Region: Australia, Langhorne Creek

Grape variety: Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon

Background: A collaboration of industry veterans Ben Glaetzer, Scott Collet, Grant Tilbrook and Nick Keukenmeester who have developed Heartland into an award-winning winery, since producing the first vintage in 2001. They embrace the best Australian fruits and create wines of balance and texture with a uniquely Australian identity.

Tasting notes: Dark fruit dominates the palate at this stage, while the structure is discernable and ready to support the wine.The intensity of this wine provides all the impetus required for long term cellaring, while the deft handling of oak and the finely tuned acidity will ensure that it stays on track to be a balanced and generous wine.

Reviews

Score: 95/100 - Ray Jordan - Wine Pilot: Good vintage, classy wine. A compelling combination. This excellent blend of cabernet and shiraz from the 2016 vintage is only just, and ever so just, starting to see some initial development. But it is so far from where it will finish. Rich and smooth dark chocolate and dark fruit characters merge seamlessly with the cedary oak and fine chalky tannins. There's a slightly liqueur fruit thing happening there. A great example of what this region can do, amply demonstrating the virtues of blending these two varieties.

Points: 95/100 - Tyson Stelzer: Ben Glaetzer has long championed Shiraz Cabernet blends in the Barossa, and has tactically highlighted Cabernet to take the lead in his Langhorne Creek flagship. Redcurrants pop with crunchy acidity, gently accented with regional menthol, well married with the plush blueberries of Shiraz. Expertly deployed oak brings dark chocolate to the union, fixing an impressively fine, confident tannin frame that confirms both persistence and endurance.

VEGAN