About
'We are a family run business led by Damon and Maddy Koerner, dedicated to crafting wines that showcase the unique characteristics of the Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills.
Damon is the Viticulturist and Winemaker, focusing on fruit quality, transparent practices, and producing wines that truly reflect their origins. Our wines are textural, approachable and fresh. They can be enjoyed young but also benefit from aging.
In the Clare Valley, all fruit is grown within a 750m radius. This includes our family’s vineyard and our vineyard, Vivian. We also source fruit from close neighbours, Parish. The varieties we focus on in Clare include Riesling, Vermentino, Sangiovese, and Cabernet.
In the Adelaide Hills, we source grapes from a few select vineyards, predominantly around Lenswood. At our home block in Lenswood, we grow Chardonnay, Savagnin, Gamay and Sangiovese. We have also recently planted 5 acres of Chardonnay at our second site at the top of Lesnwood in Forest Range. This sits 550m above sea level, with a variety of aspects.
We hope you enjoy our wines!' - Koerner Wines
Clare Valley Releases
2024 Watervale Riesling
Beautiful Old Vine Watervale Riesling - aromatic with texture and spice
Vineyard: Gullyview & Parish Vineyards, Watervale
Blocks: Grace, Parish & Gullyview
Planted: 1973, 1923 & 1973
Soil type: Red clay on limestone (Gullyview & Grace), Red clay on slate and iron stone (Parish)
Picking date: February 16, 18 & 20, 2024
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destem
Time on skins: 6 hours in press
Pressing: Free run only, minimal press rotations
Cooling / settling: Cold settled off dirt and heavy solids for 3 days
Fermentation: Natural ferment in Steel & ceramic amphora for 2 months
Aging vessel: Stainless steel on fine lees for 10 months
Bottled: 29/01/2025
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 12.0
pH: 2.99
TA: 7.4
SO2: 26 free / 62 total
Production: 1500 dozen
The Wine Front Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 27 February 2025
'This comes from old Gullyview and Grace blocks that were planted over 50 years ago, with an addition of Old Vine Parish Blocks which are over 100 years old. Maturation takes place in steel and ceramic vessels. On lees for a year. Righteous.
Superlatives galore. Texture. Weight. Freshness. Savoury complexity. Floral lift. Citrusy vibrancy. Hazy, green apple interest. It’s all on. A succulent tonic of invigorating energy and delicious, palate-cleansing moreish qualities. Fragrant, frisky, bright, some weight and depth. It has it all. And delivers a layered, and nuanced riesling of wonderful drinkability and charm. So in.'
95 Points
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published 11 March 2025
'From select parcels in the Gullyview and Parish vineyards. This is a clear, light-reflected, honest and pure example of Clare riesling. Lemon, lime, a little pomelo pith, some bath salt and quartz with talc-like minerals and texture. These things are hallmarks of the variety grown in this region, yet this, too, has a steadfastness, a verve through the finish, indicating a wine of longevity. I look forward to toasting the occasion a decade or two from now.'
95 Points
2024 Old Vine Slate Riesling
South facing, rich soils with slate - floral, stone fruits and delicate texture.
Planted in 1923, this is one of the oldest Riesling vineyards in the Clare Valley. It was established by the neighbouring Parish family and has remained in their hands to this day. The rows run east – west, allowing the canopy to protect the fruit from the intense sun.
The site is unique for Watervale, as the vines grow over slate and heavy red clay. While most of Watervale is limestone, there are some bands of slate running through the area. Additionally, there’s a bit of iron stone in this block.
Given the heavier clay soils over the slate and the very old vines, the flavours of this wine are very powerful to begin with. Over the 5 years we have been working with this vineyard, we’ve realised it requires minimal intervention in the winery beyond a clean and controlled ferment. The wine ferments and matures in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation (MLF) isn't typically favourable for this wine, so we generally keep it cool. In total the wine spends 15 months in steel, predominantly on fine lees. It was bottled at the end of April 2025 without fining or filtration and with 70pppm total sulphur dioxide added.
