2021 Kalleske Johann Georg Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Shiraz sourced from a vineyard that was planted in 1875; matured in new and seasoned French oak for 24 months. I've been looking forward to seeing the release of this wine from the excellent '21 vintage. It doesn't disappoint. Deep blackberry pastille, blackcurrant and black cherry jam with hints of dark chocolate bullets, blackberry fruit straps, olive tapenade, créme de cassis, vanillin oak, earth, cherry ripe and rock. Opulent and rich with a dark, clove-y spice presence, heady fruit weight, oak-derived wood spice, toothsome, ferrous tannins and a sustained, powerful finish. Big and bold. Drink 2025-2045.

96 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2025

The 2021 Shiraz Johann Georg, made with fruit from a vineyard planted in 1875, is a classical Barossan expression. This is not showy and built for the long haul, displaying its old-vine heritage. It is beautifully even and seamless with strawberry, crushed spice and violet aromas that are bold and beautifully composed. The tannins are quite remarkable as is the overall balance guaranteeing a long life ahead. Drink 2030 – 2045.

95 points Angus Hughson for Vinous, August 2025

There is real depth and and complexity coming from vines planted in 1875. Aromas of blackberries, bitter chocolate, ink, ironstone, cured meat and blood plums. The palate is full-bodied with seamlessly integrated tannins, balanced acidity and a densely packed mouthfeel. A robust yet high-toned old-vine shiraz. Drink or hold. 

95 points James Suckling, March 2025

Johann Georg Kalleske and his family arrived in South Australia from Prussia in 1838. Settling at Greenock in the North-Western Barossa in 1853, the first Shiraz vines were planted on the property in 1875. This 1.2 hectare block is what produces this wine today. For many years the fruit from these vines went to Penfolds Grange but in 2002 Troy Kalleske made the first wine under the family name instead. That decision has been vindicated many times over.

The vineyard sits at 300-350 metres — significantly higher than most of the Barossa Valley floor — on shallow red-brown soils among rolling hills and gullies that create cooling breezes and extend the growing season well beyond the regional norm. The vines are dry grown, gnarly and low yielding. The fruit they produce is small, concentrated and unhurried. The site has been certified organic and biodynamic since 1998, and hand pruned and harvested every vintage by the Kalleske family.

The winemaking is entirely in service of the vineyard. Open top fermented in small batches, basket pressed and matured for two years in new and used French and American oak hogsheads before bottling unfined and unfiltered.

You'll be met with a deep, opaque crimson appearance. The nose is complex and slowly evolving, showing dark berries, cured meat, dark chocolate, graphite and sweet balsamic with cedary oak and a deep savoury mineral thread. The palate is full-bodied and muscular with finely textured tannins, remarkable concentration and a finish of extraordinary length.

A wine that has earned the right to ask for your full attention — best enjoyed slowly, after the meal is done, when there is nothing else competing for the glass.

Drink now through 2041.