Colour:
2026 Zeitgeist Shiraz is deep, inky purple-black in colour.
Aroma:
The aroma is vivid and bright, bursting with primal fruits. Rich plum, dark mulberry, and black cherry mingle with violet florals, red liquorice, cinnamon spice, and a subtle hint of milk chocolate.
Palate:
The palate is powerful and full-bodied, where these primary fruit flavours continue in leaps and bounds. Gutsy in flavour and rich in natural tannins, it possesses a brilliant structure yet remains amazingly plush throughout, offering remarkable balance. Energetic and deeply layered, it builds to a long, incredibly generous finish where the primary fruit echoes to the very end.
Recommended Drinking:
Raw yet refined, Zeitgeist Shiraz is radiant, expressive, and best enjoyed now for its soulful, youthful energy.
The Shiraz blocks were harvested over a few weeks from March 12th through to April 1st. Each batch was separately destemmed into an open top fermenter where it was native yeast fermented for 7-14 days on skins with hand pump-overs employed twice daily. The musts were pressed and a portion of each lot was set aside in stainless tank to create this Zeitgeist blend. Following natural malolactic fermentation and settling, the young wine was bottled forthwith, without sulphur dioxide, to capture the vibrancy and primacy of the vintage.
Vintage 2026 was shaped by contrast, delivering wines of depth, balance and character. A slightly above-average Winter and Spring replenished soil moisture and set up healthy vine growth, before one of the driest, warmest Summers on record drove concentration in the fruit. Perfectly timed rainfall at the end of February refreshed the vines ahead of ripening, while mild, steady conditions through March and April allowed for even development and extended hang time. Yields were down, but quality is excellent, with perfumed whites and rosé, and deeply coloured, structured reds showing richness, purity and hallmark Kalleske balance.
The Kalleske vineyard is a diverse mix of 120 acres of vines spread over the 500 acre farm. Shiraz dominates the plantings and multiple Shiraz blocks spanning from 1905 to 1998 were blended to make this wine. Shiraz from these blocks will go into the usual Kalleske Eduard, Greenock, Moppa and Clarry’s wines. All Shiraz vines are low yielding, and soils are typically shallow sand with excellent clay subsoil.