2007 Shiraz Old Bastard

(from 114-year-old vines) Opaque purple. The nose offers a hypnotic array of dark fruit compote and floral scents, with complicating notes of incense, Asian spices and black pepper. Broad and sweet in the mouth, with palate-saturating boysenberry and mulberry flavors, seamless texture and uncanny depth. There's an unlikely energy to this weighty, intensely flavored shiraz that gives it impressive precision. The spice and floral notes linger on the velvety, compellingly sweet finish. Pretty remarkable stuff, but this is still a baby.

The same is true for the flagship 2007 Shiraz Old Bastard, sourced from a 114 year old vineyard. It has superb aromatics much like The Bogan but comes off as a bit more compact and forward than the better vintages. Tasty, ripe, and long, this is an outstanding effort at an extravagant price. The 2007 vintage was a challenging one in Barossa Valley. Kaesler’s current collection is first class but not quite up to what they achieved in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Importer: Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376