Vinous

• By Josh Raynolds
  July/August 2008, IWC Issue #139 (link)

  (Kaesler Wines Shiraz Old Vine Barossa Valley) Subscribe to see review text.

The WINEFRONT

• By Campbell Mattinson
  2/22/2008 (link)

  (Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz) Subscribe to see review text.

• By Gary Walsh
  2/19/2008 (link)

  (Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz) Subscribe to see review text.

Halliday Wine Companion

• By James Halliday
  1/25/2008 (link)

  (Kaesler Wines Old Vine Barossa Valley Shiraz) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  9/15/2009 (link)

  (OLD VINE Shiraz Kaesler) Old Vine Dear Friends, Shiraz is back...sort of. After a long hiatus, I'm finally ready to offer Shiraz again (at least one, anyway). This wine is of a most serious nature and it combines the best of the Old and New World not to mention a style reminiscent of the 1990s era of the Barossa. For a relatively low investment, Kaesler's 2006 Old Vine Shiraz is a behemoth with grace. Call it "grace under pressure" and you will understand the sentiment of this wine - a Shiraz that combines an old aesthetic with a new philosophy that more oak is not always the answer (although there is plenty of oak here - it's just more refined). Kaesler's Old Vine Shiraz has never been heavily marketed in the US and that is to your benefit. It was produced more for the Australian and UK market and the carnival quotient of the Shiraz was kept to a minimum. While the American consumer was bent on the Old B, Bogan and Fave (heavily oaked and stylized wines), the Oz collector wished for something more classic but still representative of the Barossa. Enter the Old Vine, what Kaesler would call the true essence of their estate and a wine that is the equal of the preceding names, just more of a smoking jacket version. In general, I try to find out what winemakers drink at home - in other words, which of their own wines do they actually drink? You would be surprised - some winemakers do not drink their own wines but it is always telling if they do. It is almost always the wine with the most balance and usually the wine they have a personal affinity for (not the wine that makes them the most money). If you ask Reid Bosward (Kaesler's winemaker) the 2006 Old Vine is almost certainly his take-home beverage of choice - it is Kaesler's most "adult" wine with the fewest tricks and least exotic oak treatment but it is basically from the same the same fruit source as the winery's more famous siblings (Bogan/Old B). While the Old Vine has crept up in price over the years, which made me shy away (it's around $50 in the US, maybe even $70 at this point), it is more than worth the trouble at $25+ (I will spare you the "deal of the year" banter - the deal here is obvious - close to half price or even less): This is the current US release of this wine, it is not a cast-off vintage. 2006 Kaesler Shiraz "Old Vine" (Barossa Valley) (JH95) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Aus8601