Wow this packs a punch. This is an intense red wine. Saturated plum, resin, redcurrant and tar, saltbush and dark chocolate mashed into the mix. You don’t see fruit concentration like this all that often. Appropriately it also carries a big wave of tannin, and a high-ish degree of oak. I’m betting that this will live for a very long time.

Matured in French barriques (50% new) for 18 months. The bouquet and palate are in total agreement about the message this wine sends: black fruits, dark chocolate, firm tannins and, above all else, its complex savoury caste that runs from the first whiff through to the last sip.

From an impressive range of Vales shiraz, this is most worthy of its top shelf place as it oozes class from the first lick. It comes from just nine rows on the Penny’s Hill Vineyard in the district’s foothills, and immediately raises a notch in quality as its blueberry notes lift gloriously while the oak is genuinely sensitive in its companionship. The tannins are superfine and suggest good cellaring potential, but drink now as well and also try its sibling, Skeleton Key Shiraz, that packs an earthy chocolatey vibe into its own expression. 4.5 Stars

From an impressive range of Vales shiraz, this is most worthy of its top shelf place as it oozes class from the first lick. It comes from just nine rows on the Penny’s Hill Vineyard in the district’s foothills, and immediately raises a notch in quality as its blueberry notes lift gloriously while the oak is genuinely sensitive in its companionship. The tannins are superfine and suggest good cellaring potential, but drink now as well and also try its sibling, Skeleton Key Shiraz, that packs an earthy chocolatey vibe into its own expression. 4.5 Stars