I ALWAYS welcome review samples from the eclectic portfolio of Best's Grampians Region operation, and this week brought the special treat of a new red.
The wine is the inaugural $60 Best's Great Western 2019 Hamill Shiraz, named for Emily Grace Hamill, the wife of Frederick Pinchon Thomson the second-generation Thomson wine pioneer.
The first-generation was William Thomson, a Scottish immigrant who prospered as a mail carrier, baker and landholder and in 1893 bought a vineyard at Rhymney and named it St Andrews.
In 1900 William moved to Melbourne, paradoxically to become a temperance caterer, selling St Andrew's to son and daughter-in-law Frederick and Emily.
That pair's commitment to wine took a quantum leap in 1920 when they paid £10,000 for the vineyard, winery and brand names of the Best's wine venture established on Concongella estate in 1868 by Ararat butcher-turned-vigneron Henry Best.
In the years since three more generations of Thomsons have run the Best's business, between the townships of Stawell and Ararat in the Great Western sub-region of central Victoria's Grampians wine region.
All three, Frederick (Eric) Hamill Thomson, Eric Vivian (Viv) Hamill Thomson and Benjamin Hamill Thomson, carry the maiden name of Emily Grace and fifth-generation Ben was instrumental in Best's purchase of the premium Great Western Sugarloaf Creek vineyard, which provided the grapes for the new Hamill shiraz.
Sugarloaf is two kilometres from the St Andrews orchard and vineyard at Rhymney bought by William Thomson in 1893.
At $60 the Hamill shiraz sits with current-releases selling from $25 to $250 a bottle - a portfolio headed by the $250 flagship 2019 Thomson Family Shiraz, the $150 2021 Chardonnay and the $125 2021 Old Vine Pinot Meunier.
The wines, made by Justin Purser and his team, are available at bestswines.com.au the Best's Rd, Great Western, winery and bottle shops.
Justin is an Adelaide University wine science graduate, who joined the Best's in 2011 after stints at Primo Estate in South Australia, Central Otago, New Zealand, Barolo, Italy, and Volnay, Cote d'Or in Burgundy. He works with bought-in grapes and estate-grown fruit from Concongella vineyard, which has vines dating back to 1866, the 12-year-old Salvation Hills vineyard at Rhymney and the Sugarloaf Creek vineyard
In the 102 years of Thomson ownership, Best's has overcome numerous challenges like its bank foreclosing on the company between 1927 and 1931 during the Great Depression and the 2017 once-in-a-decade Concongella vineyard frost that robbed it of any premium wines in 2018.)
Against such setbacks Best's has triumphs such as:
- Viv Thomson's 1967 creation of first single varietal pinot meunier from original vine plantings
- Melbourne Wine Show's 2012 Jimmy Watson Trophy and Australia's 2013 Wine of the Year award at Sydney Wine Show to the 2011 Bin 1 Shiraz
- Selection of the 2014 Thomson Family Shiraz as Wine of the Year in the 2017 James Halliday Wine Companion
- Langton's auction house's 2018 classification of the Thomson Family Shiraz as "Exceptional".
WINE REVIEWS
HAPPY NEW HAMILL
AN EXCELLENT addition to Best's range, this Best's Great Western 2019 Hamill Shiraz registers 14% alcohol and has bright garnet hues and berry pastille scents. The front palate shows vibrant ripe blackcurrant flavour, a middle palate of Maraschino cherry, briar, spice and savoury oak and a smooth earthy tannins finish.
PRICE: $60.
DRINK WITH: beef tornedos with prosciutto.
AGEING: 10 years.
RATING: 5 stars (out of 6)
RIESLING REIGNS
RIESLING was among the first varieties planted by Henry Best in the 1860s and the Best's Great Western 2021 Riesling keeps its pride of place at Best's. The wine is pale straw and has passionfruit aromas, crisp lime front-palate flavour and middle-palate green apple, kiwifruit and mineral elements, with gunmetal acid at the finish.
PRICE: $25.
DRINK WITH: seafood crepes.
AGEING: five years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
ZINGY PINOT NOIR
THIS zingy Best's Great Western 2021 Pinot Noir and other Best's wines are at bestswines.com.au, the Best's Rd, Great Western, winery and bottle shops. The pinot has 12.5% alcohol, ruby hues and lifted raspberry front-palate flavour. The middle displays blueberry, quince jelly, mint and subtle mocha oak and a finish of chalky tannins.
PRICE: $25.
DRINK WITH: roast duck
AGEING: seven years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
