Kalleske Moppa Shiraz 2011
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Winery/Brand: Kalleske
The wine is red-purple in colour. It is immediately attractive with aromas of roses, cherry, blueberry, potpourri, nutmeg, cinnamon and a hint of pepper spice. The medium-full bodied palate is focused with a burst of bright red fruit balanced with subtle background barrel ferment characters. Tannins are fine and tight adding stylish structure. Pure fruit is the hallmark of this wine with spice and graphite adding drive, together with a touch of dried herbs. Muscular but defined, it is extremely well balanced and finishes lengthy with bright fruit and classy tannins. Moppa 2011 is an expressive wine that can be enjoyed now or will cellar well in the medium to long term.
The Story
Moppa is predominantly Shiraz with a trace of Petit Verdot (10%) and Viognier (5%) blended in for added complexity. Grapes are from ten different blocks on the Kalleske’s organic farm, with the oldest of these blocks planted in 1961. The vines are low-yielding and are grown in shallow, sandy loam soil over superb deep red clay, providing ideal conditions for these varieties.
The Shiraz was harvested in numerous batches from March 18th to April 14th. The Viognier was harvested on March 18th and co-fermented with a portion of Shiraz. The Petit Verdot is a late ripener and was harvested on April 26th. All batches were fermented warm in open top fermenters with hand pumpovers twice a day during fermentation. After 7 to 14 days on skins the fermented grapes were traditionally pressed. The wine was aged in hogshead barrels for sixteen months. Approximately 25% new American, French, Hungarian and Russian oak was used with the balance seasoned barrels. On completion of maturation, a small portion of Petit Verdot and Shiraz/Viognier was blended for added complexity. Vintage 2011 was the wettest growing season since our first Kalleske vintage in 2002 and certainly the wettest the Barossa has experienced for decades, with double the normal rainfall. It was also much cooler too, resulting in a longer ripening process and vintage being about 3 weeks later than normal. However, once vintage began in mid March, April was dry and warm with fantastic ripening conditions to give a perfect finish to the vintage. The cool weather has resulted in great natural acidity and fresh vibrant flavours in the grapes, with wines more elegant than usual and displaying plenty of florals and spice.
“ Sub-regional (north-west) Barossa shiraz, biodynamically grown... Excellent vitality and drinkability. Blackberries, cranberries, sap and smoke. Has that ashen, meaty note so characteristic of cool vintages like 2002 and 2011. Has enough sweetness though to keep Barossa shiraz drinkers happy. Enough slurpy, smooth texture. Clovey, peppery, licoricey finish. Compact and complex. Great wine to hook into”. Drink:2012 – 2017” winefront.com.au November 2012
New Zealand International Wine Show 2012.
Blue-Gold Award: Sydney International Wine Competition 2013
The Specs
Region | Barossa, SA |
Grapes | Petit Verdot |
Grapes | Viognier |
Grapes | Shiraz |
Vintage | 2011 |
Volume | 750mL |
Packaging | Glass Bottle |