2025 Kaesler ‘The Fave’ Grenache

APPEARANCE: Bright, crimson red.

BOUQUET: Whole-bunch perfume, lifted, fragrant, red cherry, pomegranate, dried herbs.

PALATE: The palate is light on its feet with chalky, fine-grained tannins and a long, fresh finish. Drinks easily now, chill down in the warmer months but will evolve beautifully over the next 2-3 years.

FOOD MATCH: Crispy pork belly or roast duck.

GRAPE VARIETY: Grenache

REGION: Barossa Valley

VINTAGE CONDITIONS: The 2025 Barossa Valley vintage was shaped by a dry winter and spring with rainfall well below average. Warm August conditions brought budburst two to three weeks earlier than usual, increasing exposure to frost, and several notable frost events occurred in mid September across Marananga and the vineyards surrounding the winery. From October onward, consistently warm daytime and nighttime temperatures supported strong growth and healthy canopy development, and ripening progressed quickly through summer. Harvest began early, with the final fruit picked by mid March. Yields were supported by a strong second crop with smaller berries delivering concentrated flavour.

ALCOHOL: 14.5%

Anyone who knows Dewy knows that The Fave is close to his heart. Some might say he spends way too much time smelling, tasting, and even climbing into the fermenters—but that’s the kind of attention natural wine demands. When you’re making wine naturally, it’s all about timing and intuition—being present and responding to what the wine needs, when it needs it. For the first week (sometimes longer), the juice is left to rest, slowly kicking off carbonic maceration. Then things get busy. Over the next 5 to 7 days, it’s all about supporting the yeast: pigeage (punch-downs), remontage (pump-overs)—whatever’s required. After that, it’s gently pressed to tank, then racked into seasoned 500L puncheons (three- and four-year-old oak) to rest and evolve. No additions to the wine were made, aside from a small amount of SO2 pre-bottling.