Artisans of Barossa Keller Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

This Cabernet Sauvignon occurred when a large company deemed Roy Keller’s vineyard surplus. It's a small block in Nuriootpa, hand-tended by Roy, with meticulous attention to detail. The Artisans often hear of these blocks and try to find a home for them. Since there was no natural home amongst our Artisans’ labels, we decided to use the opportunity to try a few different approaches than is usually seen in the Barossa.

Barossa Cabernet is often an unsung hero of the Barossa, and the goal with this wine was to create a Cabernet with freshness, ripe fruit energy, finesse, and dance on the spectrum of full blue fruit flavours—eschewing dried-out tannins, green or herbaceous characters.

A little shy of four tonnes was hand-harvested on 30 March 2023, late in the season, as most picking was this year. Corey Ryan, winemaker at Sons of Eden, put his hand up to make the wine as his Pumpa Cabernet Sauvignon hails from Eden Valley, marking a contrast in vineyard location under similar winemaking.

Winemaking:

The fruit was hand-harvested, destemmed, cold-soaked and naturally fermented in small 1 and 2 tonne open-fermenters. A combination of hand plunging and pumping-over cap management techniques was employed throughout the fermentation period. A short post-ferment ferment maceration occurred for 6 days before being pressed off and matured in a mix of seasoned oak hogsheads, the newest being second fill – a conscious decision to trial Cabernet without the intervention of a heavy oak flavour injection.  Matured for 12 months prior to being blended, naturally clarified and bottled without fining or filtration

Truly small batch in winemaking style and volume, this is an incredibly limited-release modern Cabernet of outstanding quality. Bottled unfined, locally, it is vegan-friendly.

Small batch winemaking refers to the process of producing wine in limited quantities, typically on a smaller scale compared to larger wineries. It involves a more hands-on and artisanal approach, where attention to detail and quality are emphasized. 

The Artisans of Barossa are John Duval Wines, Spinifex Wines, Sons of Eden, Lienert Vineyards, Schwarz Wine Co., Hobbs of Barossa Ranges and Chaffey Bros. Wine Co.

Seven small winemakers brought together by a shared commitment to protect and promote the art of small-batch Barossa winemaking.

Winemaker, Corey Ryan, Sons of Eden.