It's true when they say there's no recipe for making great wine, it's just not that simple, but it certainly helps if you can gather together a lot of the key ingredients.
 
Darius and Pauline Ross at Ross Estate have done just that. First you take a beautiful old vineyard and give it all the care and attention it deserves. Then nab a young gun winemaker like Alex Peel and give him the chance to realise his potential. Give him the best mentoring available. If you can find a couple of ex–Penfolds winemakers who cut their teeth on Grange like Rod Chapman and the legendary Neville Falkenberg, then that's even better. Once that's all in place things should like after themselves.
 
The old cliché tells us the proof is in the pudding and it's pretty hard to deny these guys have got it right when you look at wines like the 2008 One Tree Hill Shiraz and North Crest Grenache. These are typically Barossan reds – rich, opulent, packed with flavour and velvety texture. At just $99 a case you'll be staggered by the quality. Just don't ask for the recipe.