Best's Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz 2004

"A rich, powerful and assertive shiraz whose fruit profile just manages to stay within the bounds of genuine ripeness. Deep, dark and spicy, its meaty, leathery and slightly briary aromas of intense red and black berry fruits are backed by dusty clove and vanilla-like oak. The palate backs a substantial weight of slightly angular and brambly fruit with a firm and palate-coating extract of drying tannin. Finishing with nutty, savoury qualities, it's long and persistent, if at present slightly raw and awkward. An unashamed cellar style, it will take some time to reach its ultimate balance and integration. Drink 2024-2034."  Jeremy Oliver - 95 points

"More concentration of power and greater structure than Bin 0; blackberry with splashes of licorice and spice; will be seriously long-lived, and is not yet showing its best."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points

"Best's Thomson Family is a red built with the cellar firmly in mind. It is too young to drink right now: it's lean and a trifle austere, with some astringency and an apparent lack of mid-palate fruit. All it needs is time, as the line's pedigree shows. Mint, rasberry and vanilla aromas vie for your attention, while the flavours in the mouth are powerful and lingering but also somewhat tight and unresolved. Put it away in a cool cellar to mature, so as to be sure to get your money's worth. Best drinking: 2010-2025+"  Huon Hooke, Gourmet Traveller Wine  ★★★★★

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 were 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. 

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.

We want you to enjoy your wines as soon as possible and endeavour to dispatch orders as quickly as we can. It may take us a little longer during sales or peak trading periods, so kindly keep that in mind if you are purchasing for a special occasion.

Shipping Cost

Delivery is free on any order of 12 or more bottles to Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong and rural Victoria.

On orders of 12 or more bottles to all other areas, we cover a percentage of the shipping costs. Shipping is calculated at checkout.

For orders of less than 12 bottles Australia wide, shipping is calculated at checkout.

Insurance

All orders are fully insured.

Standard Delivery

We use Australia Post and a Specialist Wine Courier (Anonymous Wine Freight) for domestic deliveries. Your location will determine which of these delivery services will be available.

Couriers will not telephone ahead to notify you of time of delivery and delivery on specific days can not be guaranteed.

While a large number of destinations are serviced within 48 hours or less, please allow up to 14 days for delivery within Australia.

Specialist Wine Delivery Service

We offer a specialist temperature-controlled wine delivery service called Anonymous Wine Freight to deliver your wine if you live close to the CBD in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney or Perth, or live in Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Mornington Peninsula or Geelong. If Anonymous Wine Freight services your postcode, the option to use them will appear on checkout. Here is a link to the list of postcodes they service. 

They are highly recommended as they ship in refrigerated transport to climate-controlled warehouses in each metro area before they make their way to your delivery address in air-conditioned vehicles for the last kilometers. In addition, they will even call you by phone at the time of delivery if they encounter any problems.

Please find their delivery schedule below.

Pick-up

If you live in Melbourne, you can pick up your order from our office in Camberwell by prior arrangement. Please select the 'Pick Up' delivery option during checkout and we will contact you to arrange a suitable time for pick-up once the order has been packed.

What if I won’t be home?

If you may not be home at the time of delivery and would like the wine left in a safe place, please give Authority to Leave (ATL) and any delivery instructions in the 'DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS & ATL' at the bottom of the shopping cart, located just above the CHECKOUT button. 

If you have requested delivery with Australia Post and have not given Authority to Leave, a signature will be required on delivery. If you miss the postman, the order will be taken to your local Post Office for collection.

If you have requested delivery with our specialist wine courier (Anonymous Wine Freight) and have not given Authority to Leave, the driver will phone you for instructions if you are not at home at the time of delivery. If he can't contact you, the order will be taken to their local depot and can be re-delivered subject to a $20.00 fee.

Summer Heat Policy

If during hot weather you would like us to delay dispatch of your order to avoid potential heat damage to your wine please let us know. We are more than happy to store your order in our climate controlled warehouse until the weather is cooler. Please add the request in the 'DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS & ATL' at the bottom of the shopping cart, located just above the CHECKOUT button.

Alternatively, we may email you and request to delay dispatch of your order until the weather is cooler. If this happens, you can of course request immediate delivery if you wish.

International Shipping

We deliver wine to a number of destinations worldwide. If you require overseas delivery, please email us with the relevant information and we will advise you if we can deliver to your selected destination and the shipping costs involved.

International orders are supplied GST free. Please be aware that you will be responsible for the payment of all duties and taxes that are levied by your local authorities.

Minimum order requirements apply.