2005 Kaesler Stonehorse Shiraz

Kaesler has a very long history of grape growing, with vines dating back to 1893, 1899, 1930 and the 1960’s. The ‘New Kaesler’ was acquired in the late 90’s after a chance dinner in Bordeaux with winemaker Reid Bosward and Swiss banker Edourd Peter. The story goes that after three bottles of 1985 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Edourd asked Reid, "how much would it cost to set up a winery in Australia?" The answer was around one million dollars. Prior to selecting the Kaesler blocks, Reid had looked to acquire a vineyard in the Napa Valley, Southern France, Marlborough and other areas of Australia prior to settling on the Barossa Valley. The ambition was to make powerful wines, and this was achieved by lowering yields and reducing the amount of water applied in the growing season. The Stonehorse Shiraz is made to emphasise the fruit characteristics with complementary barrel maturation. The oak is designed to support and add structure to the palate without compromising the drinkability of the wine. The result is a big ‘joosy’ red.

A big ‘joosy’ red

Totally opaque black purple colour with black purple hue. Big, bold lifted Shiraz nose. Top note of liquorice allsorts, followed by confectionary, blackberry, ripe plum and vanilla. Voluptuous palate, mouthfilling – with ripe flavours of blackberry, black pepper, dark cherry and spice. The tannins are fine grained, perfectly balanced. Very long aftertaste of vanilla, blackberry and plum.
Cellar 4-5 years (2010-2011)
Alc/Vol: 15.5%