Our Fire Station Shiraz captures the depth and generosity we love about the Barossa, with layers of flavour that unfold beautifully in the glass.

Aromas of ripe black plum and blueberry mingle with liquorice, cocoa and earthy spice. The palate is rich and full-bodied, bringing together juicy blackcurrant, dark chocolate and a savoury thread that adds depth to the fruit.

French oak lends subtle spice and fine tannins, giving structure to the wine’s plush texture. Bright acidity keeps everything flowing through a long finish of dark fruit, liquorice and lingering cocoa.

A Shiraz with presence, richness and unmistakable Barossa character.

The fruit was handpicked in the cool of the morning during the 2023 Barossa harvest, a late, mild season that gave the grapes extra hang time, lower yields and wonderfully fresh, perfumed fruit. Grapes were crushed into a small fermenter and worked with gentle, regular hand pump overs across the two week ferment, keeping close control over colour, tannin and flavour.

Once dry, the wine was pressed off skins and transferred into American oak hogsheads with around forty percent new. After malolactic fermentation, it was racked and returned to the same barrels. Maturation ran for roughly 24 months before blending. The best barrels were selected to make the final wine, which was then prepared for bottling.

98 Points - Vino Masters

Deeply coloured and immediately serious, with dark fruits, plum, liquorice bullets, earth and savoury minerality leading the aromatics.

The palate is luscious, bold and bright, opening with blueberry before moving into blackcurrant, dark plum, chocolate and spice. The fruit is rich and full, but the wine never feels one-dimensional. It evolves constantly in the glass, with each sip revealing another layer.

Finely laced French oak is beautifully integrated, bringing fine-grained tannins that are long, forward, drying and mouth-filling. There is a savoury edge running underneath the fruit, with earthy, almost wild characters that give the wine a strong sense of place and unmistakable Barossa identity.

At times there is a Super Tuscan-like firmness and savoury structure, but the depth of dark Barossa fruit keeps pulling it back home. The finish is long and unctuous, with prune, liquorice, dark chocolate, spice and drying tannins lingering effortlessly.

A deeply satisfying, complex Shiraz that speaks clearly of the Barossa Valley and continues to evolve with every sip.

Vino Masters Score: 98 / 100 ★★★★★ Outstanding: classic regional style with depth and longevity. Drink now to 2042

The 2023 vintage in the Barossa was one of the coolest and latest in living memory, and it rewarded patience. A wet winter and spring filled the soils, while a mild, gentle summer meant the vines ripened slowly with no heat stress at all. Harvest ran weeks later than usual, giving the fruit long hang time to build flavour while holding on to natural acidity. Yields were down across the valley, but the fruit that made it through was bright, perfumed and beautifully balanced.

Shiraz showed a different side of itself. The slow, even ripening delivered vibrant fruit, fine-grained tannins and lifted aromatics, with moderate alcohols and a freshness that sets this vintage apart. Winemakers across the valley are calling it a year of elegance and finesse, with wines that speak clearly of site.

For Craneford, 2023 gave us Barossa generosity with a cooler-climate edge: polished, detailed and wonderfully drinkable now, with the structure to age gracefully.