Over the last eighteen months Basedow (pronounced bazz-ee-doe) Wines has been awarded a total of six trophies for its white wines in both Australian and international competitions.
Its reds are no slouches either, as its Barossa Shiraz and Bush Vine Grenache are the wines that established Basedow as a premium wine grower.
Basedow Wines has come a long way from the fledgling winery which almost collapsed in 1900. The entire 1900 vintage had to be poured down the creek after a local drunk fell into the fermenting tank of red wine and drowned.
The winery was bought by Terry and Jill Hill in 1996. Since then they have steadily improved the quality and reliability to the the point where they can let their wines do the talking while they concentrate on making wine.
Recently I tried their Semillon and Bush Vine Grenache, both of which impressed me immensely.
The Basedow 1997 Semillon is a beautiful golden straw in colour. Toasted almonds, rich thick honey and lemongrass on the nose are all delivered to the palate with one big juicy sup from the glass.
There is wood in the making of this wine and Terry and Jill have got it right because the wood doesn't dominate. It just compliments the wine, giving it complexity and layered structure. This is a wine that would reward cellaring for the medium term – about four to eight years.
Basedow 1997 Oscars Heritage Bush Vine Grenache contains 15% Cabernet Sauvignon which gives the wine extra body, structure and length in the palate.
This wine ideally is drunk young as it has a soft, round and fruit-driven style. Aromas of black cherry and raspberry with sweet honeysuckle waft from the glass.
The palate is fleshy with gentle tannins and is definitely a great food wine. When dishes like pasta with oven roasted tomatoes and capsicums or traditional Spanish paella were created, they had this wine in mind as the perfect match.
