Unearthing the story of Great Western Cabernet | Blog

13 Acre Block Vineyard

Great Western wine region

One of the greatest things about the Great Western wine region is its ability to successfully grow a diverse range of grape varieties. Shiraz may well be the regional hero, but Cabernet Sauvignon from the area can lay almost equal claim to fame. It may come as a surprise that Best’s has some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world, with about half a row planted in the Nursery Block in the late 1860s.

Our 13 Acre block of Cabernet Sauvignon is almost 40 years old and produces very fine examples of the variety. The 13 Acre vineyard also has old Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vines. These varieties form the classic Bordeaux combination alongside Cabernet Sauvignon.

Left a little longer on the vines Cabernet Sauvignon from Great Western shows deep berry flavours. Offering a slippery texture, softness and just a hint of leafy, herbal complexity. The warmer sites produce wines of great depth and structure. Exhibiting definitive finesse; they’re classy wines that show enough restraint and balance to go with a plethora of food.

Great Western has a great climate for Cabernet Sauvignon, with cold nights, warm days and a long ripening season. This combination allows the Cabernet to exhibit fully ripe tannins and flavours. Avoiding the dreaded bitter green characters whilst still retain the attractive leafy notes and acidity. The yellow and orange clay soils suit great Cabernet and give it its fine age-worthy tannins.

Not sure how Best’s Cabernet can age?

We’ve seen older Best’s Cabernets age gracefully for up to 30 years or more. Our 2019, 2020 and 2021 Great Western Cabernet Sauvignon highlight the quality of the region, with all three vintages scoring 95 points in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Halliday Wine Companions respectively. With Jeni Port noting: “Delivers a nuanced interpretation of the grape, proving once again that cabernet is right at home in the Grampians. Briar, bush mint, bay leaf, bracken and earth here, a dollop of vanillin oak and concentrated black fruits there, with taut tannins laying the groundwork for a long, brilliant future.” and Campbell Mattinson wrote “If this wine auditioned for a role in the film adaptation of ‘Remains of the Day’ it would get the part in a heartbeat. It’s just so exquisitely well mannered. Ultra fine tannin, perfectly ripened fruit, the line of acidity placed just so. Even the oak wraps smokily around the herb notes, as if to ensure that they don’t appear too loud. This mid-weight Cabernet would make the perfect butler to the finest of meals.”