2021 Kaesler Old Bastard Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Dark, inky red and opaque in the glass. Heady and opulent aroma of mulberry, satsuma plum, dried herbs, pot-pourri, Asian spice, boysenberry, sweet oak and cola. Big, bold and concentrated in flavour. Lashings of brooding dark fruits, along with bitter chocolate, spice and a cranberry-like acid crunch. Big-time wine with balance and a long future ahead of it 17 Jan 2025 Drink 2025–2040

95 points Aaron Brasher therealreview.com

Full red-purple; intense, concentrated dark fruit aromas lead into the expected intense and powerful palate; here blackberry, plum, prune and spice intermingle; happily, the wine has not been over-extracted and has good balance. It comes in a Dreadnought bottle with a wax seal and rather droll label design. I can actually imagine drinking my share of a bottle of this in my next life; the time remaining for me in this life is too short.

95 points James Halliday winecompanion.com.au

Kaesler Old Bastard Shiraz from the Barossa Valley is one of Australia’s most revered old vine wines, a towering expression of Shiraz drawn entirely from a single block planted in 1893. These vines are true survivors, some of the oldest producing Shiraz vines in the world, twisted and weathered yet capable of delivering fruit with astonishing richness. Their roots stretch deep into ancient Barossa soils of clay, ironstone and decomposed granite, pulling up minerals and flavour compounds that younger vineyards simply cannot reach. The result is a wine with density, purity and an almost mythical sense of history.

Kaesler has long acted as custodian of these precious vines, approaching the Old Bastard block with patience and absolute precision. These ancient vines produce minuscule crops and the team hand picks each bunch because ripeness can vary vine to vine and even within individual clusters. Only the finest berries make the cut. Winemaking is intentionally restrained. Fermentation occurs in small open top vessels to encourage slow extraction. The wine is plunged gently rather than pumped, building texture in a controlled and natural way. Ageing takes place in the best French oak barriques the estate reserves exclusively for this wine, selected to support the fruit rather than overshadow it.

In the glass the wine is almost opaque with deep purple and garnet tones. The aroma is immense yet beautifully layered with blackberry, black cherry and concentrated plum leading the way. Beneath the fruit sit notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, licorice, warm earth and graphite. As it breathes the bouquet becomes even more complex, revealing hints of black pepper, violets, tobacco leaf, charred meat and minerals that mirror the iron rich soils of the vineyard. The sense of depth is profound and unmistakably tied to its ancient terroir.

The palate is powerful, luxurious and impeccably balanced with waves of black fruit saturating the mouth. Fine tannins glide across the palate with a velvety texture that feels both firm and refined. Flavours of cocoa, cedar, black olive, spice and savoury earth unfurl slowly, building intensity with each sip. The finish is exceptionally long with lingering dark fruit, spice and a subtle mineral thread. Despite its scale the wine retains impressive freshness which is a hallmark of old vine Barossa Shiraz and one of the reasons it ages so gracefully.

This is a spectacular partner for slow cooked beef, roast lamb shoulder, venison, chargrilled ribeye, truffle heavy mushroom dishes or aged hard cheeses. Cellar potential is extraordinary. Two decades is conservative and the very best bottles will evolve beautifully for much longer, developing characters of leather, dried herbs, truffle and cigar box while holding onto the core sweetness of ancient vine fruit.