Kalleske Buckboard Durif 2024: Tasting Notes

WINE STYLE → Deep, Dark & Brooding

Kalleske Buckboard Durif 2024 is a midnight-black, full-bodied Barossa red with serious depth, oak presence and cellar-worthy tannin. It opens with intense black cherry, plum cake and treacle, followed by toasty American oak, roasted coffee, sweet spice and smoky dark chocolate. The palate is dense, dry and opulent, with unctuous dark berry fruit and robust native tannins giving the wine its muscular backbone. This is Durif in full voice: bold, powerful and built for rich food or long ageing.

Highlights

• Certified organic, certified biodynamic and vegan suitable
• Crafted by Kalleske — a seventh-generation Barossa family estate at Greenock
• Black cherry, plum cake, treacle, roasted coffee, sweet spice and smoky chocolate oak
• Single-vineyard Durif from low-yielding vines on the Kalleske property
• Previous Buckboard vintages have earned strong critic scores, including 91 points from The Wine Front and 92 points from Huon Hooke
• 15.0% ABV

Tasting Notes

2024 Buckboard Durif is midnight black in the glass, giving a clear hint of the scale to come. The aroma is intense and brooding, layered with ripe black cherry, plum cake, treacle, toasty oak, roasted coffee and warming sweet spice. The palate is unapologetically full-bodied, with dense dark berry fruit wrapped in smoky chocolate oak. Robust native tannins provide the muscular frame, bringing structure and balance to all that richness. The finish is long, dry and generous, leaving concentrated fruit, dark spice and lingering depth.

Winemaking

The grapes were picked in two lots on 27 March and 3 April, then destemmed into open-top fermenters. Each batch was native-yeast fermented for thirteen days on skins, with hand pump-overs twice daily to build colour, flavour and tannin. After pressing, the Durif lots were combined and transferred to American oak hogsheads, with 25% new oak and the balance seasoned oak. Natural malolactic fermentation took place in barrel, and the wine was matured for a full year before bottling.

Vineyard & Vintage

Buckboard Durif comes from a single vineyard on the Kalleske property at Greenock in the north-western Barossa Valley. The vines are hand-pruned, low-yielding and grown in shallow sandy loam over deep red clay, a site well suited to building Durif’s natural colour, depth and tannin. The 2024 vintage was excellent, with a drier and slightly warmer winter and spring, refreshing summer rainfall, average temperatures and no extreme heat. Autumn began warm and finished mild, allowing steady ripening through to mid-autumn harvest. Yields were around average, with superb fruit quality.

Why We Love It

This is not a shy red, and that is exactly the point. Buckboard has all the things Durif lovers come looking for: inky colour, deep fruit, firm tannin, oak spice and a long, dry finish. The American oak brings coffee, smoke and chocolate notes, but the fruit has enough density to carry it. It is a powerful Barossa red for winter meals, serious barbecues and people who like their wines with structure rather than softness.

Food Pairing

This wine needs food with weight, protein, char and savoury depth. Its tannins love slow-cooked meat, while the smoky chocolate oak and dark fruit work well with barbecue flavours, mushrooms, lentils and deeply roasted vegetables. Try matching this wine with →

• Beef short ribs with dark, sticky sauce — Find a Recipe
• Chargrilled lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic — Find a Recipe
• Mushroom and lentil ragu with parmesan or pangrattato — Find a Recipe

Mood or occasion to match this wine…

Cold night, slow-cooked dinner, fire pit, steak night or the bottle you open when everyone at the table wants a red with real horsepower. It is bold, dark and made for generous food.

Cellaring

This can be enjoyed now, especially with a long decant and robust food, but it is built for time. The 2024 Buckboard has exceptional cellaring potential for a decade or more. Cellar under good conditions for 8–12 years if you want the tannins to soften and the oak, spice and dark fruit to move into more savoury complexity.

