It can be tricky to talk about Barossa Shiraz, they’re generally all pretty stellar examples of the variety. Kalleske is no exception, if anything it’s maybe a slight cut above the average. The Moppa is inky in colour with a full and lively scent of moist fruitcake, chocolate, dried herbs and floral notes. There’s a bit of vanilla, musk and cinnamon in there as well for good measure. The flavour is big of body and enthusiastic in greeting, with juicy red and black fruit followed by secondary flavours of toasted hazelnut oak and dark, bitter, chocolate. The structure is well assembled, giving a complex arrangement of elements good balance and depth. The tannins are flawlessly integrated giving great texture and an excellent finish.
FROM THE WINERY: Vintage 2014 was an excellent year. The wines from 2014 are strong with deep and vibrant colour, excellent fruit definition and solid but integrated tannin structure ensuring longevity for the wines. The 2014 growing season began with slightly above average Winter rainfall however Spring and early Summer were very dry with 40% less rain than normal. Temperatures were also up with the Spring/Summer growing season being an average of 2 degrees C warmer. However, this dry and warm season changed dramatically in mid February with 100mm of rain falling, the wettest February day in 45 years. This slowed the ripening of the grapes considerably and combined with average mild temperatures in March (25.7 degrees C) a steady ripening of the grapes ensued. This ensured good flavour and moderate sugar development producing outstanding quality.
ACCOLADESD & AWARDS:
Barossa Vigneron of the Year - John Kalleske, 2015
2013 China Wine & Spirits Awards, DOUBLE GOLD (2011 Vintage) 2013 Berlin Wine Trophy, GOLD MEDAL (2011 Vintage)
Campbell Mattinson, Australian Wine Companion: 95 (2013) Includes 10% petit verdot and 5% viognier. blended rather than co-fermented. Matured in League of Nations oak. It's alive with flavour and scent. There's certainly nothing shy or dull about the fruit here. Purple-black, dark berried, toasty, slightly spicy. Incredibly fresh and juicy and yet the tannin profile has not been compromised. Biodynamically grown, and beautifully packaged.
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front: Black fruit with tar, chocolate and a perfumed top note. Full bodied, smooth with plenty of fine grained open tannin, fleshy feel, chocolate and roses with some salted beef coming through on the finish. Plenty of wine here. Hard to imagine fanciers of bold Barossa Shiraz not being happy with this wine
Don't Pay: $31.00
WBW Rating: 95/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Barossa Valley, SA
