Shiraz 2013 Founder s Block wines are named in honour of the original land holding of John Riddoch, the founder of Coonawarra. The Founder s Block range is styled for everyday enjoyment, inviting a modern generation of wine consumers to explore the pleasures of Coonawarra wine. The wines are grounded in the past but genuinely focused on the present. They are honest, fruit driven, harmonious and shine with pure Coonawarra character. Harvest :: 8 th March 4 th April, 2013 ph :: 3.33 Acidity :: 6.91g/L RS :: 2.4g/L Alc/vol :: 13.5% Vintage :: Good winter rainfall led into a warm and dry spring. These dry conditions continued right through the growing season which in turn produced and earlier than normal start to vintage. These conditions produced red wines that have great colour and fine tannins. Oak Maturation :: Approximately 20% of this wine was aged in a combination of older French and American oak barrels for ten months. Food Matching :: Perfect with Moroccan-spiced lamb cooked on the barbeque, with a Greek salad or pepper-spiced beef stir-fry with Colour :: Deep plum with vibrant purple tinges. Nose :: Intense dark berry fruit, blackberry and dark cherry. Lifted nose of violets with hints of cloves and spiced plum. Subtle tones of dark chocolate, vanilla and liquorice enhance the vibrant fruit. Palate :: A generous palate of vibrant raspberry, hints of chocolate and pepper spice. Subtle vanillian oak characters enhance the fruit characters with soft lingering tannins rounding out the finish. Wayne Stehbens, Senior Winemaker
Shiraz 2012 original land holding of John Riddoch, the founder of Coonawarra. With Katnook Estate pedigree, the Founder s Block range is styled for everyday drinking, inviting a modern generation of wine consumer to enjoy the pleasures of Coonawarra wine. The wines are grounded in the past but genuinely focused on the present. They are fresh, fruit driven and shine with pure Coonawarra character. Harvest :: 15 th 19 th March 2012 ph :: 3.34 Acidity :: 6.91g/L RS :: 2.9g/L Alc/vol :: 13.5% Vintage :: The 2012 vintage in Coonawarra was noted for slightly warmer conditions and well below average rainfall especially throughout the later stages of the growing season. This led to an earlier than usual vintage with red wines that display vibrant fruit with great concentration. Oak Maturation :: Approx. 50% of this wine was matured in a combination of new and old French oak barrels. The balance of the wine was matured in stainless steel to highlight freshness of fruit in the final blend. Food Matching :: Perfect with Moroccan-spiced lamb cooked on the barbeque, served with a Greek salad or pepper-spiced beef stir-fry with Colour :: Deep plum with vibrant purple tinges. Nose :: Intense dark berry fruit, including blackberry and dark cherry. Lifted nose of violets with hints of cloves and spiced plum. Subtle tones of dark chocolate, vanilla and liquorice enhance the vibrant fruit. Palate :: A generous palate of vibrant raspberry, hints of chocolate and pepper spice. Subtle vanillian oak characters enhance the fruit characters with soft lingering tannins rounding out the finish. Wayne Stehbens, Senior Winemaker
Katnook Founder s Block Shiraz 2011 With Katnook Estate pedigree, the Founder s Block range is styled for everyday drinking, inviting a modern generation of wine consumers to enjoy the pleasures of Coonawarra wine. The wines are grounded in the past but genuinely focused on the present. They are honest, fruit driven, harmonious and shine with pure Coonawarra character. Harvest :: 25 th March - 20 th April ph :: 3.46 Acidity :: 6.9g/L RS :: 2.0g/L Alc/vol :: 13.0% Vintage :: The 2011 vintage experienced above average rainfall during the summer and these unseasonal conditions extended into harvest during March and April. Founders Block Shiraz features vibrant varietal fruit with rich colour and fine tannins- A great example of cool climate Shiraz. Oak Maturation :: Approximately 50% of this wine was matured in a combination of new and old French oak barrels. The balance of the wine was matured in stainless steel to highlight freshness of fruit in the final blend. Food Matching :: Perfect with Moroccan-spiced lamb cooked on the barbeque, served with a Greek salad or pepper-spiced beef stir-fry with Colour :: Deep plum with light purple tinges. Nose :: Vibrant, dark berry fruit, including blueberry and cranberry. Hints of lifted violet notes are complemented by nutmeg and cinnamon spice. All the wonderful fruit characters are enhanced by subtle tones of dark chocolate, vanilla and liquorice. Palate :: The palate is generous and rounded with juicy berry fruits, pepper and mocha characters. Spicy notes lend depth and complexity to the palate, complemented by seductive and lingering tannins.