Producer

Kalleske is a seventh-generation family estate based at Greenock in the Barossa Valley, where the family vineyard and farm were established in 1853. The estate is certified organic and biodynamic, with fruit grown, vintaged and matured on the property. Buckboard takes its name from the horse-drawn buggy once used on the farm to carry people, produce and grapes before eventually being replaced by the modern ute. This wine captures Kalleske’s more powerful side: single-vineyard Durif, native yeast fermentation, hand pump-overs and traditional American oak maturation.

Related Wines To Try →

If you like deep, structured reds with serious flavour and tannin, these are strong follow-on bottles:

• Same variety, no-oak extended-skin Durif with bold natural tannins — Kalleske CCCLXV Durif
• Dark, firm and savoury alternative red from the same estate — Kalleske Stryker Petit Verdot
• Rich Barossa Shiraz with depth, spice and oak maturity — Kalleske Moppa Shiraz

FAQ

What does Kalleske Buckboard Durif 2024 taste like?

It tastes powerful, dark and concentrated, with black cherry, plum cake, treacle, roasted coffee, sweet spice and smoky chocolate oak. The palate is full-bodied and dry, with dense dark berry fruit and robust tannins. It finishes long, generous and firmly structured.

What is Durif?

Durif is a dark-skinned red grape known for producing deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with bold fruit and strong tannins. In the Barossa, it can become especially rich, dense and cellar-worthy. Buckboard is a classic example of Durif made with power and oak maturity in mind.

Is this wine dry, sweet or fruity?

This is a dry red wine with approximately 2 g/L residual sugar. The fruit is ripe and concentrated, so it gives plenty of black cherry and plum richness, but the finish is dry rather than sweet. The tannin and oak keep it firmly in savoury dinner-red territory.

How full-bodied and tannic is it?

It is very full-bodied, with high alcohol, dense fruit and strong tannin. The tannins are robust and muscular, which is typical for Durif. This is best for drinkers who enjoy powerful reds rather than soft, light or easy-chilling styles.

How should I serve Kalleske Buckboard Durif?

Serve at around 16–18°C in a large red wine glass. A generous glass helps the wine open and gives the oak, fruit and tannins room to settle. Avoid serving it too warm, as that can make the alcohol and oak seem heavier.

Should I decant it?

Yes, definitely. Decant for 60–90 minutes if drinking it young, especially with rich food. The air will help soften the tannin profile and bring the black fruit, coffee, spice and smoky oak into better balance.

Can this wine be cellared?

Yes. The 2024 Buckboard has exceptional cellaring potential for a decade or more. With good storage, expect the fruit to deepen and the oak, tannin and savoury notes to become more integrated over time.

Does this wine contain preservatives or sulphites?

This is not a No Added Preservative wine, so it does contain sulphites. Free sulphur dioxide is 39 mg/L and total sulphur dioxide is 66 mg/L. It is certified organic and biodynamic, so it is made within the lower sulphur limits required for those wine standards.

Is Kalleske Buckboard Durif vegan friendly?

Yes. Kalleske Buckboard Durif is vegan suitable, certified organic and certified biodynamic. It is a strong option for drinkers wanting a powerful red made with thoughtful farming and without animal-derived fining inputs.

What food pairs best with Buckboard Durif?

Choose big, savoury dishes with protein, char, smoke or earthy depth. Beef short ribs, grilled steak, lamb shoulder, barbecue brisket, mushroom ragu and lentil pie are all good matches. Vegetarian dishes work best when they have umami, roast edges or richness rather than delicate fresh flavours.

Who will love this wine?

This will suit drinkers who enjoy bold Australian reds with depth, oak and tannin. If you like powerful Barossa Shiraz, rich Petit Verdot or full-bodied Cabernet with more muscle, Buckboard should be right in your comfort zone. It is not a light red; it is made for people who want intensity.

Is this wine keto friendly?

This is a dry red with approximately 2 g/L residual sugar and less than 1 g sugar per 100 mL. That may suit many lower-carb drinkers, depending on personal limits. Pair it with steak, roast lamb, mushrooms or grilled vegetables rather than sweet sauces.

(SKU: KA_DUR_CV)