James Halliday's top 20 red wines over $40

Below you'll find James Halliday's top 20 red wines over $40. The 20 wines span shiraz and blends, cabernet sauvignon and blends, pinot noir, and mourvèdre.

2020 Turkey Flat Barossa Valley Shiraz

The so-so 2020 vintage had its problems, but the ancient (1847-planted) vines provided the backbone of this ultra-elegant, medium-bodied, French-oaked shiraz. Its perfect texture and balance nullify the vintage challenge.
98 points | $55 | 14.1% alc. | Drink to 2045 | Halliday profile | Turkey Flat

2021 Teusner Albert

Barossa Valley shiraz doesn’t come much better than this. The vintage was perfect, but few nailed the opportunity as well as winemakers Kym Teusner and Javier Moll. The silky elegance and balance are coupled with purity and freshness in a manner seldom seen.
99 points | $70 | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2046 | Halliday profile | Teusner

2021 MMAD Vineyard Blewitt Springs Shiraz

Whole bunch 15–20%, 15 days on skins, 33% in concrete vessels, the balance in stainless steel and used oak. A magical combination of techniques to produce blackberry, licorice and dark chocolate flavours, the tannins so fine, they are silky.
97 points | $75 | 13.5% alc. | Drink to 2041 | Halliday profile | MMAD Vineyard

2019 Yalumba The Steeple Single Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz

From a vineyard planted 1919, and now run biodynamically. Picked on March 4 and matured for 16 months in French barriques. This is a beautiful wine in every way – balance, flavour, purity – and sensibly priced.
97 points | $80 | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2049 | Halliday profile | Yalumba

2022 Yarra Yering Underhill

A mix of whole-bunch and berry fermentation and maturation in large-format French oak. A glorious shiraz, bursting with life and promising a 40-year life span, so perfectly framed and balanced is its black cherry and blackberry fruit duo, tannins obediently bending the knee to the fruit.
98 points | $130 | 13.5% alc. | Drink to 2062 | Halliday profile | Yarra Yering

2017 Tahbilk 1860 Vines Shiraz

How appropriate: one of the very best vintages of this sacred vineyard – sacred because there’s never been a replant if a vine died. Matured for 18 months in French oak, the tannins amazingly silky, the fruits still bright as a spring day. This deserves its price.
97 points | $360 | 14% alc. | Drink to 2047 | Halliday profile | Tahbilk

2018 Henschke Hill of Grace

Matured in French oak (20% new) for 18 months. It opens with gloriously heady scents of wild herbs, spice and pepper, thence flawlessly balanced dark berry fruits, velvet tannins and quicksilver acidity. A 30-plus year future, yet ready for consumption now.
99 points | $950 | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2050 | Halliday profile | Henschke

2020 Flaxman Wines The Stranger

A blend of contract-grown Barossa shiraz and Eden Valley cabernet, 50 dozen made. From a so-so vintage, but that’s not obvious, as the black berry/cherry fruits are delicious, the tannins fine, the finish long.
96 points | $45 | 14% alc. | Drink to 2035 | Halliday profile | Flaxman Wines

2021 Balnaves of Coonawarra The Tally Reserve Cabernet

Includes 9% petit verdot. On skins for 30 days; matured for 13 months in Taransaud barriques (39% new). While very intense, its perfect balance makes it light on its feet. Cassis in abundance leads the palate, pirouetting through the tannins on the lingering finish.
98 points | $90 | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2051 | Halliday profile | Balnaves of Coonawarra

2016 Juniper Cornerstone Wilyabrup Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon

Hand picked and sorted; aged in French oak for up to 20 months, the best barrels selected for the final blend. Long and precisely balanced; its varietal expression is one of extreme purity.
97 points | $90 | 14% alc. | Drink to 2040 | Halliday profile | Juniper

2019 Wise Dr RW Frankland River Cabernet Sauvignon

High-quality French oak and powerful blackcurrant fruit are all obvious, but the wine has exceptional mouthfeel and varietal expression too. You know there are tannins sewn into the fruit, yet they are hidden. Totally flawless.
98 points | $120 | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2049 | Halliday profile | Wise Wine

