Funny thing, wine. I was tasting a shiraz earlier today that I had never heard of. It reminded me strongly of Best’s Great Western, something like a good Bin O with a little Thomson Family Reserve splashed around inside. Medium to full in weight, fine but complete in structure, with a lingering, generous expression of intense cassis, blackberry and mulberry fruit laced throughout by white pepper, black pepper and spices. The oak was more overt than for a Bin O, revealing some sweet vanilla influence that eased back into the fruit as the wine breathed in the glass. What had initially attracted me to this wine was, of all things, its back label. These days it’s a rare thing to find an emergent Australian shiraz with an alcoholic strength of only 13%, especially from a stinking hot vintage like 2001. The text went on to explain that the maker was more interested in elegance and texture than impact. Rare words, these days, when most new shirazes appear more akin to a cross between dry vintage port and oaky currant soup. True to its promises, the wine is delicious; a classy, stylish western Victorian shiraz with the merest, mildest hint of peppermint. If its spectrum of fruit was just a fraction broader, or marginally more intense, I would have given it a gold (18.5/20). As it was, I rated the wine 18.3, and confidently suggest it be kept until 2009-2013+. With time I wouldn’t be surprised if it made the small climb unto gold medal territory. So, what was it? The ‘Acrobat’ Shiraz 2001 from Michael Unwin, who until 1999 happened to be the winemaker for Best’s Great Western. The links between his wine and theirs are uncanny. The fruit comes from the small Norton Vineyard near Mount Zero at the northern extremity of the Grampians (a picturesque mountain range in western Victoria). Unwin is an experienced and well-travelled winemaker whose business has moved to Beaufort, half an hour west of Ballarat on the Western Highway. The best thing about this wine? It’s price of $25 per bottle. With limited capital city distribution, it’s best to call direct on +61 3 5352 5077.
