2018 Bella’s Garden Shiraz by Two Hands is the top of their Garden Series wines focused on highlighting grapes from some of the best Australian vineyards.
Having tasted their 2018 Gnarly Dudes, we expected a powerful fruit-forward Australian Shiraz. To our surprise, Bella’s Garden charmed us with its grace. We’re jumping ahead of ourselves. Let’s start with the winery story.
Two Hands Story
The idea for Two Hands was born in September 1999 when founders Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz were drinking wine at a friend’s engagement party.
Two years later, they started with just 17 tonnes of fruit. Michael’s wine contacts in the US and UK helped launch the brand with the favorable press that brought Two Hands into the spotlight.
The early success helped Two Hands increase production, launch the full Garden Series, and release the inaugural Bella’s Garden Shiraz in 2003. Gnarly Dudes Shiraz, the entry-level stable horse of the portfolio, followed as part of the Picture Series wine.
Now Two Hands produce eight lines of wine altogether. A giant leap for Two Hands in two decades. So we have lots of wines to explore from this producer.
2018 Bella’s Garden Shiraz
In the Bottle
Bella is a part of the concept Michael and Richard ran with twenty years ago. Their goal was to showcase the individual characteristics of the best regional Australian wines, and they succeeded in establishing the concept that’s commonly accepted now.
Showcasing six wines, each sourced from a premium Shiraz growing region in Australia, all handled identically from vine to bottle on the Two Hands’ estate winery in Marananga, the Garden Series aims to reflect the soil, climate, and other aspects of each unique region, or what would be called terroir in France.
Grapes for Bella’s Garden Shiraz (Syrah) came from the vineyards in Ebenezer, Gomersal, Greenock, Kalimna, Marananga, Moppa Hills, Seppeltsfield, Stockwell, Stonewell sub-districts of Barossa Valley.
The vines are between 16-40 years old in predominantly rich red and brown clay soils that limit the yield resulting in more concentrated flavors
and masculine tannin.
The grapes were fermented in five to ten tonne open top fermenters, with regular juice pump-overs to extract color, flavor, and tannins. On average fermenting wine was left in contact with skins for 7-10 days before being pressed and free-run into tanks.
The wine was then racked into barrels for malolactic fermentation. Following the maturation in French oak hogsheads for 18 months, Bella’s Garden Shiraz was bottled, unfined, and unfiltered.
In the Glass
We couldn’t smell enough of this perfumed Shiraz. While black plum and prune were expected in Shiraz/Syrah, cassis charmed us in Bella’s Garden. Combined with chocolate mousse, cola, and a touch of bay leaf, it resulted in an intoxicating aroma.
Similar flavors came through on the palate with cassis liquor, chocolate-dipped prune, cherry cola, and a bit of spiciness.
Aftertaste
2018 Bella’s Garden Shiraz surprised us with its cassis-driven profile underscored by chocolaty and savory notes. Despite its full-bodied character, the acidity balanced the richness and made it a lighter-going wine.
For now, it’s one of the best Australian Shiraz wines we have tasted recently. But hey, we are wine swingers and might change our minds after the next Shiraz bottle.
We look forward to your suggestions for the next Shiraz to compare to Bella’s Garden? What are your favorite Australian producers?
Read more Syrah reviews here!