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Laughing Jack Barossa Valley Shiraz 2004 Deep, dense purple-red; extremely rich, concentrated and dense blackberry, plum, licorice and bitter chocolate fruit; good oak and tannins; controlled alcohol. Cork. Drink: 2014 , 95 Points. James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2007 Edition. This was served up blind at tonight’s little tasting and I thought …"hmmm this smells a lot like 04 Rockford Basket Press." I hope I said it out loud because that would make me look really good…but I am not so sure. Anyway the wine comes from an old vine vineyard located in the Greenock sub-region of the Barossa and is made by one of the eight million Kalleskes that float round the region… Aromas of plum, milk chocolate, rose, pepper, aniseed, mint and a little vanilla oak. Classic traditional Barossa wine. On the palate medium to full bodied with smooth plum, rose, aniseed, milk chocolate and cedar oak. Subtle fine grained tannins and beautiful balance throughout. Finishes long and creamy with a lingering rosy red berry and spice aftertaste. Well well well. This is quite a wine. Drink : 2007 - 2016 95 POINTS Gary Walsh, Winorama James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2007 Edition Rated: 5 Star Winery 2004 Laughing Jack Shiraz Situated in the Greenock sub-region of the Barossa Valley is the small property of the Kalleske family called Laughing Jack. Shawn Kalleske (Winemaker) is part of the 6th generation of Kalleskes to farm the property since 1855. The property itself is surrounded by stands of Blue gum and Red Gum trees (Eucalyptus species) which harbour the kookaburra, a member of the Kingfisher family. The nickname of these birds is the 'Laughing Jack' so named for their fiendish laugh when staking their territory. The resident Kookaburra family can be heard each morning at the break of dawn. Laughing Jack has been a single wine estate for 10 vintages and has drawn it's fruit from three separate microclimatic vineyards within the property; the Home Block, the Hill Block and the East Block. Each of these small vineyards produce a distinctive wine style that when blended, makes the estate's distinctive 'Grand Vin' - Laughing Jack Shiraz. Winemaking The fruit from each of the three vineyards is hand-picked at different times to maximise the complexity of the final components for blending. It is hand shovelled into a tiny destemmer where it is given a light crush before being pumped into small batch open fermenters. Fermentation times vary due to vintage and can be up to 15 days. During primary fermentation the wine is pumped over or plunged every 6 hours. Once the ferment is complete it is slowly drained under it's own weight after which a small basket press is used. Pressings and free-run are kept separate at this stage to maximise blending options. The wine is then allowed to go thru malo-lactic fermentation in a combination of new(15%-30% - vintage dependant) and old, American and French, hogsheads and barriques. A further period of aging in barrel follows (up to 21 months – vinatge dependant) to allow integration of the fruit and oak. The wine is then bottle aged for a further 12 months to soften the natural food-loving tannins ever present in Laughing Jack Shiraz. Winemakers: Shawn Kalleske, Mick Schroeter. Region: Greenock – Barossa Valley, South Australia. Soil Types: Home Block - Loam over tight red clay and at 3 ft depth mixes with limestone, buckshot ironstone is scattered through the block, Hill Block - Sandy loam over red clay, scattered with ironstone fragments and resting on a broken blue stone base, East Block - Red sandy loam over broken red clay base and mixes with limestone at very deep level. Vine Age: 10-45 years