2012 Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz

Halliday Wine Companion

• By James Halliday
  11/25/2014, (See more on Halliday Wine Companion...)

  (kaesler wines old vine barossa valley shiraz) Subscribe to see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Down Under (+REMINDER: Closed Saturday for Event), 8/23/2017

  (Kaesler Barossa Valley Old Vine Shiraz) REMINDER: Closed Saturday for Event: Reminder that we will not be able to facilitate any pickups this Saturday, due to the second annual Sodo Block Party (tickets available here). We’ll be back to normal pickup hours next weekend. --- Hello friends. Here in Washington, it’s easy to talk a lot about New World wine. For many of us, that means the United States and our burgeoning wine scene from Washington to California, Texas to New York. However, New World truly represents so much more than our little stake;  and today, we’re featuring New World wines from just about as far away as you can get from our corner of the globe: New Zealand and Australia. While New Zealand is all Sauvignon Blanc, Australia is the king of Shiraz. Yes, Syrah and Shiraz are genetically the same grape, but the name Shiraz implies something much different than its old world Syrah counterparts. When done right, Australian Shiraz can be an expressive, bold, and thoughtful category of wine. The Barossa Valley Shiraz of Kaesler are a perfect example of Australia’s potential. 100% Shiraz sourced from Marananga and Nuriootpa vineyards, Kaesler’s Old Vine Shiraz comes from three blocks aged 53, 49, and 29 years, and we have it at a tariff well off its $80 release price. The block at Nuriootpa vineyard has a 100-year old history—it was spawned from Kaesler’s Old Bastard Vineyard, the original planted in 1893. Its historical European parent vines were all destroyed by Phylloxera in the 1880s, which makes this vineyard the only one of its kind. The genetic makeup of the Old Bastard Vineyard only exists in the Barossa Valley—nowhere else on the planet. And Kaesler isn't screwing around with these grapes. This is a purposefully understated wine that was made to age. Unlike some of its ripe, jammy counterparts from the region, the OV Shiraz is complex and structured, with dark, dense heft. With five years in bottle, it is starting to spread its wings and truly show what it’s capable of. Wine Spectator: Copyrighted material withheld. [Note: don’t you love reading a note written in early 2015, saying “needs cellaring” and offering a drinking window starting in 2017, when we’re smack in the middle of 2017?] James Suckling (James Suckling): “A strong, meaty thread to the nose with a rustic edge: it's ripe and plummy with red fruits and lighter tarry, earthy notes. The palate has a succulent, red fruit palate and is juicy and even, while sheets of fresh tannins and berry pip flavors come through on the finish. This will evolve into a very meaty, leathery style. Drink in 2020. 93pts.”