2023 Kaesler Age of Light Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley

Deep blackberry and black cherry fruits on display with layers of baking spices, meadow herbs, morello cherry, turned earth, cedar, violets and roasting meats. Plenty of dark and black fruit depth with light pastille tones and an earthen facet. Tannins cascade thick and fine through the powerful fruit, finishing with a wash of cassis and spice. Good cellaring potential here. Drink 2025–2045.

95 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2026

This wine is sourced from the Kids Cabernet block, which is right behind the winery and planted quite recently back in 2017. It’s a limited release wine and shows that Cabernet can work really well when treated appropriately in the Barossa. The color is bright and brilliant, and the aroma shows a mix of black and red fruits with a spicy, slightly cedary character and some nice floral notes. Just a trace of complexing boot polish adds to the combination. Palate is quite succulent with a juicy mouth feel, albeit with typical Cabernet structural integrity that aligns and focuses it through to a good finish. Promising wine from these younger vines. Drink 2026–2041.

94 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, April 2026

Purists may turn their noses up at warm climate Cabernet Sauvignon, but lovers of wine which offers endless flavour know better. This wine comes from the team’s best block of Barossa Cabernet and is only made in those vintages which reach the level of quality they require. Under cork, the wine usually spends around a year and a half maturing in Bordeaux barriques. Opaque maroon with a mauve rim, the nose reveals aromas of truffles, dried herbs, savoury notes, spices, dry vegetation, chocolate, black fruits, beef stock, soy, cloves and aniseed with bold, black cherries emerging more on the palate. There is a supple and rather seductive texture here. A wine of medium to good length with very fine, cashmere-like tannins, there is excellent balance and focus. For enjoying over the next twelve to twenty years. Drink 2026–2046.

93 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, April 2026

A dark, opaque plum red in the glass. Plush aromas of boysenberry, dark cherry, satsuma plum, bramble, menthol, dried herbs and sweet, nutty oak. Full-bodied, mouth-filling, firm, dark fruited and with plenty of cabernet structure and swagger. Long and layered. Drink 2026–2041.

93 points Aaron Brasher for The Real Review, January 2026

The Age of Light was first released from the 2018 vintage. It comes from a small block of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 2017 directly behind the winery, using two Bordeaux sourced clones selected for their ability to express clean varietal character in Barossa's warm, dry conditions. The block is small and limits production to approximately 120 dozen in years that fruit is deemed to be of high quality worthy of a vintage release.

Barossa Cabernet is a different proposition from Margaret River or Coonawarra. Warm climate Cabernet is richer and more generous in fruit, with the heat of Barossa tempered only by careful picking decisions. The 2023 season was cooler and later than the vintages on either side, which gave the Cabernet additional freshness and definition. The fruit was fermented in open vessels for nine days before pressing, then 18 months in a mix of new and seasoned French oak barriques.

Deep crimson with a purple hue, the nose shows blackcurrant, blueberry and violet with charry oak and nuances of leather and nutmeg. The palate is full-bodied and supple with pure dark fruit, silky tannins and a long, well-balanced finish.

A great expression of what Barossa Cabernet can do when handled with care. Slow-roasted lamb and mature hard cheese are natural partners for the style.