KALLESKE Moppa Shiraz 2019
KALLESKE Moppa Shiraz 2019.
In 1853 The Kalleske farm and vineyard was established at Moppa, a small sub-district of Greenock in the Barossa’s North-West. The Moppa district was a flourishing settlement of pioneering farming families and gold miners. There were few schools in the region, local parents established the Moppa Public School in 1873 to give their children a formal education. Located on our Kalleske property, generations of the Kalleske family attended this school until its closure in 1935. Sourced entirely from our Kalleske Moppa vineyard, a trace of Viognier and Petit Verdot has been added to this Shiraz giving it a contemporary edge. This is a genuine hand made wine that’s been grown, vintaged and matured on our Kalleske estate at Greenock in the North-Western Barossa.
Quality from 2019 is stunning. It was a warm and extremely dry growing season with rainfall down significantly (39%), making it one of the driest years in the past century. Summer was 3 degrees warmer than average. Yields were impacted by the dry season, leading to smaller berries and bunches. Importantly quality is brilliant producing richly flavoured, intense wines.
Moppa is predominantly Shiraz with a trace of Petit Verdot (5%) and Viognier (2%) blended in for added complexity. Grapes are from nine different blocks on the Kalleske 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.
2019 Moppa Shiraz is dark magenta-black in colour. There is an array of delectable aromatics exuding from the glass. It displays notes of potpourri, malt, plum cake, clove spice, ginger, anise and violet.
The palate is full-bodied, rich and flavoursome with a vivacious expression of ripe berry fruits. It is a mouth-filling wine, generous but admirably balanced. The natural tannins are well integrated adding a chalky spine. Subtle cedary oak is evident playing a supportive role in the background. As expected from this bountiful wine the finish is equally impressive, long and pure-fruited. Moppa 2019 is an expressive Shiraz that can be enjoyed now or will cellar well in the medium to long term.
