The Kaesler family arrived in the Barossa Valley from Silesia in the 1840s and in 1891 purchased land in the Barossa, spending two years furiously planting. They planted 96 acres of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, along with a few white varieties. Some of the original Shiraz vines are still producing grapes which provide great intensity and depth to many of Kaesler’s wines.
winemaker
Despite family roots and vineyards in the Clare Valley Stuart has made his name as a top end winemaker in the Barossa. He's spent the last fifteen years squishing Barossa grapes and turning them into quality kit. His love for the region comes from it having "some of the oldest vines on the planet, the history of the area and its culture." We'd be loath to call him lazy but he attributes his success to doing as little as possible in the winery. Old fashioned techniques and equipment are employed with minimal new oak. Fruit is simply destemmed but not crushed. Much of his work is with the growers, making sure the fruit is as good as possible. In this sense he sees himself being as much a farmer as a winemaker. He loves the ancient building where he makes the wine and its living cultures. The indigenous yeasts and malo bugs perhaps reflective of their origins in Château Tanunda's brandy production back in the 1800s are uniquely hardy beasts. They can operate in conditions that wouldRead more