2017 Best's Great Western Old Clone Pinot Noir, Great Western

2017 Best’s Great Western Old Clone Pinot Noir is one of Australia’s most historically fascinating Pinot Noirs, grown in the granite strewn hills of Great Western in western Victoria, a region better known for Shiraz but quietly home to some of the country’s oldest Pinot material. The Old Clone vines at Best’s are believed to descend from pre phylloxera cuttings brought to Australia in the nineteenth century, making them genetically distinct from modern Dijon selections and deeply tied to Australian wine history. These dry grown vines sit on decomposed granite and sandy loam, soils that naturally restrict vigour and give the wine its earthy, savoury depth. Best’s is one of Australia’s oldest family run wineries, founded in 1866 and still stewarded with a strong sense of heritage, with the Old Clone Pinot Noir acting as a living link to the country’s early viticultural past.

The 2017 vintage pours a translucent garnet ruby, opening with complex aromas of sour cherry, wild strawberry, dried rose petal, forest floor and subtle spice, underpinned by an earthy, iron tinged note that reflects the Great Western soils. On the palate it is savoury and finely structured rather than overtly fruity, layering red berries, dried herbs and gentle spice with firm, fine grained tannins and bright acidity that give the wine real drive and longevity. It is a natural match for roast duck, game birds, mushroom dishes and charcuterie, and it rewards patience in the cellar, evolving beautifully over ten to fifteen years as truffle, dried flower and earthy complexity come to the fore. This is Pinot Noir of place, history and quiet authority, offering a style that is uniquely Australian and impossible to replicate elsewhere.