One of the highlights, this stamps an irrefutable claim on the very top rung of Australian shiraz. Striking blackberry fruits and a good dose of spicy complexity, there’s a bit of bracken here, fragrant rose petals, lighter fragrance, some deeper, profound aromas and impressive complexity. The palate has impossibly long drive and intricate detail, delivering an innate sense of harmony and seemingly endless length. Toasted spices float across a swathe of blackberry fruit. A landmark single-vineyard shiraz with soul and distinction. Saturated with flavour. Drink in 2017.

Deep garnet with a hint of purple, the 2005 Hill of Grace offers a wonderful perfume of kirsch, red currant preserves and raspberry coulis with hints of cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel. Medium to full-bodied, it is very elegant yet intense in the mouth with a lively acid line, medium-firm, very finely grained tannins, and a very long finish. Approachable now and should drink to 2040+. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Tremendously seductive, this is a towering masterpiece of gorgeous flavors, supple texture and pinpoint balance. Offers a superstructure of plum, blackberry, green olive, exotic spice, tobacco and molasses flavors that swirl around a refined structure, wrapping a light veil of tannins over it all. The finish lasts and lasts. Shiraz. Drink now through 2020. 25 cases imported. –HS

Has a fragrant and expressive bouquet of plum and blackberry fruit with a strong spicy overlay oak evident but not aggressive; the velvety supple palate is laden with perfectly ripened black fruits and soft tannins in gentle support; has the hallmark seductive style of Hill of Grace. Shiraz.

Generations of vines dating back to the 1860s produced this concentrated vintage of Hill of Grace. As the wine coasts by, it's easy to get caught up in a paradox: a flavor that's superconcentrated without being weighty, a blue-purple fruit that's opaque but for the light that shines through, the flavors of dates and dried fruit that become brambly and fresher in the end. It's only in the afterglow that the wine gives a sense of resolution. It lasts for minutes, with a gracious restraint that bullies any other thoughts out of the brain. I was left with a memory of the forest above Hill of Grace, in the Eden Valley highlands, where there's a similar rush of cool earthy air and sunny warmth. This is a wine that will last for decades, revealing more of itself with each passing year.

The 2005 Shiraz Hill of Grace is quite the powerhouse, displaying a concentrated and hearty core of dark tones: licorice, cocoa, clove, tar and roasted spices. A vigorous, ripe palate with serious fruit impact follows; ample, chewy tannins support it through a lengthy finish. The 2005 will age well, so there's no need to hurry. -- Angus Hughson