Nestled in the rich Southern McLaren Vale region, the Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2013 is an exquisite embodiment of Australian excellence. This pre-eminent Shiraz, crafted by prominent winemaker Coriole Vineyards, charms with a bold, full-bodied profile encapsulating intense fruit flavours dappled with notes of savoury spice and dark chocolate. Each grape is attentively selected from the oldest vineyard plantings, dating back to 1919, ensuring a superior quality yield. The meticulous fermentation process in open-top vessels, followed by ageing in French oak barrels, bestow a distinguished depth and complexity that leaves a lingering palate impression.

Bearing the name of the Lloyd family, who established Coriole in 1967, the Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2013 carries a legacy mirrored in its striking character and robust structure. Unquestionably, it's a testament to Coriole’s enduring commitment to create wines that captivate with their elegance and remarkable drinking pleasure.

Vinous (94)

Saturated ruby. A highly perfumed, spice-accented bouquet evokes ripe dark fruits, pipe tobacco, mocha and candied flowers. Palate-staining blueberry, cherry liqueur, licorice and fruitcake flavors show excellent depth as well as vibrancy. The floral and spice notes return on the impressively long, focused finish, which is framed by smooth, late-arriving tannins.

Decanter (92)

Faiveley's exemplary Mercurey Premier Cru comes from a substantial six-hectare parcel that faces east on a very gentle slope. Just a little more concentrated than its La Framboisière cuvée - which is also worth buying - this is rich, sunny and full of red berry and bramble fruit with good underlying zip, fine tannins and suave 30% new wood.

Wine Advocate (92)

Faiveley's 2019 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Myglands has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries and raspberries mingled with woodsmoke, loamy soil and warm spices. Medium to full-bodied, lively and charming, it's velvety and succulent, with fine depth at the core and a suave, elegant profile.

Wine Advocate (93)

Aromas of plums, spices, incense and soil tones, framed by a touch of toasty new oak, introduce the 2019 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Roy, a medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety wine that's fleshy and concentrated, with fine, powdery tannins and lively acids. This is an enveloping, gourmand wine from a 2.6-hectare parcel.

Wine Advocate (93+)

From vines planted in 1982 in the sloping, southeast-facing part of Faiveley's parcel in the Clos du Roy, the 2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Roy La Favorite offers up a more overtly oak-inflected bouquet of dark berry fruit, spices, incense and vanilla pod. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and muscular, with ripe acids and an ample chassis of powdery tannin framing a nicely concentrated core of fruit. This shows definite promise, but it will demand some patience.

Wine Advocate (93+)

Faiveley's 2018 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Roy La Favorite has turned out brilliantly, mingling aromas of blackberries and cassis with nuances of licorice, violets and coniferous forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, it's seamless and layered, with fine depth at the core, succulent acids and a long, expansive finish. This would embarrass plenty of wines from the Côte de Nuits in a blind tasting.

Bright aromas of raspberries, crushed red plums and Morello cherries surrounded with warm spices and a touch of oak. Super texture, fine tannins and concentration, with a line of richness running through the palate. A long, textured finish with bright fruits and spice lingering.

Wine Advocate (93+)

A small cuvée of some 900 bottles derived from the most steeply sloping part of Faiveley's holdings in this climat where the vines produce small, shot berries, the 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Roy La Favorite unwinds in the glass with scents of cherries, sweet plums, cocoa nib, loamy soil and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's more structured and introverted than the regular cuvée, and it will reward a bit of patience.

Wine Advocate (90+)

The 2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Les Vasées unfurls in the glass with aromas of smoky blackberries, cassis, grilled game bird and espresso roast. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and nicely concentrated, its fine but chalky tannins largely cloaked in fleshy fruit.

Regarded as the epitome of eponymous exquisiteness is the Francois Raquillet Mercurey 1er Cru Les Vasees 2018. This exquisite red wine is carefully crafted by Francois Raquillet, an 11th generation winemaker, in Burgundy's esteemed Côte Chalonnaise region. Dating back to sixteenth-century, the estate’s commitment to tradition and detail is evident in each bottle.

Les Vasees 2018 is synonymous for its distinct finesse, expressing a harmony of ripe black fruits, complemented by svelte tannins and an invigorating mineral backbone. The wine is made from hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes, grown in calcareous-clay soil and matured in French oak barrels. This gentle approach ensures preservation of the elegant fruit character alongside development of a mesmerising complexity.

