We recorded just about average annual rainfall over the year, which resulted in healthy crops of Shiraz and Cabernet. Unseasonably warm November weather interfered with the chardonnay during flowering and has resulted in small crops of this variety. The weather then remained almost perfect for the rest of vintage. The general consensus amongst winemakers in the Vale is that 2010 marks an exceptional year for both red and white wines.

Our Best of Vintage Wine is just that; a blend of our very best wine, taken from Joch’s favourite barrels from the best batches of Cabernet Sauvignon (53%), Shiraz (41%) and Petit Verdot (6%) from the 2010 vintage. All three varieties were individually open fermented, with Shiraz and Cabernet finishing off ferment in barrel. Petit Verdot had an extended period of time on skins. All three components went to a mix of new and old predominantly French oak, with a couple of new American oak barrels selected for good measure. The selected barrels stayed on lees and then bottled six months after the 2010 Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon and 2010 Battle of Bosworth Shiraz.

• – The Adelaide Review Hot 100 South Australian Wines 2012

  'Big McLaren Vale red, lovely aromatics, ripe, plump fruit, lovely fruit with ripe tannins, real presence. Oak is present but doesn't dominate'.

  Hot 100 Wine (out of 1200 wines judged)

  'the Adelaide Review Hot 100 South Australian Wines is a search for the most drinkable and exciting wines in South Australia, but more than that, the Hot 100 SA Wines is a celebration of South Australian culture, people and places'  James Erskine, Co'ordinator of Judges.

• Wine Taste Weekly Tyson Stelzer 5th April 2010 www.tysonstelzer.com

   

  This magnificently crafted expression of Australia’s own blend is one of the most invigorating Battles that Bosworth has staged yet. Cabernet, shiraz and a dash of petit verdot charge forth in an awe-inspiring display of dense blackcurrants and sweet dark berries of all kinds, with a rose petal and violet freshness. Dark chocolate oak is subtly supportive, polishing a texture that is at once beautifully fine yet all-pervading.

  95 Points Drink: 2015-2025 

  Tyson Stelzer Wine Taste Weekly 5^th April 2012

• 'Wine Will Eat Itself 2 - The Main Course' Jeremy Pringle Blogger

   

  'Battle of Bosworth’s ‘Best of Vintage’ Cabernet Shiraz Petit Verdot 2010 was a highlight. It positively sang with violets and a beautiful front and mid-palate texture leading into long strand chalky tannins with hints of leaf. '

  Make sure you read the whole article by Jeremy as he talks about many McLaren Vale wine styles. Click on the link below

• Wining Pom 12th November 2012 www.winingpom.com.au

   

  'Here’s a wine I looked forward to trying, Bosworth have done some great wines in 2010 so a chance to try them combined as a wine that pays its respect to the favourable conditions bestowed on the Organic Cabernet, Shiraz and a dollop of Petit Verdot for good measure. The core of Cabernet is varietal with vital blackcurrant with hints of licorice and coffee. The palate is rich and expressive with amazing fruit intensity supplemented by spice, hints of olive, earth and dark chocoalate. It shows immense concentration with a spicy finish that is balanced and firm acids ensure it has the ability to age. Best of vintage indeed, take a bow Mr Bosworth, this is a wine with immense appeal.'

  Patrick Haddock the Wining Pom

  Score: 93+

• James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion 2014

  'A 53/41/6% blend of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and petit verdot; the colour is excellent, and the aromas and flavours are quite striking in their intensity and persistence; the black fruits have a convincing savoury substrate, the tannins adding the final dimension.'

  94 points

  Drink by 2030

• Huon Hooke, www.huonhooke.com 7th March 2013

  Deep, rich colour, with slight purple tinges. Lush, ripe, meaty and toasty oak aromas, well entwined, and the sweet ripe fruit is the main event, oak is subsidiary. Cherry pips. Fleshy, super-ripe and fruit sweet with good tannin structure. Very good wine.

  93 points

   

• The Wine Advocate #205 February 2013 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

  Blended of Cabernet Sauvignon 53%, Shiraz 41% and Petit Verdot 6%, the 2010 'Best of Vintage' has a deep garnet-purple colour and intense nose of crushed blackberries, blueberries and cassis with touches of cedar, sauteed herbs, black olives and damp earth. Medium-bodied with a crisp acid line and firm level of grainy tannins, it fills the mouth with tightly-knit, youthful blackberry flavours and finishes long.

  Drink it 2014-2024+

  92+ points

• The Wine Front January 21st 2013 Campbell Mattinson

  Full-bodied, sweetly-fruited, succulent red wine. Lovers of warm climate reds will adore this. Satiny blackcurrant and blackberry, sweet violetty/musky oak, inky tannin and dark fruit flavour right through the very long finish. If it builds complexity with time, it could easily score higher.

  Rated : 93+ Points
  Drink : 2017 - 2025

   

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