Best’s Great Western Sparkling Shiraz 2013
I remain perplexed that more Australian Shiraz lovers don’t appreciate the sparkling form. What isn’t there to like? It’s red wine, but for Australian weather. Goes a treat with chilli-laden mod-Asian food too. More, please.
Best’s do it well too. There’s that plump, essence-of-purple-plum fruit from the first whiff, complemented by licorice, some frothy, dosage sweetness to fill out the palate, before a convincingly serious finish. Purple is the best descriptor here, even if it doesn’t make much sense as a flavour. What I like, however, is the contrast between lavish generosity and then tannins. Wears its Grampians Shiraz colours well AND will only improve in the bottle (if the old Seppelt Show Sparkling releases are anything to go by) as the primary fruit becomes a little more secondary. Delicious regardless.
Best drinking: 2018-2030. 18/20, 93/100. 14%, $30ish. Would I buy it? Sure would. I’d prefer to drink it in a year or two time when it settles.
3 Comments
Well there goes the farm…..now everyone will want it!!!!!!!!!!
For sure, one of my favourites. What a lovely cellar door / cellar to visit, they didn’t use to sell this on-line (you had to be a club member or visit), but can now. The Pinot Meunier is great too, drank some that were late 80s recently, wonderful.
Love those Meunier releases. Don’t they age superbly too!