Kalleske Estate Johann Georg Shiraz 2005

BN#222308

Kalleske Estate

The colour is deep black-red. On the nose there are powerful aromatics of dark berries, plum, cinnamon, aniseed, coffee, cedar and chocolate. The full-bodied muscular palate is rich and dense with finely textured tannins and fleshy dark fruit. A weighty and sophisticated wine with a great balance. The intense flavours linger for a long time giving this wine a generous finish. A magnificent wine that whilst drinks well upon release will ultimately benefit from a decade or more in the cellar.

Wine Advocate

The 2005 Shiraz “Johann Georg” raises the stakes to a new level. It is sourced from vines planted in 1875 and yielding a tiny 1.5 tons per acre. It spent 2 years in American and French hogsheads, two-thirds new. It is more complex aromatically with a splendid bouquet of toast, smoke, creosote, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, big and rich, but still relatively ungiving, it has remarkable concentration, purity, and length. It needs 6-8 years of further bottle age to begin revealing its full potential and will drink well through 2035 if not longer. Troy Kalleske is owner/winemaker of his namesake winery.

Score: 96. —Jay Miller, October 2007.