2015 The Bachelor Shiraz

2015 Barossa Shiraz – A Bold and Memorable Vintage

The 2015 vintage in Barossa was extraordinary, producing powerful, full-bodied Shiraz with jaw-dropping intensity. This wine showcases dark fruits perfectly intertwined with silky new French oak, offering a wine of depth, richness, and elegance.

On the nose, enjoy a bouquet of damsons, black cherries, liquorice, and dark chocolate. The seamlessly integrated oak provides a glorious backbone, adding structure and an extra dimension to the wine. Pour a glass to admire its intense deep ruby color, then immerse yourself in aromas of sweetly scented plums and mocha coffee. On the palate, this young wine reveals its full-bodied richness, vibrant primary fruit, and a velvety texture that hints at its aging potential.

While the wine is approachable now, decanting is recommended to unlock its full expression. Those with patience will be rewarded with greater complexity as it evolves in the cellar until at least 2030.

Why You'll Love It:

• Rich Aromatics: Damsons, black cherries, and dark chocolate mingle with mocha coffee and sweetly scented plums.
• Seamless Integration: Silky new French oak provides a smooth texture and structural elegance.
• Aging Potential: Enjoy now or cellar carefully until 2030 for enhanced depth and complexity.
• Exceptional Craftsmanship: Produced from small, select vineyard parcels in Barossa’s prime sub-regions, Ebenezer and Koonunga.

Technical Details:

• Vintage: 2015
• Grape Variety: 100% Shiraz
• Harvest Date: March 2015
• Bottling Date: July 22, 2016
• Alcohol: 14.5%
• pH: 3.6
• TA: 5.2

Food Pairing:
Pair this Shiraz with a high-grade Wagyu steak or a slow-roast lamb for a truly indulgent experience.

Serving Temperature:
16°C

Cellaring Recommendation:
Drink now with decanting or cellar until 2030 to enjoy its full potential.

Background and Legacy:
‘The Bachelor’ Shiraz is a tribute to Bert “The Bachelor” Kleinig, the previous owner of the land where this wine originates. After acquiring the land, Barb and John Kalleske planted it with Shiraz, leveraging five generations of grape-growing expertise to cultivate exceptional fruit. This wine is produced by selecting small parcels from family-owned vineyards in Ebenezer and Koonunga, two premier sub-regions in Barossa Valley.

The Shiraz vineyard sits at an elevation of 280 meters, benefiting from an annual rainfall of 500mm and red-brown earth over deep red clays. The warm days and cool nights of the 2015 growing season, coupled with low yields, resulted in intensely flavored grapes with strong black fruit and fine tannins—perfect for crafting this stunning Shiraz.

Maturation:
This wine spent 18 months aging in a mix of 20% new French oak and seasoned French and American oak hogsheads, imparting smoothness, a rich mouthfeel, and layers of complexity.

Vintage Notes:
The warm and low-yielding 2015 vintage delivered wines of intense black fruit character, fine tannins, and exceptional aging potential. Only the finest parcels of fruit were selected for this blend, ensuring the highest quality