Katnook Founder's Block Cabernet goes viral

Australia's biggest wine social media site  and indeed, one of the biggest in the world, the Winewankers, has just given the Katnook Founder's Block Cabernet Sauvignon a big wrap.  Racking up over 850 likes in less than 10 hours on Instagram -  here is what the boys had to say:

winewankers - 859 likes  A good value #Coonawarra#Cabernet by Katnook with enough going on to make it an interesting expression of this famedCabernet #wine region.#postbyconrad #vino #vinho #vin#winelover #wineoclock #winetime#winetasting #instawine #redwine#winewankers

Then on Twitter, the boys' post garnered 50 retweets when they said. " Top value @Katnook Coonawarra Cab with enough going on to make it a good expression of this famed Cab #wine region." 12:38 PM - 15 Jun 2016

At just $22, the current release 2014 Katnook Founder's Block Cabernet offers sensational value.

 

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence

Katnook Estate Winery and Cellar Door today announced that it has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence. Now in its sixth year, the achievement celebrates hospitality businesses that have earned great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year. Certificate of Excellence recipients include accommodations, eateries and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a quality customer experience.

The Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

Cellar Door Manager, Michelle Stehbens says of the award, “We are thrilled to be recognised by Trip Advisor in this way.  Our Cellar Door and Functions Venues are beautifully restored limestone buildings that were originally used by Coonawarra wine region founder, John Riddoch over 100 years ago.  Visitors to Katnook can taste our full range of wine – including Cellar Door Exclusive wines, visit our famous terra rossa soil pit or just relax in our lounge with a glass of wine, cheese platter or coffee.  There’s also a toy basket for the kids and water bowl for travelling canines ensuring everyone enjoys the stop at Katnook.”

Check here for Katnook's reviews.

Heather Leisman, Vice President of Industry Marketing, TripAdvisor explains, "With the Certificate of Excellence, TripAdvisor honours hospitality businesses that have consistently received strong praise and ratings from travelers.  This recognition helps travellers identify and book properties that regularly deliver great service. TripAdvisor is proud to play this integral role in helping travellers feel more confident in their booking decisions.”

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site**, offering advice from millions of travellers, and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 340 million unique monthly visitors***, and 350 million reviews and opinions covering 6.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 48 markets worldwide.   **Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, February 2016. ***Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q1 2016

Katnook Reds for Winter

Best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra has for many decades quietly offered equally impressive Shiraz. Think Wynns Michael and our own Katnook Prodigy which, upon its inaugural release, collected the 1998 Jimmy Watson trophy.

Looking back to Coonawarra’s first commercial vintage in 1896 made by John Riddoch and William Salter in the Katnook woolshed, it is clear that Shiraz was just as, if not more important than Cabernet Sauvignon.   Why is it then, that the elegant, spicy Shiraz styles from the fabled terra rossa are lesser known and therefore made in lower quantities?

Tasting our new release Katnook Founder’s Block Shiraz 2015 (RRP $20) and the current release Katnook Estate Shiraz 2012 ($40) may shine some light on this, especially when compared against our biggest selling wine Katnook Founder’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon (new release RRP $20).  Technical details for each wine follow.

KATNOOK FOUNDER’S BLOCK SHIRAZ 2015.  RRP $20

Grape Variety          Shiraz

Region                    Coonawarra

Harvest                   26th March – 15th April 2014

pH                          3.5

Acidity                    6.05 g/L

Alc/vol                    13.5%

Vintage                   The 2015 vintage was dry with below average rainfall.          

Oak Maturation       A combination of older French and American oak barriques for three months.

Cellaring Potential   Enjoy now or will cellar well up to five

KATNOOK FOUNDER’S BLOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014.  RRP $20

Grape Variety          Cabernet Sauvignon

Region                    Coonawarra

Harvest                   March - April 2014

pH                          3.4

Acidity                    6.3g/L

Alc/vol                    13.5%

Vintage                   The 2014 vintage was noted for its dry, mild conditions and below average rainfall. These dry conditions continued right through the growing season and produced red wines that have great colour and fine tannins.

Oak Maturation       27 percent of this wine was matured for four months in a combination of French and American oak barriques.

Cellaring Potential   Enjoy now or cellar for up to five

KATNOOK ESTATE SHIRAZ 2012. RRP $40

Coonawarra’s 2012 vintage was characterised by above average temperatures and below average rainfall. The warm and dry conditions produced ripe, full bodied reds with generous fruit, deep colour and fine, lingering tannins. The abundant fruit and structure of these wines ensure strong cellaring potential.

Grape Variety          Shiraz

Region                    Coonawarra

Harvest                   15th – 22nd March 2012

pH                          3.29

Acidity                    6.46g/L

Alc/vol                    13.5%

Vintage                   Coonawarra’s 2012 vintage was marked by above average temperatures and below average rainfall. Harvest was amongst the earliest starts on record. The warm, dry conditions accelerated development and contributed to a very early harvest of Shiraz. These conditions produced fruit in excellent condition at near optimum maturity.

Oak Maturation       Matured for approximately 15 months in a combination of French and American oak Barrels. All of these barrels were mostly two years old.

Cellaring Potential   This wine will age gracefully for 15 years.

Vintage 2016 In the Bag

Vintage is in the bag for another year and what a great year it was.  Katnook Viticulturist, Chris Brodie elaborates on the growing conditions.   "Katnook had an ideal lead up to Vintage 2016, with above average temperatures for the early part of the season (especially October), and the driest spring and summer for many years, maybe on record.

