Kaesler 2006 Stonehorse Shiraz SAMay08 sells $25 and is sealed under cork. It's also available in a half bottle for $17. The bouquet shows violets, floral notes, plums and chocolate. The tannins are almost silky and produce a supple mouth feel in this ample-weight, solid, harmonious and incredibly tight wine. The deep fruit is in charge and serves up off-sweet, intense flavours of morello cherry, black spectrum fruit and some red characters. The only thing this wine needs is time. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, the rating will improve as the wine enters its peak drinking window between 2011 and 2016. (Brian: I drank a 2002 vintage of this just before we came away and it was about at peak drinking I would say, lovely balanced, soft palate.).

Copyright © Ric Einstein 2008