Bleasdale Sparkling Shiraz, Langhorne Creek

Includes 'a little splash of malbec'; gold medal winner National Wine Show of Australia ’21. The base wines came from the 1997–2022 vintages. Has threaded the needle with lower dosages than usual (hence the gold medal), investing the wine with freshness and finely wrought tannins. Is there nothing outside the skills of Paul Hotker? Not to mention, value for money across the board.

95 points Special Value James Halliday winecompanion.com.au

The philosophy of the Bleasdale winemaking team is to capture the essence of what makes Langhorne Creek red wines so attractive – vibrancy, harmony and texture. Cabernet Sauvignon has elegance and captivating depth of flavour, Shiraz is a ripe fruit style with refined cool climate spice elements and Malbec is perfumed and finely structured.

Bleasdale is rich in history and producing some of Australia’s most exciting, consistently impressive premium wines. Whether a Bleasdale wine is $12 or $70, whether it is a Sparkling Shiraz, a single vineyard Malbec or the Frank Potts Cabernet, it conveys a story in the glass that substantiates its history, diversity and increasingly, its pedigree.