 Luxury Wine: For some, tradition means at least one relative drinks too much eggnog at Christmas or every summer the entire family converges for a reunion, complete with a bean-bag race and pie eating contest. For others, the Kaesler family in particular, growing great wine grapes is their family tradition.
Established in 1893, the Kaesler family vineyard located in Southern Australia, was the product of Silesian pioneers who immigrated to the Barossa Valley in the 1840s and bought 96 acres of land in 1891. By 1893 these hardworking Kaeslers planted the entire holding with Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro (Mourvedre) and White Hermitage vines. The Kaeslers and later owners did not make their own wine. Traditionally, they sold their grapes to the Seppelts, a neighboring vineyard. The exceptional Kaesler wines now being produced had their beginning in 1997.
In 2001, the family purchased an additional 28.5 acres, making way for a new generation of fabulous wines: six acres of Shiraz, eight acres of Grenache, six of Semillon, some Riesling - and the addition of the 2005 Voignier. This was the first year the Kaeslers decided to make a dry white wine from this varietal. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed and the juice was settled without enzymes for 24 hours, and then pumped into 100% new French oak. It was fermented with 50% natural yeast and 50% cultured yeast here for about 4 days and left on lees for approximately two months when it was then racked, sulphured, and returned to the barrels. During this time malo lactic fermentation was not encouraged but some barrels went through a partial fermentation. The wine was matured for a further 18 months then bottled.
The 2005 Voignier exhibits a light straw color, with a nose of aromatic stone fruits such as nectarines and apricots, and is slightly spicy. It's a creamy and full-flavored mouth feel, with rich apricot and orange blossom notes on the palate. Try it with cheese, fresh fruit and veal dishes.
For LxM Amy Covington |
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