In his review of the Kalleske Greenock Basket Press Shiraz 2003, Campbell Mattinson of The Wine Front referred to Kalleske as the “new Rockford:”
If the first set of Kalleske red releases were good, this release has an element of paydirt about it. From a not-so-great vintage, the statement stands true: Kalleske, from a wine quality viewpoint, is the new Rockford.
The wine it’s got a brooding, dark, slightly volatile nose, which when you sink your mouth into it seems fitting. The palate is weighty, brooding, black and intense, with chewy, strong, muscular tannins and a sandy, stony, minerally draw through the finish. Graphite, vanilla, licorice and chocolate – they have a part here, but as little more than a background echo. It’s the dry, stony finish that’s a killer. This is high quality, special-patch-of-dirt-stuff. It is a powerful wine with intense flavours of dark rose, licorice, cocoa and sweet tobacco supported by fine ripe tannins. A wine with a strong backbone and a long finish that will cellar for a long time. 94 points. (The Wine Front 1 January 2005)
The Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker concurred with Mattinson’s high praise for the wine. After tasting a barrel sample, Parker remarked that “the 2003 Shiraz Greenock appears to be a virtually perfect wine. If it makes it into the bottle with minimal clarification, it will be one of the leading candidates for Barossa’s “Shiraz of the Vintage” in 2003.” (Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #155 October 2004)
The Kalleske family have been farming and growing grapes since 1853 near the village of Greenock. In the early 2000s seventh generation member and winemaker Troy Kalleske joined forces with his brother Tony to start making wine under the family’s own label. Troy and Tony’s parents John and Lorraine have been tending the vineyards … Read the rest