Two Hands Bellas Garden 2006, Shiraz, Australia
About Two Hands: During my time at Majestic I became familiar with Two Hands. The winery was started on a shoestring budget by two friends, who had one goal in mind; to produce the highest quality Shiraz in Australia. Their first vintage was in 2000, after a modest $30k investment and starting with just 17 tonnes of fruit and since then they have never looked back.
They now have a very strong brand with an impressive portfolio of premium wines. Their efforts have been recognised by Wine Spectator, as the winery has been named in the Top 100 nine times in a row. These wines are not only approachable but also possess a serious quality that sets them apart in the Aussie and international Shiraz market.
The Tasting: Bella’s Garden, Barossa is Big, Bold and Beautiful! All the B’s. I opened this up and decanted straight away and tasted it after half an hour. It doesn’t take too much working out. The fruit is immediately attractive and does not taste like a seventeen-year-old wine.
Dark fruits dominate - I actually didn’t find too much of the signature Shiraz pepperiness which is something to bear in mind if that’s your preferred style. The fruit although powerful is soft and as it opens up tertiary flavours, mainly dried fruit, elements poke through. Although this is over 15% the alcohol is well integrated.