Kaesler Stonehorse SHZ 2022

Shiraz from Kaesler estate vines between 35 and 47 years old, fermented for a week and then rested mostly in older French oak so the fruit leads. Vibrant fruits of the forest and cassis on the nose with hints of spice box, then a supple, elegant palate of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry threaded with redcurrant and raspberry over soft, silken tannins. Drink now or hold four to five years.

Kaesler calls Stonehorse its gauge of the vintage. The wine sees only older barrels, so what you taste is the season, not the cooperage. The producer's note for 2022 says the fruit came off its Clare Valley estate block, planted in 1999 on loam over clay. Kaesler farms these vines regeneratively, working to rebuild the soil rather than just hold it steady.

The 2022 season started with generous winter rain and then ran unusually cool through summer. That slow ripening gave the fruit bright colour and high natural acidity, and you can feel that lift in the glass. The grapes were machine picked at night and fermented for seven days. Three quarters then went to older French oak for 15 months, the rest stayed in tank.

Tim Dolan and Stephen Dew made it. Kaesler suggests roast chicken with skhug or a slow-braised beef, and puts peak drinking out to 2032.