Annie’s Lane Shiraz 1999

Owned by Treasury Wine Estates and based at the historic Quelltaler winery in Clare, Annie's Lane is being given another chance in the marketplace with a readjustment of its brand structure and a welter of new labels. As a group, the wines are strong, typically regional and made with the kind of polish that enables enjoyment immediately upon release as well as genuine cellaring potential. Pick of the reds from 2014 is the rather polished and sour-edged Winemaker's Blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and shiraz (93/100, drink 2022-2026+). Its deeply flavoured and handsomely structured Copper Trail Shiraz is a regional benchmark and produced a stellar release from 2013. While the Quelltaler Riesling remains perfumed and slatey, three new red wines Đ the polished The Locals Shiraz Grenache from 2013, the sour-edged Winemaker's Blend Cabernet from 2014 and the willowy The Locals Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Đ are each fine additions to the range and rate above 90 points.