Best's Great Western, Bin N°1 Shiraz, Great Western

Remains dark, Rubied rim; baked plums & myriad black fruits; sumptuous fruit, with ample backbone, low acidity & diminished freshness; punch to a grand finish. Bit of a bruiser. Drink sooner rather than later.

2009 vintage

Drinking like a $100 bottle, prob wouldn’t leave too much longer

2011 vintage

Inky pastille fruits and olive tapenade, mulberry laced with a dash of menthol, and some complex, well-integrated woody savouriness flow along to a long, cool finish. Vibrant and retaining elements of primary fruit, I can see this still being attractive for another 5 years.

2011 vintage

Two hour slow-ox before dinner. Bright cranberry/choke cherry fruit profile with notes of white pepper, plum and violet. Acid-forward and tart, nicely complimenting roasted beef and root veg. Alone the wine was slightly thin and the acid outpaced the fruit. Abrupt finish. Has not improved since last bottle. Drink freely and preferably with food.

2011 vintage

Medium-light bodied cool climate Shiraz. Dark flavours - blackberry and blueberry fruit, some eucalyptus and vanilla. Soft tannins and acids, still good now at 11yrs but I'd suggest drink by 15. Enjoyable but I hoped for more from a Jimmy winner at 10 yrs.

2011 vintage

This was a truly lovely wine. It had the scent profile of an aged good wine and the tastes did not disappoint. Smooth to the last drop.

2011 vintage

Plum and pencil shavings. Svelte, powerful, yet balanced. Warm-not-hot alcohol, plush bed of silky tannin. Really delicious, ripe juicy Shiraz with enough minerality and sense of place to stay serious. Still youthful, with of years left in the tank. (93 Excellent wine)

2009 vintage

I've had 5 or 6 of these over the years since it was released. The last one I had was in September last year and it was disappointing - not really together and the oak was standing out. This was my last bottle and it was really enjoyable. Good aged Grampians shiraz. Out of the bottles I've had in the last 2-3 years this one was drinking the best. They may cellar a year or two yet, but if you …

2011 vintage

Stunning wine, still. Left to open for about an hour. Ruby colour, dark berries on the nose. On the palate, eucalyptus, berries and a hint of mint. Personally I don't get why some community raters are sitting in the mid 80s for this one (a Jimmy Watson winner, no less). It may not improve much but it's drinking nicely.

2011 vintage

A heady bouquet of liquorice, jujube fruit, macerated black cherries, star anise, blackberry lozenge and plenty of menthol. As the wine opens, more black plums and cola tonic suggest some evolution. The entry is baked fruits with blackberry pastille, lozenges running to an almost medicinal feel. Not that complex, the wine stays pretty much on that line holding its Barossa Shiraz credentials on track. A lively acidity pokes out with a twist of aniseed and liquorice. Somewhat grainy tannins, the …

2011 vintage

Colour deep garnet , slight bricking 14/15 Nose med+ intensity black fruits black current, blackberry spice pepper , slightly oxidative , porty , chocolate liquorice cedar coconut/vanilla 26/30 Palate full bodied , intense black fruit flavours with all the flavours from the nose , astringent tannins, some aged characters , tarry, mushroom , leather 40/44 Overall this is a big tannic wine , lots of fruit , some aging characters which I wasn’t expecting , not sure , maybe just …

2009 vintage

Pretty lean and mean for Aussie shiraz. nice fruit core, but not as good as the bin 0 by far. Tasty in its own right though. Fair dinkum.

2011 vintage

In the decanter for an hour prior to drinking. An intensely foral wine, violet and elderflower, with hints of oak and blueberries. A solid effort for 2011 and a very enjoyable wine indeed, great bang for buck. Drink over the next few years.

2011 vintage

Pretty good for the original price, could easily go a few more years

2011 vintage

In a good drinking window now. Cool climate shiraz, a touch of black pepper, fine tannins, good wood treatment blending in with fruit and acid. Would likely last a few more years in the cellar but very good now.

2011 vintage

Spicy Shiraz with dark and purple fruits. Changes quite a bit as it opens up. Plenty of years ahead.

