As James Kalleske says, this wine is an 'ode to special places', and here that means a love letter to the Barossa Valley. He's crafted a luscious, proudly Barossan red, too, with a big purple berry flavour in a bold and a real Drizabone-wearing heartiness. You can see the Grenache giving fleshiness, then Shiraz for purple fruit power, and a little Mataro to give darkness and grip. Importantly, James likes big oak barrels for his wines, which are excellent for letting fruit shine through rather than oak, which just means even more berry juiciness!

The Kalleske name is Barossa royalty, and for James Kalleske, he could have stayed at home and had the comfort of family meals and plenty of good times to be had at the local pub. Instead, James moved to the great West, Western Australia, to work at some of the rockstar wineries of Margaret River, such as Cullen, Vasse Felix, and Leeuwin Estate. From there, James moved to the Perth suburb of Bali, where he worked at Hatten Wines, where he learned to appreciate the lighter styles of wine that suit the tropical climate of Bali. After working for other wineries, James decided to go out on his own and incorporate his love for his home in the Barossa and wine regions across Australia. Today, he sources classical Barossa grapes like Grenache and SBS from his second home in Margaret River and a selection of wines made in cool regions like Mount Benson.