This is the third vintage of Chris Ringland Cote Rotie Shiraz. The 2008 was sourced from 20-60 year old Barossa vines and aged in seasoned American oak hogsheads. Deep purple-colored, it emits a captivating, already complex nose of smoke, incense, Asian spices, and blueberry. Velvety-textured, intense, full-bodied, and powerful on the palate, this rich effort will drink well for another 8-10 years. It is a steal at the modest asking price.

R Wines is the label created by Dan Philips for wines sold predominantly but not exclusively for under $20 a bottle produced in-house under the direction of Chris Ringland. The wines are discussed in the order in which they were presented. The last four wines are made from the grapes grown in the Shiraz vineyard of Adrian Hoffman in the Ebenezer district of Barossa Valley. Hoffman was responsible for all the harvesting decisions, and the wines were made by Chris Ringland. They are all still in barrel but will ultimately receive 36-40 months in new French oak.