Harvest started on February 5th 2016, our earliest vintage yet, with the harvest of pinot meuniere, then chardonnay and pinot noir for sparkling wine base – followed by whites. Red varieties were picked throughout March with harvest ending on 31st March.

We had occasional, light rain during vintage which, with water from our high quality ground water resources, helped sustain the vines and fruit quality.   Cabernet sauvignon quality is particularly exciting.

There were no frosts or disease in the lead up to harvest, nor any weather extremes. Good quality fruit growth and near perfect crop load balance resulted in a pleasing vintage."

Senior Winemaker Wayne Stehbens reports that, "2016 was our earliest start to vintage on record and it was a year of ‘firsts’.

-the first time all the white wines have been picked by the end February.
-the first time we have picked red grapes (other than sparkling base) in February (on the 29th).
-the first time we have finished picking all grapes by 31st March.

The cooler nights and days experienced in early March slowed down the maturities of  red grapes, thus greatly enhancing colour and flavour retention.

Our early predictions of above average quality for white wines were accurate.  Sparkling wines and the whites – chardonnay, riesling and sauvignon blanc - have great balance, pleasing varietal flavours and aromatics.

The red wines at this early stage have excellent colour, generous flavours and persistent tannin structures, adding balance and weight.

Overall,  I rate 2016 as a well above average year."

 

Aircraft Assisting Coonawarra Vineyard Quality

A new project, partly funded by the SA State Government, is helping Coonawarra vignerons reduce vine water stress and improve nutrient status, giving even better quality wines. The Innovative Coonawarra Grape and Wine Incorporated Project is being undertaken at 21 vineyards including Katnook. 

The collected data includes chlorophyll levels, vine canopy temperatures and vine growth. It is being converted into maps on a block by block basis. Coonawarra viticulturists are using the technology with the assistance of researchers from the University of Adelaide. 

Project leader and viticulturist at Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate Dr Cath Kidman said information collected in the early stages of the project is already having a positive impact.  “We’re now gaining ‘real time’ information which means that growers can potentially make strategic irrigation decisions a whole lot earlier than previously possible,” she said.  “This is all about working as a community to innovate and enhance grape and wine quality, whilst conserving Coonawarra’s precious groundwater.”

Katnook Estate Vineyard manager Chris Brodie said the initial flyover revealed some areas under stress. “In response to that information, we replaced 50 irrigation lines and a second flight indicated that the affected vines are already showing signs of recovery,” he said.  “Access to actual vine water stress information in a timely and relevant way means that our company can use water more efficiently and potentially improve the quality of our wine. 

“I think the information obtained from this project will provide many unforseen benefits. I can use this data in so many ways, enabling me to undertake actions this year and in coming years.”

A final report on the results of the trial flights and data gathering is due next month.   In 2014-15 South Australia’s Gross Wine Revenue was $1.78 billion, with the state’s winemakers producing 507 million litres of wine worth $1.6 billion. In 2014-15 the farm gate value of grapes rose by 11% to $470 million. 

Vintage 2016 looking fabulous!

Katnook Vineyard Manager, Chris Brodie explains, “We have had an ideal lead up to Vintage 2016, with above average temperatures for the early part of the season and the driest spring and summer for many years, maybe on record. Harvest started on February 5th 2016, our earliest vintage yet, with the harvest of pinot meuniere for sparkling wine base, followed closely by the whites.

Red varieties were completely harvested by the end of March. We had occasional, light rain during vintage which helped sustain the vines and fruit quality. There has not been any frost or disease in the lead up to harvest, nor have we had any weather extremes. We’ve enjoyed good leaf quality and fruit growth, as well as near perfect crop load balance. 2016 is shaping up to be an excellent year.

Meanwhile in the winery, Wayne Stehbens says, “ Although our earliest start to vintage on record, indications are that we have above average quality for Katnook white wines. Ripe varietal flavours developed at low sugar levels in the whites, meaning we can expect good varietal distinction at lower alcohol levels in the final wines.

Sparkling wine and all still white wines fermented evenly and were finished by the end of March. The cooler nights and days experienced in early Marchslowed down the maturities of red grapes, which was great for colour and flavour retention.

Early indicators are that we are in for some great 2016 wines in bottle.

Official Wine for Melbourne International Jazz Festival

Katnook Founder's Block has again been selected as the official wine for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, (MIJF) - the largest Jazz Festival in Australia.  The Festival is the perfect partner for our fruit driven Founder's Block wines - which like Jazz are lively and designed for immediate enjoyment. 

The 2016 Festival runs between 3rd to 12th of June across Melbourne’s recital and concert halls, public squares, jazz bars and clubs. The Festival will also develop a unique program Jazz-Out-West in Footscray and  utilise key live music venues in the area.   With its 19 year history, the MIJF has reached new heights and introduced audiences to the full jazz experience with over 300 jazz artists from Australia, USA, Norway, Puerto Rico, Israel, Ethiopia, Italy, Brazil, India and Poland. 

On June 10th, Katnook will host a VIP back stage tour for our customers before Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Septet perform live.  See our events page for more details.

Click here to check out all the MIJF program.

Katnook Gala Nights at the Opera

Katnook is proud to offer its customers an exclusive opportunity to meet the stars of Opera Australia’s “Pearlfishers” as part of our annual VIP Gala Nights at the Opera series.  In 2016, our first gala night was in Sydney on March 3rd and our next one will be held in  Melbourne on May 26th.

The evening includes pre show dinner and wine, A reserve seating, a program, VIP interval drinks at which Katnook new releases will be served plus the post performance private meeting wiht  the stars.  See our events tab for more details and how to book.  Places are strictly limited.