Winemaking Notes
Vineyard: Parish Vineyard, Watervale
Farming: Organic
Planted: 1923
Soil type: Red clay on Slate
Picking date: 18 February, 2024
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destem
Time on skins: 6 hours in press
Pressing: Free run only, minimal press rotations
Cooling / settling: Cold settled off dirt and heavy solids for 3 days
Fermentation: Natural ferment in stainless steel for 2 months
Aging vessel: Stainless steel on fine lees for 12 months
Filtration / Fining: No
Bottled: 01/05/2025
Alc / pH / TA / SO2: 12.4% / 3.03 / 7.2 / 35F, 70T
Production: 105 dozen
The Wine Front Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 16 June 2025
'From the 1923 planted Parish Family Vineyard in Clare Valley. Slate one could imagine is the dominant soil profile.
Such power and grace. Vibrancy and succulence. Sweet lime-lemon gets bested by ginger, cumquat, tangerine, with touches of green almond, Real Lemonade and touches of tonic and mineral water. Pure, so powerful and yet fresh, stacks of character and a bit of a ‘wow wine’ without getting out of bed. Super drinking.'
93 Points
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Posted on 14 July 2025
'The fruit for this wine is sourced from 101-year-old vines from the Parish vineyard, and it doesn't feel like we are in the Clare anymore. It smells and drinks of elsewhere, more the ilk of Rheingau. Indeed, the red clay on slate soils imparts a level of richness beyond a single dimension. This is deliciously citrusy, citing a mandarin note amongst the usual lemon-lime. It's fleshy, tensile and feels tireless in its drive. Powdered quartz, green apple, some phenolic grip and a crunchy spiced pear note that thrums a pulse behind the endless stream of powerful fruit. A true marvel.'
96 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published on 4 April 2025
'Intensely slate-driven, showing mineral-edged notes of nectarines, wet river stones and high-toned citrus. The palate is so energetic and powerful with a striking acidity and nicely integrated phenolics. High-tension and linear, this has a drive and concentration that will evolve nicely in bottle. Aged on fine lees in stainless steel for 15 months. From vines planted in 1923, bringing depth and purity. Drink or hold.'
96 Points
2024 Old Vine Limestone Riesling
South facing, boney soils - ginger spice, mineral and soft textures
This wine is made from the original Riesling vineyard on the Koerner Family property, planted in 1973. It’s a unique 4 hectare block running north – south over a hill, with 89 short rows running east – west. This orientation helps protect the fruit from the intense Clare Valley sun.
The section of vineyard we use for this wine is on the Southern slope, where a thin layer of clay loam overlays limestone. We particularly enjoy working with this section, as it best expresses the mineral characters we love in a Riesling.
To help build weight and texture, this wine is fermented and aged in 1000L ceramic amphora for around 9 months, it goes through full malolactic fermentation (MLF) and is then racked to steel where it sits on fine lees for a further 6 months. The wine was bottled at the end of April 2025 without fining or filtration and with 70pppm total sulphur dioxide added.
Winemaking Notes
Vineyard: Koerner Vineyard, Watervale. Block - Gullyview
Planted: 1973
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: 16 February, 2024
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destem
Time on skins: 6 hrs in press
Pressing: Free run only, minimal press rotations
Cooling / Settling: Cold settled off dirt and heavy solids for 3 days
Fermentation: Natural ferment in ceramic amphora 2 months
Aging vessel: Ceramic amphora for 6 months, then stainless steel on fine lees for 6 months
Filtration and Fining: no
Bottled: 01/05/2025
Alc / pH / TA / SO2: 12.6% / 3.04 / 6.6 / 35F, 65T
Production: 105 dozen
The Wine Front Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 17 June 2025
'Really keen to see the wines of Koerner following soil profile naming – so many great producers of Europe delineate this way, and it doesn’t make wine better or worse, but it’s more attuned than some ‘Paddock’ or ‘River’ or ‘Parcel’ or similar.
Delightful wine. Frisky and fine boned, lacy and minerally. Very talc-meets-tonic-water feel with hazy green apple juice in tow. Limey too, some Real Lemonade, a cavalcade of interesting characters though you could say it leans just a touch into sweetness (which some will love). Refreshment factor with that fruitier climate is a little missing, but generally, pretty darn delicious and concentrated and good.'
