November 2 2009
Best’s Great Western releases its Icon Shiraz – Best’s Thomson Family Shiraz 2006 and Best’s Bin 0 Shiraz 2006
Monday 2 November marks the release of two iconic Australian shiraz from the distinctive Victorian wine region of Great Western; Best’s Thomson Family Shiraz and Best’s Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz.
Since 1866, Best’s Wines has been continuously producing exceptional wines with great longevity. With a reputation for elegant and balanced shiraz, Best’s Great Western is run by the fifth generation of the
Thomson family and is known to have some of the oldest vines in Australia.
Best’s Thomson Family Shiraz 2006
Thomson Family Shiraz was first made in 1992, to celebrate one hundred years of the Thomson family settling in Great Western. Thomson Family Shiraz is only made in years where the fruit achieves outstanding quality, so far it has been released in; 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005 and this latest release the 2006.
This vintage of the Thomson Family Shiraz was the first crafted by Best’s Winemaker Adam Wadewitz, who joined the team in 2005. He says he was conscious that it was his first vintage of this treasured wine and therefore he took the approach of absolute attention to detail from vineyard to bottle and he followed some of the traditional winemaking techniques established over the previous nine vintages. Adam had the unique opportunity to draw upon fruit from Best’s finest shiraz vineyard, the Thomson Family Vineyard, planted in 1868. This is t an astonishing Australian vineyard, with cuttings taken from Henry Best’s original nursery block and planted in 1868, its fruit speaks of history, vine age and climate. The vines were meticulously hand-harvested, selected and sorted. After crushing the grapes were
hand plunged and fermented in small open fermenters. It was then matured in a 50/50 combination of new and two and three year-old old oak for approximately 24 months. Adam says the 2006 is “a rich, generous wine with brilliant blackberry meaty fruit underpinned by cedar oak and fine grain tannins”.
View tasting note
Best’s Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz
Shiraz has been produced at Best’s Great Western since the late 1800s, although the date of the first Bin 0 Great Western Shiraz is lost in the annuals of time.
Fruit for Bin 0 Shiraz is selected from the lowest yielding blocks from four low yielding Concongella Shiraz (clones named by the CSIRO) blocks established in 1966, 1970, 1992 and 1994.
Adam Wadewitz says vinification took place in open fermenters. The wine was matured in a combination of 1/3 new and one and two year old French barriques for around 12 months. He says the wine offers intense mulberry blackberry aromas, background oak with fine grain tannins
and complexity. This wine is suitable for long term cellaring.
View tasting note |