Shiraz 2010 With Katnook Estate pedigree, the Founder s Block range is styled for everyday drinking, inviting a modern generation of wine drinkers to enjoy the pleasures of Coonawarra wine people who know what they want and with whom they like to share it. The wines are grounded in the past but genuinely focused on the present. They are honest, fruit driven, harmonious and shine with pure Coonawarra character. Harvest :: 18th March 7th April ph :: 3.35 Acidity :: 6.6g/L RS :: 2.9g/L Alc/vol :: 13.5% Vintage :: 2010 Coonawarra vintage will be remembered as one of the earliest and also for being amongst the best for many a year. The weather conditions below average rainfall and above average temperatures in Coonawarra leading up to harvest, were conducive to an early start to picking and this has followed through to excellent quality in the fruit, including this Shiraz. This Shiraz features vibrant varietal fruit flavours with rich colour and fine tannins. A great example of cool climate Shiraz. Oak Maturation :: Approximately 50% of this wine was matured in a combination of American and French oak barrels, a combination of old and new. The balance of the wine was matured in stainless steel to highlight freshness of fruit in the final blend. Food Matching :: Lamb and Shiraz are hard to separate in food pairing. Lamb ragout with couscous and your favourite vegetables is great for the colder months. Also fantastic with a pepper-spiced lamb stirfry on rice or noodles. Colour :: Deep plum with light red tinges. Nose :: The aroma features vibrant and ripe dark and red-berry fruit including blueberry and cranberry. Hints of violet are complemented with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon spice notes. All the wonderful fruit characters are backed by subtle dark chocolate and vanilla oak notes. Palate :: Fine, fragrant, long and balanced. The ample juicy, raspberry, blueberry and plum flavours sit over a delicate acid backbone. Subtle vanilla and mocha oak complements the bright fruit. Spice notes lend depth and complexity to the palate. The tannins are fine and finish the wine beautifully.
Shiraz 2009 With the Katnook Estate pedigree of Classic Coonawarra, the Founder s Block range is styled for everyday drinking, inviting a modern generation of wine drinkers to enjoy the pleasures of Coonawarra wine people who know what they want and with whom they like to share it. The wines are grounded in the past but genuinely focused on the present. They are honest, fruit driven, harmonious and shine with pure Coonawarra character. Harvest :: 24th March 21st April ph :: 3.42 Acidity :: 6.2g/L RS :: 2.2g/L Alc/vol :: 13.5% Vintage :: The 2009 vintage was preceded by a brief blast of heat with four consecutive days of record high temperatures in Coonawarra. Fortunately, healthy vine canopies shielded most varieties from any major damage. Cool to mild temperatures and dry conditions followed this heat blast, providing a long slow ripening period, producing fruit that was harvested at optimum ripeness. This Shiraz features generous and rich fruit flavours of the vintage with excellent colour and fine tannins. It will be a great drinking wine for all occasions. Oak Maturation :: 15% of the wine was matured in new fine grained American oak barrels, 3% in new French oak and 22% in older barrels. The balance of the wine was matured in stainless steel. Food Matching :: Perfect with Moroccan-spiced lamb backstrap cooked on the barbeque, served with a Grecian salad and drizzled with lemon and paprika infused yoghurt dressing. Colour :: Deep plum with light purple tinges. Nose :: The aroma features vibrant, ripe dark berry fruit including blueberry and boysenberry. Hints of lifted violet are complemented with vibrant nutmeg and cinnamon spice notes. All the wonderful fruit characters are backed by subtle dark chocolate, vanilla and caramel oak maturation tones. Palate :: The palate is generous, rich and rounded with ample ripe juicy berry fruit flavours. The tannins are supple and seductive. Subtle and harmonious coffee and chocolate oak complements the fruit. Spicy notes lend depth and complexity to the palate.