93 Points
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Posted on 14 July 2025
'From the original riesling plantings of the Koerner family Gullyview vineyard, which has been steadily added to since '73. Damon Koerner has always loved this spot atop a hill ("it's got a good aura about it," he says), with its bony soils, clay and limestone. The mineral tension of the site is captured well here; it's got a fragmented slate quality, some chalk and sherbet to its texture, granular yet integrated. A delicate savoury thread of brine and white pepper weaves through the preserved lemon and grapefruit profile. Some oyster shell and orchard florals, too. It's not lost on me that the lessons of farming and generational persistence are the cornerstones for a wine of this calibre.'
96 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published on 4 April 2025
'Stony aromas of lemon peel, orange blossoms, sliced pears, candied lime zest, lavender and intense chalk. The palate is tightly wound with a real mineral intensity and tactile mouthfeel. Seven months in clay amphora with full malolactic conversion. From vines planted in 1973. The new release of the former “Gullyview” from limestone soil. Excellent. Drink or hold.'
95 Points
2024 Pigato Vermentino
Vermentino on skins - peach, iced tea and super refreshing
Vineyard: Gullyview Vineyard, Watervale
Planted: 2007
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: February 20, 2024
Picking method: Machine harvested
Processing: Destem retaining ~ 50% whole berries. No whole bunch
Fermentation: Natural ferment in open top steel fermenters, hand plunged twice daily
Time on skins: 20 days
Pressing: Free run and pressings combined
Settling: Settled off gross lees for 7 days
Aging vessel: Steel for 10 months
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 10.3%
pH: 3.25
TA: 5.7
SO2: 16 free / 41 total
Production: 890 dozen
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published on 11 March 2025
'This is how I like skin contact, as in, it's akin to fruit cordial. Low alcohol, refreshment at the fore, food-friendly and fancy-free. Pure delight, with heady florals, lychee, persimmon, almond nougat and plenty of spice. They've nailed the texture of this wine, the phenolic grip, just so. An excellent release of pigato.'
92 Points
The Wine Advocate review by Erin Larkin
Published on 19 September 2025
'The 2024 Pigato is 100% Vermentino and pours with a gentle haze in the glass. There are notes of lemon barley, white pepper, green apple skin, rose petals and musk oil and also cloves. In the mouth, the wine is driven by intense acidity; but totally on the rails and crunchy doesn't accurately describe its impact, because the wine has a sleek texture and is almost creamy. It's a beautiful thing, attractive to fans of acid and precision, but I really appreciate the texture here too. It's distinct, with notes of chalk. 10.3% alcohol, sealed under Diam.'
93 Points
2023 Tiver Rose
Classic dry Rose- savoury, crunchy and fine boned
Varietal: Sangiovese & Sciacarello
Vineyard: Vivian Vineyard, Leasingham, Clare Valley
Farming: Organic since 2016
Soil type: Red and Black clay on limestone
Picking date: March 25, April 3 & 14, 2023
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Time on skins: approx 3 hours
Processing: Crush and destemmed
Pressing: Take free run and pressings
Cooling / settling: Cold settled off dirt and heavy solids for 24 hours
Ferment vessel: Slavonian oak Foudre for 4 weeks
Aging vessel: Stainless steel on fine lees for 6 months
Filtration: Sterile
Fining: No
Alc: 11.6%
pH: 3.2
TA: 6.5
SO2: 25F, 50T
Production: 880 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 25 October 2023
'A blend of sangiovese and sciacarello from a single (Vivian) vineyard. We’re in rose land here.
Fragrant with sour cherries, cranberry, rose hip tea, sweet spice, a lick of minty herbs too. Palate and bouquet send similar vibes. The palate is juicy, has a little tug of fine, lacy tannin to finish, a hint of red berry sweetness but there’s spice and savouriness laid on deftly with blood orange tang to close. Finely done, well done rose of immense drinkability.'
93 Points
The Wine Advocate by Erin Larkin
Posted on 17 May 2024
'The 2023 Tiver Rose of Vivian is a blend of Sangiovese and Sciacarello (a Corsican grape variety) grown in the Clare Valley. In the glass, the wine is not quite pink but more of a dirty flamingo blush, onion skin, etc., and in the mouth, it is a rich, complex, layered drinking experience, with lusty nuances of goji berry, redcurrants, sumac, pink peppercorn, a hint of pastrami and sweet roasted beets. This is a completely different speed of Rosé to the norm, one that lends itself emphatically toward gastronomic pairings. 11.6% alcohol, sealed under Diam.'
92 points
2023 La Korse Red Wine
Corsican inspired - red fruits, light and easy drinking
Vineyard: Vivian, Gullyview & Parish Vineyards, Watervale
Varieties: 53% Sangiovese, 19% Sciacarello, 13% Grenache, 12 Vermentino & 3% Carignan
Planted: 1998, 1935, 1998, 1998 & 1985 respectively
Farming: Organic
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: March 20, 21, & April 3 & 14, 2023
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Destem retaining ~ 50% whole berries, no whole bunch
Fermentation: Natural ferment in open top steel fermenters, hand plunged twice daily
Time on skins: 2 weeks
Pressing: free run and pressings combined
Settling: Settled off gross lees for 7 days
Aging vessel: Stainless steel for 11 months
Bottling Date: 15/01/2024
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 12.3
pH: 3.31
TA: 6.6
SO2: 30 free / 60 total
Production: 1300 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 16 April 2024
'A blend of mostly sangiovese with bits of sciacarello, grenache, vermentino (12%) and carignan. A good time. Sum of the parts. Great to see ‘Red Wine’ of a place pitching at interest and drinkability; it shifts the dial for a region bit by bit, this kind of thing.
It’s a meaty yet fresh and chewy red. Bright red berries, some game meat notes, touch of more earthy, salumi in there, sage leaf, a dusting of cardamom and cinnamon. Fresh feeling to taste, a tightening of tannins around a slosh of good times with a good, medium weight finish and a lick of pumice-like minerality and pucker to finish. Something different, and yet a familiarity in its drinkability and easy charm.'
92 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published October 2024
'Fresh and vibrant aromas of raspberries, wild strawberries and dark cherries. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity. Delicious blend of Italian varieties that can be taken seriously but is highly drinkable. Drink or hold.'
92 Points
2022 The Clare Red Wine
Bordeaux varieties made in a Loire style - vibrant, bright fruits & soft tannins
Varieties: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 11% Grenache, 7% Malbec, 4% Carignan & 2% Sciacarello
Vineyard: Vivian, Parish & Gullyview Vineyards
Planted: 1998 & 1930
Soil type: Red clay on limestone, 'Terra Rossa'
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Destemm retaining ~ 50% whole berries, no whole bunch
Fermentation: Natural ferment in open top steel fermenters, hand plunged twice daily
Time on skins: 2 weeks
Pressing: Free run and pressings combined
Settling: Settled off gross lees for 7 days
Aging vessel: Slavonian foudre for 12 months, then racked to steel for 4 months
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 13.1%
pH: 3.59
TA: 5.7
SO2: 30F, 60T
Production: 1550 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 28 September 2023
'A tilt at a new breed of Clare red wine, though it has been since 2016, or at least since then for me. It’s cabernet, cabernet franc, grenache, malbec, carignan, sciacarello from three vineyards, drawn together to produce a regional red. Clever. Clare cabernet and shiraz solo can fall short at times, alone.
Medium weight, cinched with fine, powdery, graphite-laced tannins, perfume of dark berries, maraschino cherry, sweet herbs, cranberry, peanut brittle with similar flavours. Lots on. Lots to like. Quite ripe in its profile of fruit, primary fruited, lots of flavour, bright too. It’s easy drinking, a great load of pleasure with each glass. There’s a sense of hedonism here.'
92 Points
Halliday Wine Companion review by Campbell Mattinson
Published 14 June 2024
'Blend of 50/11/11/7/4/2% cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc/grenache/malbec/carignan/sciacarello. There's a confidence to this wine. It's firm, it's wild with intricate flavour, it's light but it's buoyant. Potpourri, peanuts, boysenberry, earth and sweet plum flavours all make appearances, though the truth is that every time you put this anywhere near your nose/mouth, you detect something different. In a word: it's joyous.'
94 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published October 2024
'The nose gives aromas of wild blackberries, mulberry bush, bay leaves, violets and mocha. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and a creamy texture. A blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 11% cabernet franc, 11% grenache, 7% malbec, 4% carignan and 2% sciacarello. Delicious. Drink or hold.'
