Winery
Katnook has achieved an extraordinary track record of excellence, having twice won the Jimmy Watson Trophy (in 1987 and 1998) as well as a double trophy at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2003. Katnook is rated 5 stars by world renouned wine writer, James Halliday - an accolade it has enjoyed for several decades
Katnook aims to make wines with subtlety, intrigue and complexity. Reflecting the essence of Coonawarra’s terroir is integral to Katnook's winemaking approach. Cabernet Sauvignon is the undoubted hero of the Coonawarra region and you can read about our back vintage here. Yet other red varietals such as Shiraz and Merlot are equally impressive. White wines are similarly unique in character and world class in quality.
In 2010, Riddoch’s historical ‘Woolshed’ was restored to its former glory and now features a micro winery for superior wine parcels.
Katnook currently crushes around 1 500 tonnes of fruit annually, all of which is grown on the Estate.
At the pinnacle of the accolades and awards amassed over the years, Katnook boasts two positions in the prestigious Langton’s Classification VI of Australian Wines, explained here and below.
Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon
“Outstanding” category
Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
“Excellent” categor
The following article in 'Decanter' by Tina Gellie (March 2016) explains the Langton's Classification in more detail.
1855 and Langton’s Classification: Two approaches
We all know about the Bordeaux 1855 Classification. Based on the market price of the wines 160 years ago, it has remained a fixed five-tier ranking ever since – apart from a few tweaks including châteaux Pichon, Léoville and Batailley splitting into two or more estates, the two Pougets becoming one, Dubignon disappearing and most famously Mouton Rothschild’s promotion in 1973.
Langton’s, on the other hand, is a much more fluid ranking of Australia’s ‘best–performing’ fine wines.
In a similar way to St-Emilion’s classification, Langton’s is reviewed every five years and wines can be added, deleted, promoted or demoted. Started in 1990, it’s a three-tier system: Exceptional, Outstanding and Excellent.
Wines are eligible based on their demand, reputation, quality and track record at auction, and only considered for ranking after a minimum of 10 vintages.
The current ranking (the sixth) was published in 2014, and includes 139 wines – more than double the number in the 1855 Classification, but probably representing just 20% of the production volume.'