Stonehorse by Kaesler Cabernet 2021

The Barossa take on Cabernet — riper and softer than Coonawarra. Friendly, approachable Cab.

Kaesler is a Barossa house, and Stonehorse is its everyday range, wines made to open on the night you buy them. The fruit comes off established vines planted back in the mid 1980s.

The winemaking keeps oak in its place. After a ferment of seven to nine days, half the wine goes into barrels already two and three years old. The rest stays in tank. That is why the vanilla sits behind the fruit here instead of on top of it.

Blackcurrant and plum lead the palate and the finish stays easy. Pour it with anything off the grill, or with a hard cheese at the end of the night. There is no reason to wait on it.