2019 Kaesler Old Bastard Shiraz

Impenetrable inky black heart with an equally deep dark red black hue. Soaring out of the glass are heady scents of ripe blackberry, liquorice and dark plum followed by vanillin oak, mocha, earth and spice. Incredibly dense and concentrated the palate is engulfed with rich, decadent blackberry, dark plum and liquorice fruits which overlay a toasty vanillin oak, dark chocolate, earthy mocha and spice back drop. Outstanding power with very polished yet firmly built tannins. Concludes very long, opulent and robust with some blackpepper characters shining through.
Cellar 8-10 years.
Alc. 15%

Other Reviews…
Our Mike published an excellent retrospective on the OB last year, here.

Thick, rich and potent wine. Blackberry, blueberry, dark chocolate and liquorice, slightly tarry, but also has some perfume, along with vanilla wafer oak. Dense tannin, dark and brooding, but also stays quite fresh, even has something of a graphite and ‘mineral’ character, and the finish is very long and deep, roasted coffee and a saline aftertaste. Impressive. Drink 2024-2035+
95 points
Gary Walsh – The Wine Front

A decade ago, I gave my Dad a bottle of this for his 75th birthday. He thought it was hilarious and we enjoyed it with lamb shanks at the Nor'Wester Cafe in Amberley, NZ. It's a big bugger. The wine, not my Dad. Muscular, big-boned shiraz from a single vineyard just outside Nuriootpa, planted in 1893. Everything is at volume. Fruit concentration and density, toothsome tannin and oak profile, alcohol and power. When done well, that is just mighty fine and that is the case here. Strap in.
95 points
Dave Brookes – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion