Over ripe, sweet, hot. Even the label says drink now till 2010. Still drinkable but not for me.

• Rating: 80 (Average for all reviewers 80)
• Drink: Drink Now

This wine is perfectly drinkable, but for me its just another toasted black fruit, oak and alcohol driven type offering. If you are an ocasional drinker or you just like powerful and sweet shiraz, have this with a steak and you'll wonder what I'm talking about. If your a bit more serious then I probably don't need to elaborate.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 89)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Black and ripe with gripping tannins and a touch of graphite. Not overcooked like many of its peers. Reminded me of Peter Lehman Cabernet with similar botlle age. Enjoy with hearty food.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Thin and porty, nice mouthfeel though. Would have been ok in its youth.

• Rating: 80 (Average for all reviewers 80)
• Drink: Drink Now

By no means a classic but not bad . Light and fresh. Red berries, not much oak, fine tannins and a dry finish. A little green but quite quaffable.

• Rating: 88 (Average for all reviewers 88)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Fresh, with crisp acidity and primary flavours of stonefruit. Quite moorish and compares very well on price to standard bottleshop fare.

• Rating: 91 (Average for all reviewers 91)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

A food wine to be sure. Medium bodied, full of ripe red and slightly sweet raspberry/cherry notes with a sharply contrasting acidity cutting through - presumably due to the viognier. ALV is 13% and oak is in balance. Overall a pretty decent expression of Hunter Valley Shiraz.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink Now

This wine with a few years of bottle age has softened into a decent enough drop. Blackcurrant, oak with a peppery edge, medium bodied with gripping tannins and a slightly astringent finish. Drink now.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 89)
• Drink: Drink Now

Nicely integrated notes of sweet oak, cassis and perhaps cherry. Obvious earthy Coonawarra Terroir with superfine tannins and a slightly vegetal finish. In simple terms a good Coonawarra Cabernet at its best now. Perhaps starting to thin a little. Good with steak - not so with desert.

• Rating: 92 (Average for all reviewers 92)
• Drink: Drink Now

Uncomplicated, fresh notes of strawberry with a dry finish. At 12.5% ALV its easy drinking - almost Rose' like. Not bad.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 49)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

I'm usually critical of big for big's sake cult shiraz. This wine does have a rich sweetness common to many of these wines but this wine does it well. It's opulent - full of dark rich cassis and plum type notes but in no way overripe or burnt. Tannis are finer than you would expect. The 14% ALV is in not overly hot and the oak is unusually subtle. All in all a well balanced, big aussie shiraz that delivers pretty good value for money. Consume with steak, pasta / all the usual for big shiraz.

• Rating: 91 (Average for all reviewers 91)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Grapefruit is front and centre of this offering. Crisp acidity, fresh and bright with a feint sweetness that offsets the tartness of the grapefruit nicely. No obvious oak. Consume with sweet or spicy food.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Chewy black fruit, oak and gripping tannins. Still fresh but would drink soonish. Surprised at ALV being 14% - seems like more. Consume with rich food. For big wine lovers only...

• Rating: 87 (Average for all reviewers 87)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Elegant fine grains are the centrepiece bringing together liberal notes of french oak, ripe black fruit and dusty earthyness. It probably is slightly over ripe but you forget care of its lovely silky mouthfeel. Good with steak.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Fine tannins, prominent vanilla oak, plenty of dark ripe fruit with a slight peppery edge. A little milder than some of its South Australian contemporaries at 14% Alv. Good for the money.

• Rating: 88 (Average for all reviewers 88)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Big and rich but smooth and supple. Plums and cassis form the backbone with loads of oak. This wine was probably best drunk a couple of years ago but still goes OK. Drink with food.

• Rating: 87 (Average for all reviewers 87)
• Drink: Drink Now

One word, Balance. Lovely minerals, firm crisp acidity and plenty of refreshing lime. Bottle age has added some feint buttery notes too. Clare Valley meets Alsace - Heaps Magnifique!

