Best's Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz 1997 (1500ml)

Best's Thompson Family Shiraz is one of the truly great wines of the world. The wine is made predominantly from fruit off fifteen rows of pre-phylloxera vines planted by Henry Best in 1868. These rows that comprise the Thomson Family block are the oldest Shiraz vines in the historic Concongella Vineyard. Today the shiraz clone is referred to by the CSIRO as the Concongella clone or the Best's Old Block clone and it is the mother clone of all subsequent shiraz plantings at Best's Great Western.

Best's Thompson Family Shiraz is also one of the rarest with production being minuscule. In addition, it is only released in exceptional vintages. Sadly the ancient vines are slowly dying off, so the production slowly decreases with time. Some younger material from mature vines in the Concongella Vineyard (grown by cuttings taken from the old block) is included in the wine. That the wine is not 'stretched' with younger material is self-evident given the number of years it is not made at all, and that 2200 bottles were made in 2014, compared with (for example) 4200 in 2010. However, there will come a time when the wine will be no more.

"It has seductive sweet cherry fruit, a hint of spice and finely balanced oak on the bouquet; the concentrated yet smooth and velvety palate has perfectly balanced tannins and oak."  James Halliday

Jeremy Oliver allocates the highest possible ranking of 1 to only three Australian shiraz - Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace and Best's Thomson Family. Of the Thomson Family he says: "Sourced from some of Australia's oldest shiraz vines, this wine is about intensity and purity of dark, spicy fruit, style, elegance and a wonderfully tight-knit and fine-grained backbone."

Expert reviews

"Wha hey! What a ripper wine. Classic stuff – licorice, spice, chocolate and dark fruit. Full bodied but with everything working together in harmony. Magnificent balance, not too oaky and not too any one thing or another. Has a savoury/malty/earthy aspect that's really appealing. Superb wine. Will go for years. Drink: 2009 - 2027."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 97 points (Tasted Oct 2009)

"Deep, bright purple-red, it has seductive sweet cherry fruit, a hint of spice and finely balanced oak on the bouquet; the concentrated yet smooth and velvety palate has perfectly balanced tannins and oak."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion – 97 points 

"An elegant, balanced and restrained wine which may lack the weight of the great years but delivers delightfully wild and musky dark berry fruit with scents of bay leaf, white and black pepper, coconut and vanilla oak. Long, supple and fleshy, its pristine vibrant dark fruit has a background of chocolate and licorice before a firm, tight tannic grip."  Jeremy Oliver – 94 points

Thomson family block

The dry-grown vines of the historic Thomson Family block comprise fifteen rows of pre-phylloxera vines in the Concongella Vineyard that were planted by Henry Best in 1868. In great vintages, all the fruit goes into the Thomson Family Shiraz. If the fruit doesn't make the grade, it is used selectively in Bin 0. 

In the old days, the Thomson Family block was known as two separate sections: one was known as "11 rows” and the other as "four rows” (also called the "pigsty vineyard” due to the fact that the pigsty used to be beside the vineyard). The vines are picked separately to keep the rows apart. A lot of time has been spent mulching heavily around the vines with straw to help retain moisture and encourage healthy bug activity, and they're now looking fantastic. 

These gnarled old vines in the oldest Shiraz vineyard grow in soils that range from hard-setting silt over clay to friable clay loams. The dry-grown have roots that penetrate several metres down deep into the earth, bringing extra complexity and intensity to the wines. 

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 20^th 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.