2013 Koomilya DC Block Shiraz

Koomilya

Australia / McLaren Vale / Koomilya

A dry winter and spring leading into vintage 2013, and effectively no rainfall for three months from December. It was also notable for being a warm summer. Due to the dry conditions there were small crops and small berries, but the fruit was extremely clean and showed great quality.
Single-block Shiraz from vines of approximately 80 years of age. Hand-harvested on 21st February. A total of 4.54 tonnes spent 13 days on skins. This is the most tannic block on the vineyard so it didn't need any more time. The hard pressings were removed, giving a juice yield of approximately 40 litres per tonne. Transferred to stainless steel until the middle of May before being moved to a 2,500-litre vat and one puncheon. 351 dozen bottled on 8th December 2014, spending a total of 18 months in oak.

June, 2017

Tyson Stelzer

Australian & New Zealand Wines of the Year 2017

96 points

Steve Pannell has long had his eye on the 85 year old shiraz block next to Kay’s vineyard. He finally acquired it in 2012 and this is the first release of the finest parcel of the block, to the tune of just 250 cases. An articulate voice of ancient vines, it’s wonderfully spicy and fragrant with sarsaparilla, anise and red and black berry fruits of all kinds, framed masterfully in Steve’s signature finely textured tannins, yet with a confidence and endurance that promise a long life. It captures the character of this special site.

October, 2016

Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front

95 points

Funnily enough there’s a fair amount of artifice to be found in this wine; it boasts a fairly thick coating of toasty, malty, chocolatey oak. This is a smooth, rich and dense red, its liquorice and blackberry flavours presented in smooth and polished form. Tannin spreads through the wine like an irresistible idea, bringing spice, redcurrant and raspberry characters with it. It’s bright and dark at once, fresh and grumpy too, smooth but rugged. It has many, many years ahead of it.

Nick Stock

jamessuckling.com

96 points

Deep earthy and almost Italianesque in its savoury aura of aromas, some dried rose petals too. Liquorice, stony notes and a dark dried plum blackberry and succulent tannins wrapped in elixir-like dark plum fruits. Supple and rich with a long trail of polished tannin that has a deeply lustrous shine. Limousine-like length and luxury feel. Fine now and will improve for 20+ years. Best after 2020.

James Halliday

Halliday Wine Companion 2916

95 points

The ultimate 'look, no hands' approach: crush and press the grapes into a five-year-old, 2700-litre vat, leave it strictly alone for 17 months, then bottle it. Deeply coloured, this is 100% full-bodied, with multiple layers of black fruits and ripe tannins blotting out everything else except bitter dark chocolate. Will be prodigiously long lived.

Jancis Robinson

jancisrobinson.com

17.5/20

Blackish crimson. Punchy and intense. But not sweet: treacle and balsam, succulent with lots of freshness. Dry finish and a sleeping giant. Not dry or drying. Lots of personality. Appetising and lively. 14%.

December, 2016

Philip Rich, Top 20 Wines of 2016

Financial Review

In 2012 Stephen Pannell bought a 32-hectare property in the upper Tintara subregion of McLaren Vale. Established in the late 19th century and with 12 hectares under vine, he renamed it Koomilya. This, his first Koomilya release, might just be the finest moment in what has already been a glittering career. Made with fruit from 80-year-old vines matured in an older 2500-litre vat and puncheon, it has earth, dark fruits and ironstone aromas. The palate has an old-vine creaminess balanced by ripe, persistent tannins.

Tyson Stelzer

Australian & New Zealand Wines of the Year 2017

96 points

Steve Pannell has long had his eye on the 85 year old shiraz block next to Kay’s vineyard. He finally acquired it in 2012 and this is the first release of the finest parcel of the block, to the tune of just 250 cases. An articulate voice of ancient vines, it’s wonderfully spicy and fragrant with sarsaparilla, anise and red and black berry fruits of all kinds, framed masterfully in Steve’s signature finely textured tannins, yet with a confidence and endurance that promise a long life. It captures the character of this special site.

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

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 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.