I am guilty of defaulting to a St Hugo but decided to try something different. I sought advice from one of the in store experts (forgot his name) and was tipped into the Chris Ringland Shiraz (along with two other labels which I will review separately. Enjoyed every drop and worth every cent.

Opened a 2013. Typical smells and flavours of Barossa shiraz. This vintage is flabby and forgetful. All up front, some acid but very little balance and zero finish. Did this actually hit the oak? For the price you'd expect a better outcome.

Absolutely beautiful wine without any after bite which you get with some red's. I recommend this wine to all my family and friends

This is a lovely smooth Shiraz. Will definitely buy it again.

The Chris Ringland Reservation Shiraz 2012 is an outstanding wine and well worth the $50 price tag (albeit for special occasions). The bottom on the range is the entry level Chris Ringland Shiraz. It is also good but it struggles with the same challenge that this wine fails to meet The challenge is that there are other wines from the region at a better price point than level 1 and level 2 Chris Ringland. The level 3 (Reservation) on the other hand is keenly priced when compared to other outstanding Barossa Shiraz like Hemera.

I certainly prefer this to the CR entry level shiraz which can be overwhelming, this is a little more in check flavours and tannin in balance. I personally prefer the St Hallet Blackwell or GB Filsell Shiraz though if spending $30-$40 a bottle.