of the oldest productive vines in the world, a mere ten hectares of gnarled old veterans which yield a precious harvest of tiny, parched berries. Old Hill established 1880 and Old Paddock planted by Mount Pleasant patriarch Maurice O’Shea in 1921. Only ever vintaged in the finest years, fruit is treated to a traditional open top ferment and fifteen months maturation in a high proportion of new French oak barriques. A brooding, complex, multi dimensional Shiraz, brimming with personality and steeped in Hunter Valley history.

Maurice O'Shea Shiraz is made from vines over a hundred and twenty years of age, planted by the estate's original proprietor, Charles King. A smaller portion is sourced from eighty years old rootstock on the adjoining Old Paddock Vineyard, planted by legendary winemaker Maurice O'Shea, who recognised the special characteristics and longevity of Hunter Valley wines. One of the nation's great wines, Maurice O'Shea once outscored Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace to be the highest rating Shiraz in the Halliday Wine Companion.

Exceptional Langtons Classification. The low yielding, unirrigated vines at Mount Mary Vineyard are planted to grey sandy clay loams over broken shale soils. The percentage of each varietal included into Quintet every year is determined largely by the vagaries of vintage, factors such as fruit set and quality of harvest. An extravagantly rich cepage of Cabernet and Merlot, Malbec, Verdot and Cabernet Franc, Quintet exhibits an uncanny balance which drinks beautifully, a slight alcohol lift on finish will see it through for many years to come.

Established 1971, Mount Mary is a single vineyard estate, one of the first to be planted during the resurgence of interest in Yarra Valley wines. John and Marli Middleton became obsessed with the great French growths after visits to Burgundy and Bordeaux. They resolved to find a very special Yarra Valley site with a view to emulating the statuesque French styles. The topical cépage of Grenache and Mourverdre, Cinsault and Shiraz, matured sixteen months in an eclectic mix of good French oak, a slightly more fruit forward, earlier drinking style of Mt Mary.

Excellent Langtons Classification. A long and extended growing season means that the Mount Langhi property is one of the last blocks to be harvested in Victoria. Also of significance is that only the best berries are carefully picked off the precious old vines. The famous Langhi Ghiran is fermented in traditional open, shallow, concrete tanks, before ageing in a selection of the finest oak barrels. It is the strong synergy between a unique microclime, fastidious viticulture and proficiency at winemaking that can achieve the paragon which is Langi Ghiran.

Excellent Langtons Classification. Crafted from fruit grown to the renowned Old Block on the Mount Langi Ghiran property, established by the Fratin family in 1963, the vines are nearing a half century of age. A deeply flavoured, compelling Shiraz from the parched aspects of Victoria's Grampian ranges, it stands as one of Australia's most esteemed and stately wines.

Mt Horrocks have established a cult following, due in no small part to excellence of husbandry in the vineyard and an uncompromising attention to detail in the winemaking. Mt Horrocks make a quality of Watervale Shiraz that just dances across the palate, such is the freshness of the fruit and brightness of tannin, all supported by lively acidity. Clare Valley charisma in abundance, with a twist of mint and a lick of nutty oak. Drink now, with or without food, tapas works very well, so does anythong with bearnaise sauce or Italian pork and fennel sausage.

Moss Wood are endowed with the most splendid vineyards. Each block has particular traits which come together in the final assemblage to construct the definitive Moss Wood style. The blocks are literally only metres apart but there are sufficient differences in soil, aspect and altitude for them to show unique flavours. Every section, row by row, of each block is picked separately as it comes into maturity. The youthful generosity of Margaret River Merlot is very appealing and there will be a temptation to consume it young.

A key to the success of Ribbon Vale is an astute understanding of how tannins develop through skin contact and fermentation. Through tasting, the right balance between fruit, tannin and the correct time to press is struck. Merlot is a contrary beast, the goldilocks of grapes and the porridge has to be just right. The inclusion of Cabernet Franc fulfills a long time ambition to, fashion Ribbon Vale in the style of the great right bank wines of Bordeaux. Delicious drinking now, for those who prefer the plump young flavours of Medoc in its youth.

Established 1969 at Wilyabrup, Moss Wood is one of Margaret River's original vineyard wineries. Bountiful harvests are not the priority, the emphasis is on raising the high bar of excellence with every vintage. A precious parcel of Pinot Noir is destemmed into small, open fermenters, plunged thrice daily over the course of a fortnight and pressed into 228 litre French oak barriques for twenty months before assemblage. A Pinot Noir of amazing tannin structure, dominated by red fruit characters and pastoral farmyard notes, earthyness, leather and cherry char.

Exceptional Langtons Classification. Established 1969 by the Pannell family, Moss Wood's Wilyabrup Vineyard is one of the finest and most picturesque in Australia. The winemaking at Moss Wood is all very scientific, countless measurements are taken as refinements and adjustments are made from year to year, attending to the vagaries of mother nature and preserving the unique personality of vintage. The profoundly silky tannins frame a wine of remarkable density and controlled power, exquisite balance and endless length of brightly lit, vigorously perfumed fruit.

Moss Wood was destined from it's very genesis to be one of the Margaret River's great Cabernet Sauvignon. Excellence is the estate's raison d'etre, all decisions made in the vineyard or at the winery are based on the effect they will ultimately have on the wine. Experimentation in the vineyard has been matched in the vinification and Moss Wood has undergone subtle refinements from year to year. The wines are given longer skin contact time during fermentation, whilst the backbone of Cabernet is enhanced by small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The Moss Wood team perceive a commonality between vintages 2003 and 1983. Warm years and early vintage. Perhaps the only notable difference is the inclusion of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in 2003. These add lively fragrances to the nose and additional length and structure to the palate.

Exceptional Langtons Classification. Moss Wood includes portions of Cabernet Franc for its cherry and Petit Verdot which contributes bright berry perfumes and a firmer structure. Moss Wood's Cabernet Franc shows less leafiness than Cabernet and can be picked earlier, when the fruit shows ripe berry flavour, similar to summer pudding. Further ripening tends to produce dark plum notes. While still slightly green, Moss Wood's Petit Verdot has an herbal note, more coriander than leaf, an ethereal, aromatic lift, redolent of violets and sweet berries.

The first Morris of Rutherglen Durif vines were planted in the 1920s but it was not until the fourth generation that Charles Henry Morris, Mick to his mates, released a pure Durif varietal wine under the pseudonym Claret in 1954. Mick was the first family vigneron to be university educated, his legacy endures as Morris of Rutherglen’s flagship red, a true icon of Australian wine. Brimming with dark blue fruit and soft gentle spice, CHM is rich and full bodied, seductive with concentrated berry flavours over plush oak tannins and lingering finish.