2012 Best's Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz

The Best’s Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz is one of Australia’s icon wines delivering a Shiraz of great persistence and sophistication. It is produced from Henry Best’s original 15 rows of vines planted in 1866 (making them some of the world's oldest and something of a national treasure) with yields of less than two tonnes per acre.

Opaque black purple colour with dark purple hue. Still quite youthful and unevolved the nose delivers lifted primary notes of blackberries, liquorice and dark plums followed by some subtle well integrated spicy toasty vanillin oak and light white pepper end notes. A wine of seamless elegance and power the palate delivers a seemingly weightless yet rich flavour profile of liquorice and blackberries infused with blackpepper followed by some perfectly integrated toasty vanillin oak with the black pepper persisting right throughout the palate to the long finish. Velvet smooth tannins with very long liquorice, blackberry, vanillin oak and blackpepper aftertaste. Very Limited Stocks.
Cellar 8-10 years.
Alc 14.5%

Other Reviews…..
The sheer vibrancy and purity of fruit is nothing short of a marvel from these grand, dry grown 1867 vines planted by Henry Best himself. The 2012 is just the 13th release, precociously backward on release, promising a monumental future, yet so irresistible now that it will take superhuman restraint to let it get there. Even in my strictly disciplined tasting routine I couldn’t spit it. Such is its vibrancy of purple hue it’s almost luminescent, radiating brilliant shafts of violets, black plums, black cherries and raspberries in all directions. Wrapped into its folds, layers of star anise, liquorice and high cocoa dark chocolate, lingering relentlessly amidst superfine tannins of pristine grace yet confident structure. One of the top half dozen Australian wines of the past year. 2800 bottles. Make sure you get one of them.
Drink:    2022-2032            
98 points
Tyson Stelzer