A wine deserving its Premier Cru status, the Francois Raquillet Mercurey 1er Cru Les Vasees 2018 offers a refined drinking experience and typifies the irrefutable cachet of fine French wines.

Halliday Wine Companion (94)

Sourced from the proprietary Lopresti vineyard, known as the 'Chinese Block'. Near Wilunga, this is a warmer zone. Hand picked and placed in drying crates to undergo appassimento; this elevates tannins while concentrating fruit in a shift of the phenolic makeup, imparting a firm, ferrous savouriness. Unabashedly big, yet far from jammy, as a welcome result. Asian spice, blood stone, bitter amaro and cherry pith, with a verdant echo of cabernet in the background.

Wine Spectator (92)

Compelling and aromatic, with details of palo santo, sandalwood and sarsaparilla and a core of chocolate-covered cherries, espresso and wild blackberry notes. The tannins are thick and concentrated, but integrated seamlessly, adding to the impact of this lovely wine. Drink now through 2036. 6,132 cases made, 3,892 cases imported.

Wine Advocate (94)

Mollydooker's 2018 Carnival of Love Shiraz is more red-fruited and structured than I expected, given the wine's stated 16% alcohol. Raspberries and cedar mark the nose, with hints of chocolate, espresso and baking spices. In the mouth, it's full-bodied, dense and powerful, with ripe but firm tannins supporting the bright berry flavors, then easing into a long, velvety and mouthwatering finish. It should drink well for around a decade, but if you're shy of tannins, you may want to wait another year or two before opening.

Wine Spectator (92)

Thick, with sink-your-teeth-into-them tannins and powerful, ripe blackberry, huckleberry and blueberry flavors that show aromatic accents of allspice, Earl Grey tea, vanilla bean, milk chocolate and dried violet on the finish. Drink now through 2036. 45,165 cases made, 32,950 cases imported

Wine Advocate (96)

The most dense and concentrated of the current Mollydooker offerings is the 2018 Velvet Glove Shiraz. Because of that, it's also among the most fruit-forward, with the oak elements of vanilla, mocha and cedar pushed into the background in favor of ripe raspberries and blackberries. Taut and focused for its size, this full-bodied effort is smooth and creamy textured on the palate, where the fruit glides into a long, velvety finish.

Wine Spectator (91)

Expressive and fragrant, a bold red with toffee, salted caramel and black walnut liqueur notes set against ripe plum, maraschino and black cherry notes. Details of cardamon and clove linger with plush tannins on the long, expressive finish. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2035. 10,076 cases made, 7,193 cases imported.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2016 Eclipse is 87% Grenache, 8% Graciano and 5% Shiraz, all off the McLaren Vale estate vineyard. As it almost seems to, it boasts gorgeous aromas of raspberries, accented by a range of herbs and spices that include notes of orange zest, bay leaf and rose petals. It's full-bodied, with assertive but silky tannins that should help preserve the wine's freshness as it ages. Although full-bodied, it handles its alcohol well, showing just a trace of warmth on the lingering finish.

Wine Advocate (99)

The 2005 Shiraz Reserve was sourced from a 45-year-old vineyard and aged for 18 months in American and French oak of various sizes. A saturated purple color, it presents an array of otherworldly scents including smoke, mineral, meat, game, bacon, and blueberry. Thick, rich, and voluptuous, this mouth-filling, full-bodied Shiraz is about as hedonistic as it gets. Although the wine is seamless, there is some tannin lurking under all the fruit which will permit 8-10 years of cellaring for those able to delay gratification. The finish is amazingly long and pure, seeming to never end. As usual, the Noon wines are benchmarks against which all others must be compared.

Wine Advocate (97)

Even more concentrated than the impressive 2014, the 2015 Shiraz Reserve is almost painfully intense—in a good sense. Dark berries, culinary herbs and roasted meat notes combine in a mouthwatering nose, which leads into a dense, creamy-textured palate. While most Noon wines can be drunk on release (as can this one, albeit in a soft-core S&M sort of way), I would suggest holding this one for a couple of years and drinking it over the next decade.

Wine Advocate (97)

This year, my favorite of the Noon wines is the 2018 Reserve Shiraz. Marked by aromas of mint, sage, bay leaf, cassis and blackberry, this is a full-bodied, rich wine that manages to combine size and intensity with impressive suppleness and length. And while it's undeniably sexy and immediately appealing from a purely hedonistic standpoint, there's enough going on to inspire repeated sampling, with cool herbal notes and peppery notes of salted licorice providing complex counterpoints to the ripe berry fruit.