Tasting Notes for Kalleske JMK VP Shiraz 2021 375mL from the Winery

2021 JMK Shiraz VP is thick black-purple in colour.

The buoyant aromatics are tremendous, briskly bounding forth. Extremely alluring and dynamic there are characters of plum jam, ripe figs, toffee, chocolate cake, sweet spice, cherry liqueur and more.

The palate is rich, luscious and full-bodied. Initially greeted with a hit of rich dark sweet fruits along with licorice and spice, it progresses to a punchy fine tannin structure. The residual grape sweetness is perfectly balanced with these natural tannins providing dry refreshment. Grape spirit is completely integrated adding another dimension to this multifaceted VP. Pristine bright fruit weaves throughout and continues to the almost never-ending finish. JMK is a harmonious and opulent wine that can be enjoyed now or after a decade or more in the cellar.

JMK Shiraz

JMK Shiraz VP is a luscious fortified Shiraz grown and vintaged on the Kalleske family farm at Greenock in the North-Western Barossa Valley. This wine is dedicated to fifth generation grapegrower, John Malcolm Kalleske (JMK), who has tended the Kalleske family vineyards for more than 50 years. The vineyard for this special wine was hand pruned and harvested by John. JMK Shiraz reflects the dedication of John and the generations before him to the treasured Kalleske vineyard.

Growing Season

Vintage 2021 was an exemplary year with fine wines and good yields. Growing season rainfall was marginally below average and temperatures were mild ensuring vine canopies remained healthy. Vintage weather was absolutely perfect throughout, with dry mild-warm days and cool nights ensuring even and steady ripening across all varieties. There is strong colour and flavour across all the reds along with excellent structure and balance whilst the whites are bright, fresh and elegant.

Vineyard

Kalleske JMK Shiraz VP is sourced from select blocks of the Kalleske vineyard. The vineyard consists of shallow, sandy loam soil over superb deep red clay and limestone, providing ideal conditions for Shiraz vines.

Winemaking

The grapes were harvested on March 17th and then fermented in an open top fermenter with hand pump-overs twice a day. Sweetness and flavours of the fermenting grapes were closely monitored and when at desired levels, at 5 days after harvest, grape spirit was added, arresting the fermentation to retain some natural grape sweetness. A combination of young and old (up to 23 years) brandy spirit was used to fortify the wine, ensuring added complexity. The wine was pressed off skins after 21 days and then matured in well-seasoned hogsheads for 4 months. At this time, only the very best barrels were selected to be included in the bottling of this liqueur Shiraz.

(SKU: KA_JMK_21)