Koomilya

Koomilya is winemaker Stephen Pannell's singular McLaren Vale project, a twelve hectare vineyard in the Upper Tintara that he acquired in 2012. One of Australia's most respected winemakers, Pannell had long coveted the site, having made a Jimmy Watson Trophy winning wine from its fruit during his years at Hardy's. It has the potential to become one of the country's most sought after vineyards. First planted in the late 1800s, Koomilya is defined by unusually sandy soils and old vine fruit that give the wines a distinctive freshness and aromatic lift. Pannell farms with minimal intervention, in pursuit of an honest sense of place. As he puts it, the wines hark back to what McLaren Vale looked like in the 1960s, without the artifice of modern winemaking. The estate is expressed through three single block Shiraz. The DC Block is the most tannic, its tightly knit structure carrying intense fruit to a long finish. The GT Block, from vines grafted over Gewürztraminer, is all blackberry, spice and violet. The JC Block, from fifty year old vines, is powerful and savoury, with the cocoa and terracotta notes typical of Upper Tintara. Elegant, powerful and utterly site driven, the Koomilya wines are among the most exciting in McLaren Vale. They reward patience and belong in a serious cellar. This is modern Australian Shiraz at its most soulful.