2006 Shiraz Old Bastard
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
This shows brambly, rich and ripe, sweet red and dark-fruit aromas with an earthy edge and milk chocolate, as well as cedary oak. The palate has a bold and dense blackberry fruit core and plenty of ripe tannin, but it holds the edge of balance. Drink or hold.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
From a vineyard planted in 1893. The name and the cartoon on the front belie the price tag. Blackish crimson of great intensity. The fruit here seems to more obviously shrivelled and drying on the finish than on the Bogan bottling. Perhaps more of a wine for masochists? It's certainly very impressive but the fruit is more extreme and tarry. And the alcohol seems, oddly, more obvious than on The Bogan 2006. Very startling and noteworthy wine. (JR)
The flagship 2006 Old Bastard Shiraz was sourced from a 114-year-old vineyard and aged for 19 months in new and one year French oak. It exhibits an expressive nose of toasty oak, earth notes, and wild blueberry followed by a thick, dense, super-rich, opulent Shiraz with tons of savory fruit, spice notes, and impeccable balance. This exceptionally lengthy wine will have a drinking window extending from 2014 to 2028. The Kaesler family, of Silesian origin, emigrated to the Barossa in the 1840s. The winemaking is in the hands of Reid Bosward and Stephen Dew. Importer: Ben Hammerschlag, Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376