About
2019 Young Gun Of Wine - Winner Damon Koerner
Koerner Wine is a partnership between brothers Damon and Jonathan Koerner. Our wines are produced from fruit grown in the Watervale area of the Clare Valley, with the majority coming from our family vineyard, Gullyview- owned and managed by Mum & Dad, (Christine & Anthony Koerner), for the past 38 years. Our winemaking philosophy is very simple - the wines are made in the vineyard. The date of picking is the most crucial part of the process. Once the grapes make their way to the winery, they are carefully nurtured and each batch treated individually. An understanding of terroir and the individual varieties enables us to produce unique wines using nothing but the grapes and a small amount of sulphur! We attempt to produce wines to a style that we both enjoy drinking. Generally these wines are light, fresh, textured and well structured with high drinkability in mind. To achieve this we pick early and use very hands off winemaking techniques. Our reds are bright, vibrant and can be enjoyed young with a great balance between primary fruit, acidity and phenolics. Our whites express their aromatics and primary fruit, while showing mouthfeel, structure and texture.
Koerner Wine New Releases
Grace Riesling 2021
North facing, rich soils - lemon and lime with great drive
Vineyard: Gullyview Vineyard, Watervale
Blocks: Grace (G1)
Planted: 1974
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: February 4 & 9, 2021
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destem
Time on skins: 12 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 100% ceramic amphora for 2 months
Aging vessel: Stainless steel on fine lees for 10 months
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 11.5%
pH: 3.03
TA: 6.7
SO2: 20F, 55T
Production: 69 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 11 May 2022
"Gullyview Vineyard in Watervale. Hangs out in the press a bit on skins. All these wines have texture, not the run of the mill Clare expressions. Fine boned, chalky, intense and long. Screeches along in the nicest possible way. Zesty and fresh, bite of green apple, tart finish and lingers with this talc-like minerality. Beautiful wine in vogue of the classics, but with its own twist."
95 Points
Gullyview Riesling 2021
South facing, boney soils - ginger spice, mineral and soft textures
Vineyard: Gullyview Vineyard, Watervale
Blocks: Gullyview (GV1)
Planted: 1974
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: February 3, 2021
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destem
Time on skins: 12 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 75% ceramic amphora & 25% steel for 2 months
Aging vessel: Stainless steel on fine lees for 10 months
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 12.4%
pH: 3.08
TA: 6.6
SO2: 22F, 63T
Production: 77 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 11 May 2022
"Sees most of its resting time in ceramic vessels (rest stainless steel). The wine has this lovely powdery texture, a bit of extra depth, fine, light, savoury-nuttiness to taste and a rollicking feast of green apple with lime squeezed on a dusting of cinnamon spice. Extra lengthy, tight through the finish, mineral plus-plus, as they’d say. It’s a ripping, rollicking, exceptional riesling. For drinkability, this is through the roof."
95 Points
Parish Riesling 2021
South facing, rich soils with slate - floral, stone fruits and delicate texture
Vineyard: Parish Vineyard, Watervale
Planted: 1923
Soil type: Red clay on Slate
Picking date: February 7, 2021
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destem
Time on skins: 12 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 60% Ceramic amphora and 40% steel for 2 months
Aging vessel: Stainless steel on fine lees for 10 months
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 11.4%
pH: 3.28
TA: 5.2
SO2: 25F, 59T
Production: 88 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 11 May 2022
"Fermented in amphora and steel. Sounds like a Mills & Boon.
Here’s a bit of brightness, sloshy gentleness, fresh undertone of grapefruity acidity but more about peachy fruit characters, sweet lime, Golden Delicious apples and some powdery, talc-mineral stuff to finish. Floral scents, lavender and sweet lime too. A really pretty wine. Very approachable."
92 Points
Rolle Vermentino 2021
Pure Vermentino – stone fruits, salinity & drive
Vineyard: Gullyview Vineyard, Watervale
Planted: 2007
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: February 17 & 19, 2021
Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard
Processing: Crush and destemmed
Skin contact: 18 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 9 months on full solids, then stainless steel on fine lees for 3 months
Filtration: no
Fining: no
Alc: 10.9
pH: 3.03
TA: 8.1
SO2: 29F / 60T
Production: 250 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
"Has that tonic water meets Real Lemonade thing going on. Scents and flavours. Pleasing bitterness, some chalky pucker and fine tannin lines, bright acidity, lots of fine herbal detail and a saltiness that is delicious and moreish. Medium weight, or shy of it, but packed full of charisma and huge drinkability. A fine wine, an edgy wine at once. Oh, and throw the word complex in too. Unreal."
94 Points
The Clare Red Wine 2021
Bordeaux varieties made in a Loire style - vibrant, bright fruits & soft tannins
Varieties: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 13% Grenache, 6% Malbec, 6% 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 9 months, then racked to steel for 3 months
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 13.1%
pH: 3.59
TA: 5.7
SO2: 17F, 30T
Production: 890 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 11 May 2022
"Pure, savoury, layered, fine boned. Delicious blend of cabernet, cabernet franc, grenache, malbec, carignan and sciacarello. Phew! Geez this drinks a treat, fine and fresh, taut on ribs of tannin, a little nutty oomph and dark berry sloshiness all there. Lovely minerally grip to finish. This is such a delight, and all that quiet, symphonic complexity of the varieties works a treat to keep interest high."
93 Points
La Korse Red Wine 2021
Corsican inspired - red fruits, light and easy drinking
Varieties: 37% Sangiovese, 29% Grenache, 25% Sciacarello 5% Malbec and 4% Carignan
Vineyard: Vivian, Gullyview & Parish Vineyards, Watervale
Planted: 1998, 1935, 1998, 1998 & 1985 respectively
Farming: Organic
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: February 12, 26, 28, March 6 & 7 2021
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 10 months
Bottling Date: October 2021
Filtration: No
Fining: No
Alc: 12.8
pH: 3.31
TA: 6.6
SO2: 21 free / 39 total
Production: 880 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 30 December 2021
"Sangio, grenache, sciciarello, malbec and carignan in a light-ish weight red of detail and interest.
Lots of blue berry fruits here, high toned perfume with floral notes and prettiness and kinda sweet but manages to drag in a little tar, char and game meatiness. Washy and yet crisp in the palate, more of the blue-ish berried fruits to taste, tart acidity freshening things up, a haze of fine, lacy tannins to finish. Feels very pure, clean and bright. Easy to like."
92 Points
