Pepperjack Graded McLaren Vale Shiraz

McLaren Vale, South Australia

We all get around a bit of Pepperjack, but lets get a little more premium for Father's Day with the Graded collection. These Shiraz's have been artisanally crafted to  pair perfectly with their winemaker's favourite cuts of steak: Scotch Fillet and Porterhouse. McLaren Vale produces shiraz that is incredibly rich and highly concentrated with fruit flavours which slaps with the flavours of a scotch fillet. The colours on this vino are dark red with a purple rim, and has blue and black fruits on the snoz - with a little chocolate and oak in the undertones. Likewise, the palate on this one has concentrated layers of berry fruits and some velvety tannins to give a bit of oomf to the length and a full flavoured finish. Pepperjack Graded is matured in a combination of French, American and Hungarian oak barrels for 15 months and can be enjoyed immediately, although will benefit from a little careful cellaring.

Orlando Cellar 13 Grenache

Barossa Valley, South Australia

Lets lighten the palate up a little with the Orlando Cellar 13 Grenache. The grapes in this one are sourced from estate vineyards that age from 32 to 91 years and are the same vineyards Orlando wines have been using for generations. This grenache is a mid crimson with a vibrant hue and has a fruity little nose of raspberries and cherries with a hit of spice. On the tastebuds, we've got a racy palate of vibrant red fruits and a smidge of rose water. Dusty tannins from the grape skins combined with slight stalk tannin deliver a medium bodied vino ready to enjoy right now or age up until 2025 for optimum tastiness. A portion of these grapes were pressed separately in aged French oak barrels to not over influence the natural flavours and then racked after the fermentation processes  before being returned to the same barrels. Another portion was left in stainless-steel tanks for a more fruit driven profile and then blended to combine with the former portion to create that classic Barossa Grenache structure.

Henschke Henry's Seven

Barossa Valley, South Australia

Henry's Seven pays tribute to Henry Evans who planted the first vineyards at Keyneton, the home of Henschke, in 1853. Henschke honours this through highlighting the blending of southern French and Spanish varieties with South Australia. This drop has a deep crimson and magenta hues with a little red currant, raspberry, blueberry and plum on the snoz - lifting that bad boy up with bay leaf, sage and nutmeg. The kick of acidity in the tannins pairs with the juicy fruits to elongate that looooong finish. Henry's Seven is a cheeky blend of 4 different varietals: 72% Shiraz, 13% Grenache, 12% Mataro and 3% Viognier. The viognier is co-fermented with the shiraz and the grenache and mataro are fermented separately. The blend grapes are then matured in 5% new and 95% seasoned French hogsheads for 10 months before blending and bottling. For all those with actual patience for cellaring, this one is best aged 15 years.

Penfolds Bin 8 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

South Australia

Penfolds Bin 8 may sound a little too fancy for some, but the bin name traditionally referred to the original bin location after bottling. However, Bin 8 gained this name from using older oak barrels previously used for Bin 128, Bin 28 and Bin 328 - so Penfolds ran with '8' to keep the theme going. Also carrying on the theme in this one is that classic Penfolds style - ripe and balanced fruit flavours with a smidge of oak to create that signature smooth finish. On the nose is a little chocolate tiramisu and cocoa powder - and a fruity moment with black and blue berries with a mix of exotic spices. The shiraz in this one definitely fights for a little dominance here. On the tastebuds we've got a little boysenberry bolstered with Moroccan tagine spices. The powdery tannins show off the influence of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the peak drinking range for this bad boy is now through to 2032.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

South Australia

Back for more Penfolds? Not surprised. Bin 389 is lovingly referred to as 'Baby Grange' as components of this wine are matured in the same barrels that held previous vintages of Grange (that's the big fancy deluxe Penfolds). This one is near and dear as it was first made in 1960 and was the vino that helped forge Penfolds reputation with red wine drinkers by popularising the cabernet sauvignon/ shiraz blend. Bin 389 is a perfect mid-palate drop with fragrant notes. Flavours packed into this one are a balance of sweet and savoury with tastes of darker fruits, black forest cake, oak and mild tannins. The flavour profiles are present but not fighting for their own space here. This one requires a little patience for maximum enjoyment - peak drinking is from 2023 through to 2050.