• Rating: 95 (Average for all reviewers 95)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 10 years

Nicely integrated fine tannins bring together a plush almost seductive medley of ripe cassis, chocolate and more than slightly coonawarra like earthyness. Judicious use of oak and the faintest hint of eucalyptus round out what is probably the best value wine I have tried on the Wine Market to date - and 13.5% ALV which is spot on.

• Rating: 93 (Average for all reviewers 93)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Dry, pale peach colour with fine beads, firm acidity and suggestions of grapefruit. All in all a good drop.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 89)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Dark Crimson, fine tannins, medium bodied with herbaceous and peppery finish. No major floors but would appeal mainly to those who like this varietal. Ready to drink.

• Rating: 87 (Average for all reviewers 87)
• Drink: Drink Now

I am not an avid drinker of this varietal. I do however love Alsacian Riesling for its minerally freshness and mild acidity. This wine to me is just a sweeter version - almost like a sticky without the viscosity. In fact I think it would make a great desert wine. Loads of apple and pear, nicely balanced and at 13% a little less punishing than a sticky.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Plenty of strawberry with hints of straw and oak. Still has a crisp acidity and is not as sweet as many similar wines. Nicely put together and a bit of a change.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Sweet, jammy, dry and dusty wih delicate fine tannins. Well balanced after 10 years of bottle age and a refreshing 13.5% ALV.Nice.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink Now

Not unlike a Peter Lehmann 04 Cabernet I reviewed recently (which I liked). Nicely balanced with robust cassis and plum in the foreground with a gentle layer of oak, fine powdery tannins and a dry finish. Still quite cellarable - but in a nice place now.

• Rating: 93 (Average for all reviewers 93)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 10 years

There are many over ripe and over oaked "cult wines" around these days but having plenty of both can work if there is some semblance of balance. This wine surprised me given its relatively inexpensive price point. It's not special or unique but has plenty of dark fruit which is not dehydrated and the oak does give a sweet edge but it's not porty and it all comes together with nicely integrated fine tannins.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 89)
• Drink: Drink Now

Herbacious and floral with lemon and lime zest, oak, mineral and a dry finish. Nice balance and should improve over the next couple of years. Great with Scallops.

• Rating: 92 (Average for all reviewers 92)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Malbec Merlot - All the plushness of a french merlot with a minerally acidity adding a savoury bite and a dry finish. While very different to most aussie wines, it does pack an Aussie like punch for 13% alv while remaining well balanced. At around $20 I can't fault the value. Would be a perfect match with aged cheese.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 89)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

RIch dark chocolate and cassis with mouth coating tannins and a slightly dry finish. To me this is what I look for in an afffordable wine - plenty of flavour , not in any way over cooked or hot, uncomplicated, nicely balanced and most importantly moorish. Fabulous with lamb roast.

• Rating: 94 (Average for all reviewers 94)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Pretty typical modestly priced seven year old Barossa Shiraz. Plenty of sweet oak, ripe black fruits, pepper and powdery tannins. Not bad with roast beef and mustard.

• Rating: 87 (Average for all reviewers 87)
• Drink: Drink Now

Dusty and earthy but still bright and well balanced with plenty of cassis. Very Mclaren Vale. Drank well with a roast chook and was not completely embarassed by the 91 Hill of Grace we had prior! Very Good.

• Rating: 93 (Average for all reviewers 93)
• Drink: Drink Now

This wine will polarise people. If you love overtness like say, famous wine critic Robert Parker Jnr then you will like this. Warm, creamy, sweet, rich - a little port like. Made by Glaetzer, this offering is not unlike some of their more fabled wines. Still in good nick for 10 years of bottle age and record hot growing conditions. Consume with rich food.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 88.5)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

You can taste the dusty red earth on this one. Nice firm tannins and smooth mouthfeel. This seemed to be another wine that I liked early on and probably deteriorated a bit over 24 hours. Started almost 707 like, doing its best impression of Ribena - loads of fresh blackcurrant. Finished a little toasted and gritty with graphite/tar notes. Still better than average.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink Now

Smoky Oak, rich and ripe with a hint of mocha. Medium fine tannins bring together a nicely balanced dry red that carries its 14.5% pretty well. This wine exemplifies the virtues buying secondary market table wine.