2021 Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

Hand picked, open fermented and matured in what are described as 'old French oak barriques' for 14 months. Very attractive, fresh mouthfeel to the black fruits. A surprise packet. Radically different vinification to prior vintages.
96 points | $50 | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2041 | Halliday profile | Terre à Terre

2021 Mount Terrible Jamieson Pinot Noir

Hand picked and sorted; 20% whole bunches, the balance crushed, five-day cold soak, matured for 18 months in French barriques, then a further year in bottle prerelease. Super fragrant red berries/cherries interwoven with gentle Asian spices.
97 points | $45 | 12.8% alc. | Drink to 2031 | Halliday profile | Mount Terrible Wine

2022 Stargazer Palisander Vineyard Coal River Valley Pinot Noir

The hue and depth are typical; this is Tasmania speaking, and an introduction to what is a celestial pinot noir. It’s pure and refined, with wild strawberry, pomegranate and mesmerising red berries of field and forest, all with spices to boot.
98 points | $65 | 12.7% alc. | Drink to 2033 | Halliday profile | Stargazer Wine

2022 Delamere Vineyards Pinot Noir

Clones MV6, 114, 115 on 40-year-old vines. 30% whole bunch, open fermented, three-to-five-day cold soak, seven-to-10-day post-ferment maceration, matured for 10 months in French oak (25% new). The power and focus of Delamere’s pinots puts them in the top tier in Australia.
98 points | $70 | 13% alc. | Drink to 2042 | Halliday profile | Delamere Vineyards

2022 Chatto Intrigue Huon Valley Pinot Noir

Five clones, hand picked, 8.5% whole bunch, wild fermented, five-day cold soak, two weeks on skins, one baume fermented in used French puncheons, 10 months in oak. A perfumed bouquet of spice, red berries/cherries, then a palate of piercing purity and perfect balance.
97 points | $75 | 13.4% alc. | Drink to 2032 | Halliday profile | Chatto Wines

2022 Pooley Butcher’s Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir

Oh man, what a wine. 35% whole bunch, 25% new French oak, 10 months' maturation in barrel. The deep colour is a Tasmanian specialty. Then there’s the intensity, the complexity, the length, the potpourri of spices, the sultry tannins and black cherry fruit. My top pinot of 2022.
99 points | $80 | 13.7% alc. | Drink to 2052 | Halliday profile | Pooley Wines

2022 Bannockburn Vineyards Serré Geelong Pinot Noir

Hand picked, destemmed, on skins 10 days, then 10 months' maturation in French hogsheads (33% new). Intense aromas of Chinese tea, forest and earthy spices, the palate wonderfully intense with a classic peacock’s tail finish.
97 points | $110 | 13% alc. | Drink to 2037 | Halliday profile | Bannockburn Vineyards

2022 Yabby Lake Vineyard Single Block Release Block 2 Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir

This is an MV6 clone at its best, the wine deeply coloured. Hand picked, hand-sorted, gently destemmed, wild yeast fermented, 16 days on skins, matured for 11 months in puncheons. Gloriously rich bouquet and palate, both with black cherry and five spice.
98 points | $125 | 13.5% alc. | Drink to 2042 | Halliday profile | Yabby Lake Vineyard

2021 Swinney Farvie Frankland River Mourvèdre

Dry-grown bush vines, hand picked with multiple passes; 100% whole bunches spent 11 days on skins. The bouquet is extraordinary, with earthy/foresty/spicy aromas, the sumptuous yet woven palate echoing with dark berry flavours. Mourvèdre isn’t meant to be as hypnotic as this.
99 points | $150 | 14% alc. | Drink to 2051 | Halliday profile | Swinney

See the complete list of Top 100 wines.

James Halliday’s Top 100 features in The Weekend Australian Magazine.

Some wines in this year's selection also feature on this site with notes by other Tasting Team members – as reviewed for Halliday Wine Companion.