Karl's Scepter 'Bastet' Shiraz 2019 (6 x 750mL) SA

Winery Tasting Notes

Our method of intensifying red wines through regular use of a hand plunger during fermentation, is proven to increase fruit intensity, mouthfeel and overall body as well as deepen colour. You’ll see that this wine is intense dark red berry fruit dominant, with great structure, well integrated oak and a lengthy fruit driven finish.

The story how this came about, and how the plunger became known as Karl’s Scepter, is an interesting one.

Hand plunging ferments is tough work, so when a young and inexperienced winemaker named Karl made the cellar hands plunge his ferments twice as often as all the rest, he became rather unpopular.

However the 2011 vintage was cool and wet, which led to many thin and light red wines. But not Karl’s wines. His wines shone, all because of his pig headed overuse of 'Karl’s Scepter.'

When a client asked for a version of our Shiraz exclusive to his group of shops we needed another name. Now our winemaker loves cats and Bastet was an ancient Egyptian goddess usually depicted as a lioness or cat. Easy fix.