Cellarhand Koomilya

About Koomilya

When Stephen Pannell was a boy of 15 he found an old ship’s bell while diving off the end of Busselton jetty in Western Australia. It was the bell for the SS Koomilya, a ship carrying hardwood from Western Australia to Adelaide. This wine is about the curiosity that’s driven Steve from boy to man; about his journey to modern-day McLaren Vale and this vineyard, the muse that enchants him among ancient soils, bush and ocean. You’ll find it at the end of Amery Road, on a beautiful 80-acre property established in the late 1800s. There are 30 acres under vine, and the vineyards are surrounded by native bush land, almost nestled amid the forest. This mesoclimate, allied to three distinct soil types and geology dating back 520 million years, gives this place a unique geological and viticultural footprint. Steve fell in love with this heavenly spot as a young winemaker, and a couple of decades later purchased his piece of viticultural paradise. These great wines of place are the realisation of a long-cherished dream.

About Stephen Pannell

Stephen Pannell has twice won Australia’s most prestigious wine award, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy – most recently in 2014 for his 2013 Adelaide Hills Syrah – and his reputation is further hinted at by his being named one of the 50 most inﬂuential contributors to the world of wine by Decanter Magazine.
He earned his stripes working with some Australia’s iconic wineries including Wirra Wirra, Hardy’s Tintara and BRL Hardy, where he was Chief Red Winemaker from 1999 to 2003. He has worked numerous overseas vintages at such places as Domaine des Comtes Lafon in Burgundy, Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and G.D. Vajra in Barolo.
In 2014, Steve won his second Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy and further cemented his relationship with the great grapegrowing region that is South Australia by setting up a cellar door in the heart of McLaren Vale. His local legend status has been confirmed again and again, winning the Bushing Trophy for best red wine of show in McLaren Vale no less than four times: 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Current Range

2023 Koomilya Rosé

Koomilya

2021 Koomilya GT Block Shiraz

Koomilya

2021 Koomilya Cabernet Touriga

Koomilya

2019 Koomilya Tempranillo Touriga

Koomilya

2021 Koomilya JC Block Shiraz

Koomilya

2021 Koomilya DC Block Shiraz

Koomilya

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