Sevenhill Inigo Clare Valley Shiraz 2015 $26.99
It was back in 1851 that Jesuits first dug vines into the ground at Sevenhill, and this Inigo is named after St Ignatius the founder of the Jesuits. It was the first winery to operate in the Clare Valley and today Liz Heidenreich is their winemaker, and Sevenhill are the only Jesuit-owned winery still operating in Australia. Absolutely heaving with liquorice, dark cocoa, meaty, masculine intensely peppery mid-palate, it’s like drinking an ancient potion, a tincture of power-giving flavour and I love it. Excellent length too. (4.5 stars)
Food Truck Wines South Australian Shiraz 2016 $18
It’s a funny little label, caravans, pictures of wagyu burgers, the beach – it’s all very idyllic. Just as well the shiraz inside is a spicy, dreamy, berry-soaked sipping sensation. Created by the unstoppable team at Fourth Wave wines, it’s a huge crowd-pleaser, friendly, sweet-fruited and spicy. (3.5 stars)
Barking Mad Watervale Clare Valley Shiraz 2016 $21.99
Just wait until you pour this wine and you’ll be wowed by how impenetrably inky and purple-black this wine is. Produced by the team at Reilly’s Wines in tribute to their Dachshund dogs past and present from fruit grown in their St Clare vineyard in Watervale and it will grip you by the gums in seconds flat. Deep plum, deeper plum and more plum will soak across the palate, leaving a comet-tail of pepper and Christmas cake spices on the finish. Liquorice, dutch cocoa, mace and masses of blackcurrant tsunamit through onto the palate. Delicious. (4 stars)
Don’t Tell Gary Grampians Shiraz 2016 $25
Hands down this is the grooviest wine label I’ve seen in ages. Winemaker Jo Nash created this gorgeous wine in secret because she knew the accountants would have a hissy. She’s also a fan of child labour, using her 4 children to foot stomp this wine before sneakily shifting it into superior quality oak barrels. Elegantly scented with blackcurrant, red rose, fruit cake, freshly-ground pepper, dark chocolate – all good things that roar through onto the palate. Outstanding. (5 stars)
Laneway Central Victoria Shiraz 2016 $19.99
Super dark and inky and soaked through with more blackcurrants than the entire Ribena factory, this is an expertly crafted shiraz by the super-talented Jo Nash, winemaker at McPherson wines. Using fruit from their Goulburn Valley vineyards in Central Victoria, intensely juicy and intensely spicy, it’s (wait for it) intense! The tannins are furry and chewy enough to not let go in a hurry. Fresh, feisty and fanging with flavour. (4.5 stars)
Thomas Goss McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016 $23.99
Boasting more bling on its grill than Lil Wayne or Lil Bow Wow, or in fact any of the “Lil’s”, this shiraz has clearly shown its at the top of its game as far as wine shows are concerned. Inky dark, glossy in the glass and bursting with boysenberry and blackcurrant characters on the nose and palate. A dusting of pepper, a squeak of eucalypt and redcurrant add complexity and herbaceousness, while on the finish it’s long, spicy and luscious. (5 stars)
