"Best’s winery and vineyards are among Australia’s best-kept secrets… Consistently producing elegant, supple wines which deserve far greater recognition than they receive. The Bin O Shiraz is a classic…"
- James Halliday
While the origins of the label go back to at least the late 1800s, today’s Bin O Shiraz is a single-vineyard wine from four blocks planted in 1966, 1970, 1992 and 1994. Fermentation takes place in open, stainless-steel tanks and the wine is matured in one-third new and two-thirds seasoned French and American oak (barriques and puncheons) for around 12 months. Typically, Bin 0 is intensely perfumed with mulberry and dried rose aromas, background oak and loose-knit, gravelly tannins. It develops further complexity with age. Best’s Concongella Vineyard is an important survivor of Australia’s colonial history. James Halliday says: ‘Best’s winery and vineyards are among Australia’s best-kept secrets… Consistently producing elegant, supple wines which deserve far greater recognition than they receive. The Bin O Shiraz is a classic…’
"Deep red/purple colour. The bouquet is savoury and dried-spicy, dried-herbal, with star anise and mixed spice overtones. Very complex indeed. The wine is concentrated and powerful, with tremendously detailed flavour including lots of spice and a hint of pepper. A thoroughly majestic wine of boundless complexity and persistence, all hung on an impressively authoritative structure. Drink by 2016"
97 points, Huon Hooke. May 2018
"This is a majestic shiraz, powerful and dense, well-structured for ageing yet with amazingly complex detail and charm for such a youngster, with star anise, pepper and assorted spice aromas. It has great concentration and persistence. A top vintage of this famous wine."
Huon Hooke
Ranked #1 of 54 2016 Shiraz from Victoria The Real Review
Vines planted 1868, 1966, '70 and '92, hand-picked and sorted, open-fermented with 25% whole bunches, matured for 17 months in French oak (20% new). There should be no doubt that this is absolutely of world quality. It ticks each and every box with its deep colour, evocative bouquet smelling of ‘old money' (in wine terms), a long and velvety palate, the finish simply wanting you to start the process over again.
96 points, James Halliday (February 2018)
This is youthfully fresh, unevolved and vividly fragrant on the nose with plenty of peppers across blackberries and dark cherries. The palate has a deeply spicy thread, running through rich blackberries and red and dark plums. The tannins are beautifully tailored through the finish.
96 points, Nick Stock (December 2018)
The Grampians
Located in western Central Victoria, the Grampians was settled during the gold rush of the 1850’s. Indeed the vivid history of the gold rush is inextricably intertwined with the history of viticulture in the region. Seppelt at Great Western, one of the region’s iconic wineries was built at the end of the gold rush when scores of out-of-work prospectors excavated its extensive drives and cellars. The "drives" completed in 1932, stretch for three kilometres and provide perfect conditions for the maturation of sparkling wine, for which the region is well-known. The climate of the Grampians is Mediterranean and essentially cool with vineyards situated at elevations ranging from 240 to 350m. The region experiences long sunshine hours and low rainfall necessitating supplementary irrigation. Soils in the region range from weathered volcanic soils to sandy and red clay loams interspersed with ironstone. The region is suited to a diverse range of varietals including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon but is best known for its crisp fruity Riesling and distinctive spicy peppery Shiraz.