The Trueman Show: talk about a compelling debut. Vineyard planted in 1971. Blackcurrant, boysenberry, pencil and a flicker of mint/licorice, chocolate wrappers and montelimars. Medium bodied, dense and chewy, shot with ‘minerality’ and brooding appeal: the quality and volume of tannin here is exceptional. Length also. Significant wine. Would never have picked McLaren Vale, not that there’s anything wrong with McLaren Vale Cabernet, I hasten to add.

The aroma is spot-on cherries and dried herbs, and the savory nature of the wine is designed to go with food.

Feel the power. Grown on mature cabernet and shiraz vines above Clarendon in the Onkaparinga Gorge area of McLaren Vale. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 48% shiraz. Big wine but not overdone. Settled. Confident. Not too far short of profound. Big olive, mulberry, blackcurrant flavours flood through classic dried herb, tobacco and dust notes. Oak flashes its legs but mostly shows decorum. Dark, inky colour. Integrated, grainy, swashbuckling tannin. Quintessential Australian red. Violet and vanillin in place of cattle and cane.

The aroma displays lovely blossomy-y and spice notes not unlike Riesling and the mid-palate is light and loaded with fruit. A nice understated white wine for patio sipping and pairing with delicate cheeses.

Vineyard planted in 1971, and I believe, once a source of fruit to many a very premium wine. Blackberry, dried mint, toast and tar – brooding while wearing perfume. Full bodied, slick of ripe fleshy tannin, dark chocolate and plum with acidity just shy of being too pushy. Brown toast and blackberry on the finish. Deep, rolling wine with plenty of substance, through it’s not over-wrought. Feels like it’s built for the future.

This chardonnay has an impressive concentration of stone fruit, and it's coupled with great minerality. Layered notes of fig and honey, as well. Very tasty.

A balanced chardonnay, with a yin-yang balance of citrus and crème brulee. Bright acidity, with a hint of tangerine. Lovely.

2011 Arrowood Syrah, Saralee's Vineyard, Russian River Valley (100 percent syrah): hint of smoky oak, hearty flavors of red meat, blueberries and cloves; $35.

2012 Kendall-Jackson Syrah Vintner's Reserve, Calif.: (81 percent syrah, 12 percent petite sirah, 7 percent grenache): floral aromas, flavors of ripe black plums and cloves; $17.

Full-bodied with a big grip on the palate. Blackberry liqueur aromas and flavours, though the wine is dry and complex. The grapes come from the cool climate of Sonoma's Alexander Valley.

So polished, so poised, so well fruited. The flavours come in waves, the acid keeps them moving, the tannin gives them traction. Various dark-berried fruits, coffee grounds, spicy oak and sweet, perfumed herbs. Precision is its middle name.

Polished, pretty, powerful and pure. High class McLaren Vale Shiraz. Blueberries, blackberries, crushed dry spice, clove and brighter red-berried notes. Fresh and energetic but with a motor of tannin purring in the background. Great finish.

Welcome, we hope you enjoy the show. Twist the cap and it's as if the words tumble out. Immediately perfumed and expressive but with the grunt of tannin and fruit to give it real substance. Saturated plum, soy, five spice and smoky, musky oak. The very epitome of a modern major general release shiraz.

Scented elegance. Nothing overly sweet to the profile here. Red currant, cherry, aniseed, earth/spice. Tangy. Not thick or dense, but it makes an impression. Tannin is internally routed in a completely seamless/velvety fashion.

The late Jess Jackson’s French château; the wine is made by Pierre Seillan; smooth and velvety with ripe plum and juicy style; rich, elegant and beautifully balanced with depth and precision; California ripeness with French finesse.

Polished and sophisticated; layers of well-ripened black cherry, blackcurrant, mocha and spice. Finishes with palate-cleansing acidity; seamless, sturdy tannins, good for cellaring.

Succulent, lipsmacking rendition of this famous blend. Combines fruit and tannin with style. Red cherries, earth and game with leathery, blackberried power humming in the background. Complex. Yangarra keeps putting ticks in all the right boxes.

Strict grenache. Fruit peers out from behind bars of tannin and spice. Not a wine for just going with the flow; it forces you to contemplate it. Very little fruit sweetness or indeed flesh, and yet strangely compelling. Could be anything with some years under its belt.

In difficult vintages the class shows through. It's only light to medium-weight but it's meticulously void of any unripe character and exchanges volume for savoury, peppery complexity. Nuts, red cherry, dried herbs, cranberry, vanilla and a general brambliness. Tannin is like two fingers pulling straight down through the wine.

Seriously delicious. Full of flavour, with rich damson plums and spicy black pepper held in check by silky tannins. Feel the sunshine in the fruit; the grip is firm, and the palate is led upwards in the final moments by a shot of juicy acidity. From grapes grown at elevation - meaning above the fog line - east of Angwin on Howell Mountain, this is an intense rendition of Cabernet without losing its balance. Highly recommended.

No additions of any type. Grown biodynamically. Could be labelled 'natural' wine. Tastes like a tank sample. Raw, yeasty and brimful of fruit. Incredibly vibrant and alive. Plums, dark cherries and brown bread. A gentle dusting of chocolate. Grippy, grapey tannin. McLaren Vale shiraz flavour on naked display. Nouveau style.

High on texture and aroma. It helps draw you in. Honeysuckle, ripe melon and chestnuts with a yeasty twang as you swallow. Mid-palate blooms towards richness but the finish narrows down, losing some but not all of its momentum. If anything it helps with the wine's drinkability/food-friendliness. Does not lack intrigue.

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Uplifting aromas of cherry, strawberry, spice and underbrush. Delicious and full in the mouth, with a good attack of dark cherry fruit accented with anise, dark chocolate and toasty oak. Impressive harmony and elegance with complimentary integration of oak. The finish is polished and pleasant.

Dense mountain minerality, tar and briary black fruit flavours on a full-bodied frame. This is a wine with great vibrancy and brisk acidity, suggesting a long life.

Mint, dark berry, briar and anise aromas lead to a tightly wound palate of similar character. Vanilla, red raspberry, chocolate and excellent acidity. This is a wine that needs time.