When it's planted in the right site, and when the vines are mature, merlot can express a real sense of the land it's grown in. This wine is from a vineyard at Clarendon in the hills above McLaren Vale, established in the early 1970s and rejuvenated in recent years. It's a wonderfully complex wine, with tantalising hedgerow scents and flavours of of black licorice.

What this will revive is a) your faith in high-end Aussie wares, and b) your love of Merlot done right. A-.

Merlot and More from an Exciting McLaren Vale Estate The “Brooks Road” Shiraz is the richest of the four 2015’s. Its aroma suggests dark fruit, tar, leather and earth, and in your mouth is big and broad with soft flesh and substantial ripe tannins to match its substantial ripe fruit. But it is dry, and its fruit is fresh rather than baked. Its acidity gives definition to the wine, despite the wine’s weight.

Explore the world through your glass this year Though a bit confusing, Syrah and Shiraz are essentially the same genetically, but the wines produced are quite different. Old World Syrah tends to be leaner, as in the wines of the Rhone. Shiraz, made popular in Australia, is often fleshier and richer creating fruit-forward wine. Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Australia, layers black plum, black licorice, and allspice.

Top Wines of 2018 At the end of each year, I look back over the wines I've tasted and put together a list of the best of the year. The Top 5 Wines of 2017 featured selections from California, Washington, Virginia and Australia. This year's top wines come from California, Australia and Italy. Here they are in no particular order. Australian wine featured prominently in the list of best wines I enjoyed in 2018. Two of the wines on this list came from a producer in South Australia - Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard. The best wine I enjoyed all year was a stunning shiraz from this winery - the 2015 The Peake vinted & bottled by Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard. Although not quite as good as The Peake*, another shiraz from this winery was worthy of this list - the 2015 Brooks Road Shiraz*.

This wine is 100% shiraz from South Australia. Upon delivery to the winery, the whole berries were destemmed and sorted into open top fermenters. After a four-day cold soak, the juice remained on the skins for a minimum of 18 days. Following fermentation, the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. It comes in at 14.5% ABV. The wine showed a dark ruby almost opaque color. Blackberry, cassis, vanilla, dark chocolate, mossy earth and oak all arrived on the deep and alluring nose. Blackberry, black cherry, raspberry preserves, dark chocolate, vanilla, mossy earth and oak followed on the jammy, yet elegant palate. The wine exhibited excellent structure and length, along with big, chewy tannins. This wine can be enjoyed now after decanting alongside a seared dry-aged porterhouse steak.

2015 Brooks Road Shiraz, lovely juicy red fruits, notes of herbs, tea, anise and black pepper; drinks elegantly but with power.

Syrah Masters 2018: Master Once we were over £50, however, we couldn’t help but award a clutch of Masters, with the Barossa’s Savitas and Levantine Hill wowing the judges, as did the Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne from Chapoutier, and the Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz from McLaren Vale – all celebrated wines attracting glorious scores.

Asian Syrah & Malbec Masters 2018: Master

Terroir. Heritage. Excellence. - Wines From Australia's Iconic Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard I’m still on my Syrah comeback. A once maligned (by me) grape has had me swooning as of late – this one included. Crafted of 100% Shiraz and sourced from predominantly 1971-planted blocks, it shows a deep intense, purplish ruby in the glass. I absolutely loved the nose on this one with opulent, rich black plum preserves, cedar, and cinnamon spice. On the palate, the tannins were nicely melded along with more black fruit and spice. Voluptuous yet elegant. Even with all the ripe fruit, the wine was so nicely balanced with the acid and tannin keeping it all in check. This is no fruit bomb. A fine effort that would pair nicely with a braised short rib.

What to Drink Now: Savory Summer Red Wines Though Cabernet Sauvignon is always going to be a standard go-to wine for Texans, here are a few lighter options to enjoy now through the fall. (Some selections were sent for editorial consideration.)... Australia’s cherished Clarendon Vineyard in McLaren Vale produces some of the most prized wine in the country for Hickinbotham Brook’s Road Shiraz ($75, wine.com). Planted in 1971, the vineyard produces concentrated fruit with character, revealing orange peel, vanilla, toasted spice, and dark chocolate with smooth tannins.

