2016  

Margaret River, 95pts JH -- "A vibrant, unwooded style of Verdelho with lashings of fruit aromas on the nose marrying with tropical fruit flavors and hints of spice on the palate. The wine stays focused and finishes crisp and dry yet has a powerful and refreshing length that makes this wine the perfect accompaniment to spicy, full flavoured dishes. Famous for its natural acidity, this variety ages beautifully. Cellaring for more than five years rewards with complex spice and honeysuckle and developing nutty and toasty characters."

2015  

The Best's Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz is the apex wine of this famous winery. The 15 rows of ancient vines that contribute to this wine were planted in 1868 by founder and Victorian wine pioneer, Henry Best. The wine is only released in the finest vintages, having been made only nine times in the last two decades. It receives the royal treatment from winemaker Justin Purser and co. The fruit is hand picked and ferment in small batches then married to the finest oak. The intent is to create a wine that tells the tale of these old stalwart vines. Something that will age gracefully for decades to come. The 2014 was named the James Halliday Wine of the Year and was already sold out at the time of the award. 2015 is an excellent follow-up and is available in only minuscule amounts. -- Thomson Family Shiraz The Thomson Centenary Shiraz was created in 1993, to celebrate the centenary of the Thomson family’s settling in the area of Great Western. A special single vineyard wine, it was made from the 15 rows of the original 1868 Shiraz vines, planted by Henry Best, and once referred to as ‘Hermitage’ in Henry’s daily journal. Today, this wine is only made in the very best vintage years and is called Thomson Family Shiraz. It has been made nine times in 20 years and has become a highly collectible and sought-after wine. The 15 rows of original vines produce only very small amounts of fruit, cropped at less than two tonnes per acre (four tonnes per hectare) and then meticulously hand-harvested, selected and sorted. Only approximately 300 cases of our flagship wine are released in our very ‘best’ years. The vines are referred to by the CSIRO as the Concongella clone and it is the mother clone of all subsequent Shiraz plantings at Best’s Great Western. -- 98 points "The colour is fractionally lighter and more youthful than Bin No. 0, but takes the keynote of intensity onto another level. Attention to detail in the vineyard throughout the growing season, and in the winery from the first juice to flow from the berries to the end of the bottling line are all reflected here. There is a total fusion of complex fruits, of licorice, spice and pepper sidelights, of fine, yet ripe, tannins that come from very old vines, and French oak, the texture running lengthways and sideways, but never breaking line. Old vine wines like this make a mockery of vintage charts." - James Halliday (Australian Wine Companion) 97 points. "Henry Best’s original 15 rows of 1868 plantings yield just 300 cases of this deeply exotic shiraz, layered with black cherry and dark berry fruit and the exotic spice and supple tannins that can only come from grand, ancient vines. It propagates with exceptional persistence, at once full and complete and at the same time effortless and elegant. Profound." - Tyson Stelzer (Tyson Stelzer's Australian and New Zealand Wines of the Year 2017) 94+ points. "Picked from fifteen rows of the original 1868 plantings. Boysenberry, raspberry, fresh picked blackberry, black pepper, mint, nougat, sandalwood and toasty oak. Medium bodied, nutty and spicy, has the tartness of just ripe blackberry, and a similar flavour, dusty and spicy tannin, hazelnut and chocolate, and something briary and more salty/savoury, almost earthy, rolling through on the long finish. Obviously very young. More to come." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

2014  

Predominantly made from Shiraz grapes (PT23 1654) grown on our estate vineyard in Murrumbateman with a small amount of fruit from Long Rail Gully and Quarry Hill vineyards. Soil is decomposing granite. The fruit was handpicked and de-stemmed into small 2 tonne open fermenters. Fermentation took approximately 2 weeks with gentle hand plunging twice daily. Following fermentation the wine was drained to old 500 litre French oak puncheons (20% new) for 15 months of maturation. 400 cases made.

2012  Gundagai

400 cases produced. 100% Shiraz. 13% abv. Silky, sexy and fragrant, the 2012 Gundagai Shiraz, sourced form a single vineyard on the Murrumbidgee River represents exactly what Gundagai Shiraz is all about. Power and density wrapped up in a medium bodied style. Amongst the sheep paddocks of Gundagai old soils formed over 400 million years ago by rich rain forests and dense wetlands have become verdant soils for viticulture. Rich, dense boysenberry nose with a whiff of coffee follows through on the palate.

2005  Ancient Way Vineyard Summer's Block

Ancient Way Vineyard Summer's Block - 93pts WS

1998  Amery Vineyards Hillside

2003  

2012  

2012  McIntyre Whole Bunch

118 cases produced. This shiraz is 100% from McIntyre Vineyard fruit, 100% whole bunch fermented. The wine is deep crimson in colour and the aromatics are intense and complex. Black pepper spice on ripe dark berry fruit is overlaid with savoury, roasted root vegetable and Campari-like citrus peel characters. These complexities are joined on the palate by an abundance of fine, mouth filling tannins, which together, give this wine beautiful silky texture and palate length.

2013  'The Duc' Pinot Noir

Check out the April 2016 cover of Decanter "The BestPinot Noirs in the World (outside Burgundy)". This very wine won out - number 2 in fact!!! - over a huge number of world and American stalwarts including Littoria and Cristom, and Aussies Tolpuddle and Yabby Lake. This vintage is the first to include some interesting clones grafted onto their old Cabernet vines (planted 1983). Hand harvested, wild yeast ferment, 20 days on skins, fifteen months aging in French oak (25% new), unfined and unfiltered. 200cs made.

2013  'The Duc' Chardonnay

'The Duc' Chardonnay -- 150 cases made -- 96pts Halliday - "Strap your hands to the engine, a wild ride is in store. Peach, hazelnut, matchstick, bran, flint & roasted assorted stone fruits. It's not the flavors themselves, it's the combination, the run, the way the flavours ache on and on long after you've swallowed."

2014  'The Duc' Pinot Noir

'The Duc' Pinot Noir -- 100 cases made -- 97pts Halliday - "The color give no clue about the velvety richness and depth of the aromas and tastes of this wine. It's far from the big end of town but it's smooth and sophisticated, blood plum, satsuma plum, spiced plum - and right out of the back of the hands, a beautifully crafted, fine and fresh finish."