Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz, Clare Valley, 2013

Kilikanoon was founded in 1997, producing just 25,000 bottles in its first vintage. As the name suggests, this wine comes from a miniscule, dry-grown vineyard planted on Terra Rossa soil over 150 years ago. Only around 800 of the original vines remain, but they produce tiny crops of small, powerful berries yielding 3kg per vine. The wine is fermented in open vats, then basket pressed before spending 22 months in French oak hogsheads. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered, but this does not signal the end of the cycle, as it is sat on for at least a further two years before being considered for release. Tine Gellie: Dense, full, inky and tannic. It's an 'old-style' Aussie Shiraz that's not shy on the oak, but it has plenty of brooding black fruit and peppery spice to balance. Power over grace here, but it has great grandeur and complexity, and will have lots of fans. Roger Jones: An elegant, perfumed nose leads into a seductive and charming palate. The purity of the fruit is immense, and there's a gentle Arabic spice note in the background. The savoury, meaty backbone is engulfed by some rather pristine, tiny clusters of perfect Clare fruit. A stunning wine. Anthony Rose: There's plenty of sweet vanilla on the nose, suggesting a traditional style of Shiraz, and indeed the dark berry fruit is rich, concentrated and powerful. Just as this threatens to overpower the palate, a new savoury dimension kicks in, salvaging balance and bringing complexity, power and a sinewy texture to the enterprise. Classic Clare Shiraz.