For the truly indulgent gift, try these 12 luxury wines This Australian producer is making very nice wines in the Clarendon subregion of McLaren Vale. It took a while for this shiraz to open, but finally we were enveloped by floral, violet aromas and dark fruit flavors that weren’t too ripe like so many shirazes. Balanced, complex, fine tannins and long in the finish. Hickinbotham also makes a great Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon that is dense and complex.

This is a long road, in a good way, and one where the path is lined with dried herb and ripe plummy goodness. A-.

Merlot and More from an Exciting McLaren Vale Estate The 2015 “Trueman” Cabernet Sauvignon shows admirable freshness of fruit and more weight than the Merlot. It is an excellent expression of Australian Cabernet. Although three years ago, I rated the 2012 Cabernet higher than the 2012 Shiraz, I would flip those rankings for the 2015’s.

Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of cherry and green bell pepper. In the mouth, cherry and bell pepper mix with a touch of herbs and a faint bitter woodiness. Good acidity and tight, muscular tannins that have a drying sensation. Too much oak for my taste. 8.5

The wine showed a dark ruby almost opaque color. Blackberry, cassis, raspberry, dark chocolate, vanilla and oak all arrived on the dark and brooding nose. Blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, vanilla, and oak followed on the complex palate. The wine exhibited great structure and length, along with soft tannins. This wine would pair well with grilled lamb chops.

2015 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon, assertive currant and blackberry followed by toasty, savory elements. Hints of wood spice and anise add enticing complexity to this finely tannic wine.

Terroir. Heritage. Excellence. - Wines From Australia's Iconic Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and just a gorgeous effort here. This one was drank over three days, and I enjoyed more each day. The nose offers up blackberry preserves, graphite, dried savory herbs, smoke, and spice. In the mouth, the wine is lively and vibrant, offers nice structure, approachable, integrated tannins, and strikes a beautiful balance of acidity and black fruit. The acidity brings such vibrancy to the fruit. Blackberry and cedar greet the palate initially while the spice and cedar just linger on the finish. A great wine today will be even more amazing in a few years (if you can hold on that long).

Sexy, complex, herbal, and like a card deck, sporting just the right mix of the red and the black. A-.

Rich and luxurious, featuring a full, velvety frame, oozing with notes of milk chocolate, coconut cream pie and nutmeg. The core is fresh and juicy, with cherry flavors. Shows plenty of spice on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2035.

The wine showed a dark ruby color. Blackberry, black cherry, raspberry, mosy earth, dried sage and oak each arrived on the complex nose. Blackberry, black cherry, raspberry, mocha, dried sage and oak followed on the palate where the cherry emboldened the blackberry as the wine opened up. The wine exhibited great structure and length, along with moderate tannins. This wine would pair well with a seared venison tenderloin or a braised lamb shank.

Top Wines of 2017 Two of my top wines of 2017 were made by the same winemaker with the same grape variety but for two different wineries on two different continents. Winemaker, Chris Carpenter's passion for merlot was on full display with the 2014 Mt. Veeder Merlot produced & bottled by Mt. Brave and the 2014 The Revivalist Merlot McLaren Vale vinted & bottled by Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard.

The Hickinbotham Clarendon vineyard is a source of several mighty fine reds and this merlot should change anyone’s attitude to the variety. This is a stunner, its plum/prune compote aromatics an awesome capture to your imagination, and though a third or so new oak does show a little influence now there is an extraordinary elegance and freshness to the wine, medium bodied with good structure and balance of aromatics, flavours, and fine chalky tannins. Five stars.

Merlot Can be Great – Try These from Winemaker Chris Carpenter Here the color was a bit more muted, and less vibrant. That was the first noticeable difference from the two wines above. Some orange hints crept into the rim. On the nose you get rich, ripe fruit and a good bit of earthiness. This seems rounder than the other two, and more mature. Caramel and blueberry make an appearance. It is rich on the palate, full bodied and quite complex. There was a nice balsamic note. To me it drank like a bit of an older wine, and Cheri absolutely loved it. This was her favorite. For me it was third, in a group of three great wines. You can’t miss here. SRP of $75.

What to Drink Now: Reds for 2018 Winemaker Chris Carpenter began splitting his time between Napa and Australia a few years ago when Jackson Family Wines purchased the historic McLaren Vale Hickinbotham Estate. His years crafting premium wines for Cardinale and Lokoya help him produce individualistic Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah from Australian vines that date back to 1858. Hickinbotham Revivalist Merlot layers black plum, spice, and woody herbal notes.