• Rating: 90 (Average for all reviewers 90)
• Drink: Drink Now

Inky purple colour, powdery mouthcoating tannins, dark ripe fruit, creamy oak and full bodied to be sure. All in all not a bad offering from this reliable label.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 89)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

I tried this wine numerous times in its youth a was non plussed. What a difference seven years has made. It has all the dark, dusty earthy flavours I remember but has added a lovely sweet cassis backbone which adds real balance. Tannins are silky smooth yet mouth coating. This is one of the few premium Mclaren Vale Cabernets that can justify its price. Very good and has plenty of legs.

• Rating: 94 (Average for all reviewers 94)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 10 years

Tightly integrated smooth and supple tannins are a real feature here. Generous use of sweet and smoky oak cap off a warm, ripe medley of cassis, prunes, leather and tobacco. Good Value.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 89.5)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Plent of everything in this number. Ripe black fruit, rich grainy tannins, vanilla oak, peppery spices. Not all wines like this retain their integrity after 10 years in the bottle - this one has but it's not for the fainthearted.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 69.5)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Luscious, sweet, ripe and jammy not unlike many of our favourite Barossa cult shiraz labels. Where it differs is the other 50% - Grenache, which adds a savoury edge of complexity and balance. There is also something to like about the almost european elegance and restraint that 10 years of bottle age has delivered - in spite of its 14.3% alcohol. No mouthfulls of chalky, teeth staining tar here. Well done Malcolm Seppelt.

• Rating: 92 (Average for all reviewers 92)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Chalky mouth staining tannins. Lots of dark, ripe fruit and a mild spicy edge. At 14.5% it's warm but not hot. Overall not bad for its modest price tag and considering its 11 years of bottle age.

• Rating: 84 (Average for all reviewers 87)
• Drink: Drink Now

Slippery fine tannins, plenty of vanilla oak with some dried herbs and a slighly spicy edge. It's big and ripe but not over the top. Not bad at all.

• Rating: 93 (Average for all reviewers 93)
• Drink: Drink Now

Sweet, rich with fine grains tempered with slightly over ripe with dusty dehydrated fruit and notes of graphite or even bitumen. 15% Alcohol is warmish without being overtly hot.

• Rating: 89 (Average for all reviewers 84.5)
• Drink: Drink Now

Clean, fresh, bright and balanced. It’s light but not too thin, uncomplicated yet interesting, ripe but understated. Nice use of oak with some very mild gamey notes. If more Pinot’s were like this I’d probably a lot more of them. Would match most foods too.

• Rating: 94 (Average for all reviewers 94)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

I was a little nervous considering price expectation for this wine. I was pleasantly surprised to find a perfectly reasonable Barossa Cabernet. Fruit is slightly over ripe but rich and dense and the tannins are nice and fine too. Good quaffer.

• Rating: 92 (Average for all reviewers 46)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years

Must admit started drinking within 10 minutes of opening. For the first 30 minutes or so it was closed but somehow good - quite smooth with rich ripe dark berries and a dry finish. Then we had dinner (beef & port casserole) during which the wine changed dramatically. Still a smooth mouthfeel but the fruit became dryer prunes,dates etc and some aniseed made an appearance. Also got a little hotter. Alcohol is 14% - felt like 13 at the start and 14.5 at the end. Both wines were quite drinkable but I liked the closed version better.

• Rating: 92 (Average for all reviewers 92)
• Drink: Drink in the next 1 to 5 years