93 Points
2023 Rolle Vermentino
Pure Vermentino – stone fruits, salinity & drive
Vineyard: Gullyview Vineyard, Watervale
Planted: 2007
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: March 18, 2023
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destemmed
Skin contact: 12 hours in press
Pressing: Free run only, minimal press rotations
Cooling / settling: Settled off dirt and heavy solids for 24 hours
Fermentation: Natural ferment in Slavonian oak Demi-muid
Aging vessel: Slavonian oak Demi-muid for 8 months on full solids, then stainless steel on fine lees for 3 months
Filtration: no
Fining: no
Bottled: March 16, 2024
Alc: 10.5
pH: 3.15
TA: 7.1
SO2: 30F / 60T
Production: 380 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 10 April 2024
'Wild fermented in large format Slavonian oak, left on lees. It sees 12 hours skin contact.
For such a light weight (10.5% alcohol) and modest skin contact, there’s so much flavour and texture here. It still sits at medium weight, or just shy, but ripples with the authority of powdery tannins, chewiness to texture, a burr of saline minerality and talc-like pucker to finish. Lemon myrtle, lemon-ginger tea, hazy green apple juice and faint white pepper, celery and tonic water characters combine here. A thirst-slaking nature, a true palate resetter, but wonderfully evocative of the variety, in its own unique and complex style. Bravo.'
94 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published October 2024
'Very minerally and on the edge of reduction, with aromas of flint, lemon confit and orange blossoms. The palate is textural and precise, with notes of grapefruit rind, lime curd and oyster shells. Excellent balance and polish. Drink or hold.'
93 Points
2023 Mammolo Sciacarello
Light and bright red – aromatic, spicy and super acidic
Vineyard: Vivian Vineyard, Watervale
Farming: Organic
Planted: 1998
Soil type: Black and red clay on limestone
Picking date: April 3 & 14, 2023
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Destemmed retaining 50% whole berries with no whole bunch
Fermentation: Natural ferment in open top steel fermenters, hand plunged twice daily
Time on skins: 2 weeks
Pressing: Free run and pressings combined
Settling: Settled off gross lees for 7 days
Aging vessel: Slavonian oak 2000L foudre for 8 months then racked to steel for 2 months
Bottled: February 16, 2024
Filtration: no
Fining: no
Alc: 13.3
pH: 3.25
TA: 7
SO2: 25 free / 50 total
Production: 430 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 10 April 2024
'The unique variety was planted in 1998. Quite the foresight. Recent releases have proved mighty successful. It’s a light yet structured red wine, typically a few rungs up the ladder from rosé styles, but wholly its own thing. Drunk with a chill it soars.
That shiny garnet colour in the glass. You don’t drink with your eyes, as I often say, but geez, this is inviting. It’s crisp red cherry, fresh and pickled, maraschino notes too, some tangy cranberry, rose hip tea, all bright, fresh and yet gently savoury with faint pepper, bay leaf and dried mint elements alongside. Tannins are ultra fine yet feel laced with crushed rock and brine-like mineral qualities. It stretches out taut and long, finishing very refreshing. Serious rosé or precise light red, you choose, but it’s a ripper any which way.'
94 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published October 2024
Aromas of rhubarb, pepper and dried herbs on the nose. The palate is light-bodied with crunchy tannins, showing notes of wild raspberries and cranberries. Fresh and vibrant with a serious structure. High drinkability that keeps you coming back for more. It’s from the only grower of sciacarello in Australia, Drink or hold.
93 Points
Pure Sangiovese - soft cherry and dusty tannins
Planted in 1998, this is one of the older Sangiovese plantings in the area. The block is tucked in-between the Saciacarello and Cabernet in our Vivian vineyard, on heavier dark clay over limestone. The denser clay soil is important to build body into a lower alcohol red wine.
We have been making wine from this block for nine years and it remains one of our favourites to work with. Generally we see flavour ripeness at around 12 baume, with lots of acidity and fresh tannins. The final wine has an alcohol content of 12.5%.
Time on skins is around 3 weeks, with a mix of pump overs and hand plunging. Maturation occurred in 2000L foudre for 15 months, followed by an additional six months in stainless steel. The wine was bottled with 60ppm total SO2 added and no fining or filtration. It has been bottle aged for 6 months before release in July 2025.
