Best's Great Western Bin 1 Shiraz 2013
Style: Red Wine
Closure: Screwcap
Best's Great Western Bin 1 Shiraz 2013
Camberwell
Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
Producer: Best's Wines
Country: Australia
Region: Grampians
Vintage: 2013
Critic Score: 95
Alcohol: 14.0%
Size: 750 ml
Drink by: 2035
Best's Wines is one of Australia's oldest family-owned winery with a history dating back more than 150 years. They produce three shiraz, the flagship Best's Thomson Family Shiraz, the iconic Best's Bin 0 Shiraz and the cornerstone Best's Bin 1 Shiraz.
"Savoury/foresty nuances provide the backdrop for the black fruits and licorice aromas and flavours; maturation in large-format French oak has kept the wine fresh and firm, with a minimum 25-year future." James Halliday
"Bin No 1 is produced from Great Western Shiraz grown on our youngest vineyard, Salvation Hills situated 11 kilometres south of our historic vineyard, Concongella where the remainder of the fruit is from. Harmonious elegance is the hallmark of this wine with its definite peaks of flavour and good length. Aged in American oak puncheons, the colour is brilliant crimson while the bouquet shows fresh spicy Shiraz fruit and hints of pepper. Lighter in structure than its sister Bin 0, it is eminently drinkable now but under good cellaring conditions, she has the attributes to mature in the bottle for a number of years." Best's Wines
Expert reviews
"Best's of Great Western. The 2011 Bin No 1 won the Jimmy Watson Trophy. This release is a better wine than the 2011 release. It's richer and riper, which arguably gives it some advantage, but more so because it's beautifully structured and lengthy, sure signs of quality. Plum, dark cherry, mint, the odd splash of spice. Tannin curls and rolls and rumbles from the mid-palate onwards. Outstanding. Drink: 2018-2029+." Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 95 points
"Deep, dense crimson-purple; savoury/foresty nuances provide the backdrop for the black fruits and licorice aromas and flavours; maturation in large-format French oak has kept the wine fresh and firm, with a minimum 25-year future. Drink by 2038." James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 94 points
About the winery
The story
The story of Best's begins in 1866 when Henry Best purchases 30ha of land in the small town of Great Western. It was a property named Concongella. Henry planted the first vines in 1868. Best's original vineyards are among the oldest and rarest pre-phylloxera plantings in the world. The Nursery Block contains 39 varieties that are thought to be sourced from the Busby collection, Australia's first vines. A number of the vines planted in the Nursery Block have defied identification and are thought to exist nowhere else in the world.
In the early 20th century, Henry Best presents his wines throughout Europe and was awarded gold medals in Paris, Bordeaux, Brussels and London. Henry Best dies In 1913, age 81, and is buried in the Great Western cemetery.
In 1920 the Thompson Family purchases the Concongella Vineyard from the Best family. The Thompson Family had originally settled in Great Western in 1893 and purchased a winery at Rhymney (13km south of Henry Best).
In 1961 Viv Thomson joins his family for his first vintage. In 1967 Best's Old Vine Pinot Meunier was first produced. In 1975 Viv decided to appoint the first external winemaker, Trevor Mast. Best's had grown significantly and Viv was needed to manage the company and develop relationships further afield.
The 1992 vintage of the flagship Thomson Family Shiraz is first released in 1993 to commemorate 100 years since the Thomson family settled in Great Western. In 2000 Best's cornerstone wine, Bin No. 1 Shiraz, is made for the first time.
In 2008 Viv Thomson hands over the reins of the company to his son Ben. In 2020 the Thomson Family celebrates 100 years as custodians of Best's Wines.
Notable Awards
2011 Best's Bin 1 Shiraz wins the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the 2012 Royal Melbourne Wine Show.
2014 Best's Thomson Family Shiraz wins the 2017 Halliday Wine of the Year.
Langton's classifies Best's Thomson Family Shiraz as 'Exceptional' and Best's Bin 0 Shiraz as 'Outstanding' in 2018
Best's awarded Best Value Winery of the Year in James Halliday's 2021 Wine Companion.
2021 Foudre Ferment Riesling wins the 2023 Halliday Wine of the Year.
Victoria
Victoria is home to more than 800 wineries across 21 wine regions. The regions are Alpine Valley, Beechworth, Bendigo, Geelong, Gippsland, Glenrowan, Goulburn Valley, Grampians, Heathcote, Henty, King Valley, Macedon Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, Murray Darling, Pyrenees, Rutherglen, Strathbogie Ranges, Sunbury, Swan Hill, Upper Goulburn and Yarra Valley.
Victoria's first vines were planted at Yering in the Yarra Valley in 1838. By 1868 over 3,000 acres had been planted in Victoria, establishing Victoria as the premier wine State of the day. Today, the original vineyards planted at Best's Wines are among the oldest and rarest pre-phylloxera plantings in the world.
Victoria's climate varies from hot and dry in the north to cool in the south and each wine region specialises in different varietals. For example, Rutherglen in the north is famous for its opulent Muscats and Topaque and bold reds, while the many cooler climate regions near Melbourne produce world class Chardonnay and pinot Noir. Victoria is truly a wine lover's playground.