Region : Barossa,Australia
Grapes : 100% Shiraz
Alcohol : 14.3%
Website :https://www.twohandswines.com/our-wines/garden-series/
🌟 One of the best wineries in the Southern Hemisphere
🌟 The pinnacle of Australia’s emerging wine scene
🌟 Selected on the list of "Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines" for 13 consecutive years
🌟 The winery that has won the "Top 100 Best Wines in the World" for 10 consecutive years
🏅 Wine Advocate 92 pts
🏅 Wine Spectator 92 pts
🏅 Wine Enthusiast 92 pts
🏅 Vivino 4.2
The History of Two Hands
It all started with a bottle of Australian Shiraz on the kitchen table and we asked ourselves: if that is what the world wants, how are we going to give it to them?
The idea for Two Hands was born in September 1999 when founders Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz sat at a friend’s engagement party and decided it was time to make their own wine and market it on the world stage.
The original aim was, and still is, to make the best possible Shiraz-based wines from prized growing regions throughout Australia. With so much Australian wine being sold around the globe under multi-region labels in a formulaic style, the intention was to break the mould and showcase the diversity of Australian Shiraz by highlighting regional and vineyard characteristics by allowing the fruit to be the primary feature of the wines.
Two Hands’ first vintage was in 2000, after a modest $30k investment and starting with just 17 tonnes of fruit. The journey had started.
Michael’s wine contacts in the US and UK helped launch the brand and favourable critical reaction put Two Hands in the spotlight soon after. The early success helped Two Hands gradually increase production and venture out to launch the full Garden Series with the 2003 vintage, something truly unique in Australia. Gnarly Dudes joined its stablemate Angels’ Share in the Picture Series, and the portfolio was starting to take shape. Later that year, Michael was driving down a dusty track in the Western Ranges of the Barossa Valley and first saw the run down uninhabited cottage next to the Marananga Creek that was to become the home of Two Hands – Kraehe House. Michael’s vision was to reflect the Barossa heritage with the sandstone frontage and verandah, but create something modern and luxurious on the inside: the Cellar Door and Bakehouse opened in December 2003 just in time for Christmas and turned local hospitality on its head – anyone could walk in and taste Flagship Shiraz Ares, no matter where they were from or if they had money to spend.
Winemaking for me is a labour of love, a passion, and a craft. I have walked every vineyard, made every picking decision and tasted every individual barrel of each wine we’ve ever produced. I can’t imagine there are too many winery owners around the world that take the pursuit of quality that personally.
MICHAEL TWELFTREE
By the end of 2004 a state-of-the-art winery was built on the same site, specifically designed for small batch handling. To maximise the individual regional and varietal characteristics and to allow for greater quality control, every parcel of fruit, no matter how small, could be handled separately from crushing through to fermentation and oak maturation. The new winery revolutionised the winemaking capabilities and experimentation flourished, new varietals were tested, new techniques adopted, with a Cellar Door as a perfect outlet for some of the trials to test the market. As production increased, more varied sources of Shiraz from the Western Ranges in the Barossa were added to the mix and broadened the complexity and palate to choose from.
The Coach House vineyard at Greenock had already been in the fold from 2002, but the Marananga site also allowed for vineyard to be developed alongside Kraehe House, with 5 acres of Shiraz planted from 2005 for future grape supply as part of the long term goal of growing the estate. With the regionality of the Garden Series well established, the next logical step was to explore further down to the terroir of individual vineyard sites which had the X-Factor, and the Single Vineyard Series was launched. The 2005 Zippy’s Block was the first release and its introduction completed the now four-tiered portfolio.
Numerous accolades continued, including Robert Parker famously naming Two Hands ‘’the finest negociant south of the equator’’, and demand around the world surged in the following years as the wines expanded into export markets throughout Europe, Asia, North America and, of course, Australia. In November 2012, Two Hands was named in the Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 for the 10th consecutive year, an achievement without equal by any winery the world over.
In 2015 Colorado native Tim Hower became the other ‘Hand’ in the Two Hands journey. Tim’s love of the Barossa Valley led him to acquire several premium vineyards across the region and brought him into contact with Two Hands, culminating in his investment in February. Since Tim’s involvement, Two Hands has gone on to secure additional estate vineyards, notably the Holy Grail site on Seppeltsfield Road, which is set for further vineyard development in 2016.
In 2021 a mural depicting the inspiration and journey of our Holy Grail vineyard by talented artist and friend LCND was finished. It’s a must-see on visit to our Cellar Door in Marananga.
Today Two Hands is owned by Michael Twelftree, together with General Manager Pierre-Henri. With Michael and Pierre sharing an ambitious vision for the future, Two Hands next chapter in the journey is sure to be exciting.
Single Vineyard Series
Our Single Vineyard Series are exceptional examples of varietal definition and a unique sense of place which contributes to the complexity and personality of each wine
We’ve been strong proponents of regionality since the early days at Two Hands, showcasing how different the Shiraz grape can be through the six wines and six regions of the Garden Series. Through the Single Vineyard Series we’re taking regionality to the next level.
Our Single Vineyard Series of wines are simply named after the block (in the inimitable Two Hands style), the road and the township it comes from, and put it on a map so you can draw your own conclusions. In our notes we’ll show you the elevation, the soil type and aspect; soon we’ll even drive you out to the vineyards so you can taste the wines in situ on a Vineyard Experience.
One thing is for sure; the six wines are completely unique and let their personality and style of Shiraz shine through.
Two Hands is making a collection of Shirazes that may be unrivalled in the world for expressing the places where they’re grown… Tasting through the lineup is a fabulous exercise in seeing how Shiraz reflects its place
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
This 2019 Bella's Garden Shiraz by Two Hands comprises a blend of the finest Shiraz barrels from great Barossa Valley terroirs (Ebenezer, Gomersal, Greenock, Kalimna, Marananga, Moppa Hills, Seppeltsfield, Stockwell, Stonewell).
The vines are between 17 and 40 years old and are located between 200 and 320 metres above sea level. The red colour on the label refers to the red/brown clay soil, whose low yields give this wine an impressive richness and tannic structure.
🏅Wine Advocate 92 pts
Largely dark-fruited, the 2019 Bella's Garden Shiraz boasts scents of blackberries, plums and cola. It's medium to full-bodied, supple and almost creamy in texture, finishing with savory notes of black olive and spice. While it's not as flamboyant as some of the other Garden series wines this year, it shows remarkable harmony and complexity.
🏅 Wine Enthusiast 92 pts
Densely packed aromas of blackcurrant cordial, violets, mint, cedar, bay leaf and ground baking spice carries through to a full figured palate that oozes jammy fruit. It's balanced by savory spiced tannins, a touch of toasty oak and a good lick of acidity. Drink now with a decanter at hand and throughout the next decade.
$360/bottle
Free delivery upon purchase total 6 bottles or $1,200 or above