Winemaking Notes
Vineyard: Vivian Vineyard, Watervale. Organically farmed
Planted: 1998
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: 15 April, 2023
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Destemed, retaining whole berries, no whole bunch
Fermentation: Natural ferment in open top steel fermenters, hand plunged twice daily
Time on skins: 2 weeks
Pressing: Free run and pressings combined
Settling: Settled off gross lees for 7 days
Aging vessel: 2000 litre Slavonian Oak foudre for 15 months and steel for 6 months
Filtration / Fining: No
Alc / pH / TA / SO2: 12.5% / 3.32 / 7.2 / 22F, 50T
Production: 200 dozen
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published 14 July 2025
'This drinks with a fractured graphite, slatey character atop the fruit. Acidity washes through, free-flowing, uninhibited and giving the impression that it might never recede. Tomato leaf, red cherry, dried herbs, an imprint of game and tongue-twisting, sinewy tannins that yell for a bowl of ragù with bread as a mop. An utterly delicious and important wine.'
95 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published on 4 April 2025
'Luscious aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, rose petals, blood oranges and dried strawberries. The plush palate has a medium-bodied mouthfeel, nervy acidity and finely tuned, drying tannins. Classic bright-fruited sangiovese notes. Real vibrancy and structure. 12.5% alcohol from a cool vintage. Will evolve nicely in bottle. Drink or hold.'
94 Points
A classic Clare Valley Red Wine – dark fruits, velvet, amazing length.
Planted in 1998, this block of Cabernet Sauvignon in our Vivian vineyard sits just above the Sangiovese. The soil is classic terra rosa soil with red clay over limestone.
Cabernet Malbec was the first red wine released under the Koerner brand, back in 2014. Inspired by the great Cabernet and Cabernet Malbec blends of Wendouree. Our style has been refined over the years and today it is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon, with a dash of Scaicarello for freshness.
This block always produces small berries, intensely flavoured fruit with great tannin. While still a medium bodied wine, this is the most full-flavoured red we produce. The wine spent around 2 weeks on skins, was hand plunged and then matured for 18 months in thick staved French Demi Muids. It then spent 3 months in stainless steel before bottling in December 2023, with 60ppm total SO2 added and no fining or filtration. The wine has been bottle aged for 18 months before release in July 2025.
Winemaking Notes
Varieties: 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Sciacarello
Vineyard: Vivian Vineyard
Planted: 1998
Picking dates: 16 & 18 March 2022
Soil type: Red clay on limestone
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Destemmed, retaining whole berries with no whole bunch
Fermentation: Natural ferment in open top steel fermenters, hand plunged twice daily
Time on skins: 3 weeks
Pressing: Free run and pressings combined
Settling: Settled off gross lees for 7 days
Aging vessel: French Demi-muid for 12 months, then racked to steel for 2 months
Filtration and fining: no
Alc / pH / TA / SO2: 13.4% / 3.52 / 5.9 / 30F, 60T
Production: 260 dozen
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published 2 June 2025
'This is cabernet sauvignon off heavier soils from the Vivian vineyard with a barely there addition (2%) of sciacarello. Blackcurrant, blackberry, some fennel and anise, a hint of cherry cola, bresaola and a savoury tobacco tar element that exists beyond the perimeter of fruit. Stately and firm, it flexes its structural boundary to let the light of radiant acidity beam through. It feels like a future icon and evokes a thought to visit your butcher, call your mate, get the steaks on a plate and decant this wine ceremoniously.'
95 Points
Review by James Suckling
Published on 27 October 2024
'Savory and fruit-driven aromas of wild blackberries, mulberry bush and red currants. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of mocha, olive brine and graphite. Very drying and structured with an underlying freshness. Excellent. Drink or hold.'
94 Points
The Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Published on 17 June 2025
'A blend of cabernet sauvignon and (2%) sciacarello. The 1%ers maker the difference. This bottle says Classico but it is now just a plain old Classic, no ‘O’.
This is outstanding. It does potent yet svelte cabernet while dialing in a bit of superstar x-factor. Cassis, black olive, clove and cedar gently laid in, game meat, curiously. blood orange, wild herbs and amaro too. Quite a bit of density and richness but then so very, very fresh. Succulent texture, a refreshment factor, but satisfying richness too. A wine for all. And classy. And Classic, it seems. Yes, thanks.'
94 Points
(Image: Damon Koerner - Koerner Wine / www.koernerwine.com.au)