2011 vintage

Faint bricking on the edges, but it’s pretty rich and full flavoured on the palate. It falls down a bit on the finish, which is short but its pleasant enough.

2011 vintage

A lot has changed in 18 months, and another wine I was probably a little harsh on initially. For a wet year it's body is holding up nicely, oak integration starting to shine through, yet the wine is still developing and with the tannins needing more time to soften. Try again 2018, and I will split the difference between my last review and Halliday, maybe 2025 cellar life?

2011 vintage

One hour decant. Nose of mulberry, eucalyptus, cherry and allspice. Flavours of dried cherry, earth, mint, spice and pepper. Incredible balance. I doubt this wine will improve greatly but the stelvin enclosure is going to ensure a long drinking window.

2011 vintage

Nez intense et complexe sur l'eucalyptus, les fruits noirs, le poivre noir...Bouche puissante et charnue, heureusement assez fraîche. Un peu too much pour la table cependant.

2009 vintage

Benefits from at least 90mins in the decanter. A little peppery, capsicum, and background purple fruits. Once settled, a slightly dry and savoury mouth feel, however still slightly bitter into a short of a medium finish. It will improve with age, but not sure how Halliday says 96 and 2030's, whatever.... 2020 maybe?

2011 vintage

Medium ruby color, floral, clove and earth nose, spice with raspeberries both sweet and sour, great balance, medium finish. Drinking well but should continue to gain complexity

2011 vintage

rich dark colour, on the nose, it's toasty, smoke oak, blue berries and black currant. It's a full body aussie shiraz: blueberries, pepper, dark chocolate.

2011 vintage

2013 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting & Trophy Wines Lunch (homebush & Darling Harbour) : [Trophy – Best Show wine (all shows) past 12 months] {screwcap, 14%} Three trophies in Melbourne including the fabled Jimmy Watson six months ago saw this on our table. A good effort to get enough of it to feed 300 lunchees, I gather from stories of retail demand. No doubt it’s a crowd pleaser. Hugely fragrant nose of blackberries and dark chocolate. There …

2011 vintage

Had at The Cut steakhouse over dinner. Spicy overtones with a slightly jammy full bodied plum fruit feel to it. Nice wine at the price point but not sure it deserves the Jimmy Watson for mine. There is structure here though and it is good drinking nevertheless - look forward to some complexity with a few years in the cellar to integrate it and bring some secondary characters out.

2011 vintage

Leafy tobacco with fruit in the background on the nose, there is white pepper in abundance on the palate, with attractive red and black fruits secondary. The acid is vibrant and accentuates the wines linear length on the finish, with blackberry and spice lingering. Winner of the 2012 jimmy Watson Trophy. Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink from 2013-2020)

2011 vintage

Great result for the vintage, showing no under ripe or undue seasonal influences. Elegant, medium body, and still quite tight. Red berry and spice, shake of pepper, solid length. Bound to rate higher with time.

2011 vintage

Black pepper!

2011 vintage

Delicious!

2009 vintage

Great price point at $24 and just released at LCBO. Will try get a couple. An excellent Shiraz.

2009 vintage

Purple, medium plus intensity, serious legs Medium minus intensity, black currant and berry over cream, tobacco, a slightly astringent/green note, sweet spice – clove and oak Medium plus acid, front of mouth phenolic grip, blackcurrant and berry, slightly closed and also green and astringent, the alcohol is hot on the long length finish. Unbalanced

2009 vintage

Attractive nose of violets, plum and a hint of spice. The palate shows ripe characters of plum and dark cherry, the mid to back palate has some spicey / peppery notes that is well framed by supportive oak and tannins. The wine finishes with excellent length and is a classy wine for the price Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2019)

2009 vintage

2011 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting (Olympic Park, Homebush) : Gold medal {screwcap} The ruby-coloured wine offers dark-hued inky aromas, with a touch of blackberries and soy and some dark Great Western earth. Soft dusty tannins frame earthy red fruits, ripe but not overblown, and sown with a touch of tobacco. Medium-full bodied, with plenty of heft in the middle of the tongue, and a medium length finish. Pretty schmick wine all round, and a good expression of …

2009 vintage

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Best's Great Western, Bin N°1 Shiraz, Great Western

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