A very settled nose with attractive mineral-like purity and neatly ripened raspberry and red cherry fruits, some nutty older woody notes too. The palate has sapid, zesty appeal, tannins are deep-set, long and majestic, really impressive structure on offer, great length, detail and balance. Needs a year or two to settle.

A brambly and bright red fruited grenache that has very attractive purity and effortless appeal, raspberry, dried leaves and herbs, some light spices also in the mix. The palate has assertive drying tannins, plenty of liquorice flavor amid bright raspberry amid red cherry fruits, gently drying finish.

Medium garnet/purple, the 2012 Grenache High Sands is a bit closed, showing red and black cherries, currants and spice box plus exotic scents of potpourri and dusty earth. It has a really solid frame with concentration in the mouth, a touch of volatile acidity that is not bad, and is structured with firm, chunky tannins. It finishes long with meaty and earthy notes.

This black cherry bomb comes to us from a dry farmed vineyard of what the Aussies call bush vines -- we say “head pruned” in California -- that was planted in 1946. The wine was fermented on wild yeast, meaning that the winemaker didn't select particular strains of yeast in order to aim at a certain flavor profile. The result here is marvelous -- very forward aromas of black cherry, vanilla and fall spice blow out of the glass, followed up by a bright palate of cherry, leafy dried herb, white pepper, dill and spice, with a firm grip and some oak that's yet to integrate fully, but will come into balance nicely with a bit of bottle age. Very attractive!

Light but bright and clear crimson-purple; some estate-owned vineyards were able to rise above the challenges of the vintage, and some winemakers sorted the grapes berry by berry in the winery to achieve results such as this - a highly aromatic and pure red-berried wine, with supple mouthfeel and no hint of green fruit.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings Showing sweet, earthy complexity, fresh red fruit, dark spices and forest wood. The palate has a super supple feel with a long, succulent and detailed finish. Still so fresh. Long tannins. Drink or hold.

The 2005 Grenache High Sands is dark ruby-colored with aromas of spice box, garrigue, lavender, and black cherry. This leads to a wine with gobs of spicy black cherry and black raspberry fruit, full-body, and excellent balance. There is plenty of silky tannin and a long pure, finish. Give it 3-5 years to evolve and drink it through 2025.

Stunning; bursting with black raspberry and cassis; racy, intense, long and delightful.

An impressively endowed effort, this features a slightly lifted, floral component to its bouquet that adds to its complexity, blending seamlessly with scents of dark plum, vanilla, smoke, coffee and spice. The mouthfilling flavors frame bold fruit in length. Drink now - 2015.

Top 100 Wines of 2006 Yangarra Estate Vineyard 2004 Cadenzia #43 - 93 points Owned by Kendall-Jackson, Yangarra cultivates about 400 acres of vineyards in McLaren Vale's eastern foothills, where the climate tends to be cooler than in the rest of the appellation. Winemaker Peter Fraser makes this wine by blending 50 percent Grenache, 40 percent Shiraz and 10 percent Mourvedre. The Grenache vines, many of which were planted in 1946, grow in sandy soils without any irrigation. 2,474 cases made.

Rich and Velvety, brimming with plum, blackberry and cherry flavors, wrapped in a veil of very fine tannins. Best from 2008 through 2015.

A vivid red, rich and velvety, brimming with plum, blackberry and cherry flavors wrapped in a veil of very fine tannins, weaving a dark chocolate note through the long, generous finish. Best from 2008 through 2015.

The best wine yet from Yangarra, the Australian winery owned by Kendall-Jackson of California, is its debut Yangarra Estate Grenache McLaren Vale Old Vine 2002 (93, $25), a real thoroughbred made from 80-year-old vines growing along the top contours of the home vineyard, the old Norman's Estate. Yangarra also made a wonderfully juicy Grenache-Shiraz Mourvèdre McLaren Vale 2002 (91, $25).

Rich, ripe and massive Grenache, redolent of all sorts of dark fruits - plums, blueberries, blackberries - that cascade over the palate like a roaring waterfall. Still, there's enough texture and grace to make it possible to warm up to this thoroughbred, and the finish sails on forever. Best from 2006 through 2012.

Slurp factor is sky high. Fresh and oozing deliciousness, you could make easy work of this wine. Cold soaked, wild yeast ferment, pressed after 10 days on skins, no additives, no fining, only filtration. Certified organic and biodynamic. Meaty with peppery spice, it's super bright in the glass without a splinter of oak in sight. Medium bodied, mulberry and plummy fruit are preceded by scents of violets and blue flowers. Such a smooth and swarve number. I bet you can't stop at one glass. Cut loose!

Another standout from Yangarra, and I feel like a broken record. Every egg is a bird at Yangarra. This includes 50% whole berries and some whole bunches, fermented wild and matured in 25% new oak for 16 months. Dark berry fruit is luscious and round in a really classic McLaren Vale mode, but not excessive. Certainly bolder and more sweet fruit (and less oak) than the Chapel Hill, and on a similar plane of quality. Plush, medium to full bodied read of style and density. Maybe needs a bit more tannin. Otherwise super. Best drinking: Now to fifteen years. 18/20, 93/100. 14%, $35. Would I buy it? I’d buy a bottle.

A beautifully supple wine with soft cherries and mulberries. Fleshy and plush, and supported by stylish framing tannin. Gorgeous now, though cellaring will benefit the wine.

16 Top $30+ Australian Shiraz Just In Time For Christmas Yangarra – aka the winery that can do no wrong. This blend includes 25% whole bunches and 50% whole berries, spending 15 months in 35% new oak. Despite being something of a different style for Yangarra, it’s a pretty classical Vale Shiraz, with lovely plush red berries and the barest hint of chocolate, the tannins ultra fine (but real) the mode very juicy and fruit forward. Maybe a little plumper and more red fruit than the excellent standard Shiraz, but so very well formed. Immediately attractive with the almost boysenberry purple berry fruit. Just a lovely generous McLaren Vale red. Best drinking: I like it now, and it will be better next year, and then still be tasty in a decade. 18/20, 93/100. 14.5%, $50. Would I buy it? Also worth a bottle.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World A plush nose of dried violets, blackberry compote, chocolate, brambles and sugar plums. The palate’s very in tune though with a good serving of pretty acidity, ripe yet steely tannins and a chewy finish.

Hand-picked from selected estate blocks, destemmed whole berries twice sorted then crushed to open fermenters, cold soak, wild fermentation, 10 days on skins; no additives of any kind, but filtered. I assume the wine has not seen oak, nor the addition of SO2. Vivid, deep purple; typical of the adventurous and skilled Peter Fraser, with a rumbling tsunami of black fruit flavours. Bring on a large T-bone steak, and I'll happily do battle.

These days, I more look forward to tasting Grenache (and Mataro) based wines from McLaren Vale, rather than Shiraz. Though, of course, there’s still a lot of excellent Shiraz being made there (from the right sites, with the right treatment in the winery). Here’s a spicy and meaty rendition of McLaren Vale Shiraz. It almost has a soy sauce character, along with blueberry and plum, and a dab of vanilla oak perfume. Medium bodied, fleshy and savoury, thick tannin, even acidity, and a savoury thyme-laced finish of excellent length. Style and charisma. Terrific Shiraz.

Take Note: Real Australian Wine Is Here Dense and layered shiraz with loads of ripe fruit, yet remains vivid and lively. Full body, velvety tannins and a long, savory finish. Drink or hold.