Tasting notes from the winery for Kalleske Eduard Shiraz 2018

Eduard Shiraz 2018 is dark purple black in colour. The aroma evokes a powerful wine ahead. Along with ripe plum, fruit cake and blackberry is cinnamon spice, clove and violet florals. It continually evolves with a new aroma elicited upon every sniff. On the palate the wine is full-bodied exuding rich flavours of old vine Barossa Shiraz. There are ripe black fruits and licorice with complexity from classy oak maturation. The tannins are robust adding structure whilst being perfectly integrated. A dense wine that is completed by an almost boundless finish. This venerable old vine Shiraz can be enjoyed now but will cellar for a decade or more.

In 1853 Karl Heinrich ‘Eduard’ Kalleske and his three siblings together with their parents Johann Georg and Johanne Dorothea migrated from Prussia. They landed in the newly established colony of South Australia and in 1853 they settled at Greenock in the North-Western Barossa Valley and established our Kalleske farm. Eduard and his wife Anna ‘Rosina’ worked the Kalleske vineyard until the 1880s when their son took over the reins. Today six generations later those old vines are still prospering, thanks to the foresight and hard work of our ancestors. We dedicate this wine to Eduard which is from a selection of old vine Shiraz vineyards planted on our Kalleske property between 1905 to 1971. Hand winemaking and two year hogshead maturation has resulted in a stunning old vine wine destined for long term cellaring.

GROWING SEASON

The 2018 vintage was superb. Winter was slightly wetter than average getting the vines off to a brilliant start leading them into Spring which was warmer and drier than average. Rain in early December refreshed the vines and ensured they remained strong and healthy for the overall dry and hot Summer. Autumn also remained dry with perfect Autumnal temperatures leading into harvest. The 2018 yields are good and the quality is excellent, a classic Barossa vintage.

VINEYARD

Eduard is sourced from three vineyard blocks on the Kalleske property that were planted between 1905 and 1971, Vines are dry grown and produce low yields. The soil is sandy loam with excellent clay subsoil.

WINEMAKING

The old Shiraz vines were harvested between March 28th and April 2nd and the grapes destemmed into small open top fermenters. The grapes were fermented for 10-14 days on skins where hand pumpovers were employed twice daily. The must was traditionally pressed and immediately filled to new and seasoned French & American oak hogsheads where it completed fermentation. The wine was matured for two years prior to bottling.

(SKU: KA_ESh_18)