2022 Craiglee Shiraz, Sunbury

Glorious Craiglee shiraz. Nothing like it. This is incredibly fresh and lively, with wonderful aromas of florals and spice, especially black pepper, with dark fruit to the fore. It’s savoury and mid-weighted with textural tannins and lithe acidity. Quite delicious now, but as is the way with this producer, built for the long haul. Drink to 2038.

96 points & Special Value Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion, July 2026

The first vines were planted at Craiglee in 1863 by Melbourne businessman and MP James Stewart Johnston. He planted several varieties, of which Shiraz (then Hermitage) was to be the most notable one. His sons continued making wines at Craiglee into the 1920s, but the paddocks were later turned to lamb production.

In 1972 some of Johnston’s 1872 Hermitage bottles were opened at a function in Melbourne. John Brown Sr. of Brown Brothers was so impressed by the vintage that he decided to visit the Sunbury site, only to encounter Pat Carmody, then a young agricultural science student whose family farm now included the former Craiglee vineyard site. Pat saw potential in diversifying the land and planted vines on the original site in 1976.

Pat continues to make wine from fruit grown, hand-picked and bottled at Craiglee, and is involved in every step of the process alongside his wife Dianne. Using the same bluestone winery that Johnston built over 150 years ago, Pat’s approach to winemaking has been resolutely founded on a respect for the site’s history and a commitment to wines that reflect its origin.