Winery & Vintage Info
The first owners of the Kaesler vineyards were Silesian pioneers who came to the Barossa Valley in the 1840s and took up 96 acres in 1891. By 1893 they had planted the entire acreage with Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro (Mourvedre) and White Hermitage vines. Some of the gnarled dry-grown Shiraz still remains and provides the backbone of the intense wines we produce.
The Kaesler vineyards were owned and operated by the Kaesler family from 1893 to 1986. In 1999, winemaker Reid Bosward seized the opportunity to become the head of the new Kaesler family when he and his partners bought Kaesler, becoming the third owners of this property. At this time, the Kaesler vineyards consisted of over 70% red wine vines, all 40 years of age or more.
The Old Bastard name given to the wine is in honour of these gnarly old vines. Nurturing these beautiful old vines presents challenges each year and with a combination of regenerative farming practices, two decades working the vineyard and a deep respect for Mother Nature, spectacular wines will be made.
Although the 2019 vintage was slightly challenging due to the dry winter followed by a spring frost, the overall quality was excellent. The dry spring and summer caused smaller bunches and berries, resulting in concentrated and dense flavours in the wine. Fruit was hand-picked and sourced from Shiraz vines planted in 1893. Matured in 60% new and the remainder in 1 and 2 year old Burgundian barriques. The wine making procedure is a closely guarded secret, with innovative techniques as yet revealed to new world wine. But what we can tell you, is it was harvested by hand at the crack of dawn, when there was enough light shinning through the crystals, looking like an amazing rainbow across the small vineyard.
Fruit was hand-picked and sourced from Shiraz vines planted in 1893. The Old Bastard Shiraz ages beautifully, with the berry notes becoming more prominent over time. It has decades to give, cellar up to 20+ years.
