Katnook Estate Founders Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Coonawarra Australia

Katnook Estate Founders Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from the famous Terra Rossa soil region of Coonawarra, Australia was named in honour of the original land holding of John Riddoch, the founder of Coonawarra, and the Katnook Estate Founder’s Block range is styled for everyday drinking.
This is actually a blend of 3% Merlot, 2% Shiraz and the remainder - Caberbnet Sauvignon.
The wine itself has had a little oak maturation, approximately 15% of the wine was matured in a combination of French and American Barriques, 30% of which were new and this adds a subtle layer in the resultant wine and tasted well integrated and smooth.
Shades of garnet at the rim and ruby at the core introduce this wine, as do the aromas of blackcurrant, plum, olive and a touch of mint, there is a slightly 'baked' character to it and looking at the weather profile - there was a blast of record high temperatures just prior to harvest, it could also be due to the pure fruit showing without the masking effect of oak maturation.
On the palate - blackcurrant, olive, mint and spice follow through, with additional black cherry and cedar box, it has great length, sufficient acidity to keep this wine clean and bright on the palate and the alcohol is well balancing at 13.5%, supportive, enrobing but not intrusive. Ripe soft tannins add to the wine, they are fine grained and slightly dusty - it is available for £14 from Elwood Wines, enjoy.
Score : 87
 

 

Coonawarra

The Coonawarra region is located in the far south-east of South Australia and has a viticultural history dating back to 1890. It is 100 kilometres (60 miles) inland, and is exposed to a maritime climate, with dry and moderately cool summers but maritime location does not, prevent the occurrence of spring frosts that are occasionally quite severe.  The climate is quite unique, persistent cloud cover partially moderates the ripening period temperatures. The terra rossa soil is what  Coonawarra is most famous for, but it is not unique to the region as many parts of the Limestone Coast Zone have similar soils, it is renowned for its affinity with Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Another soil format is the groundwater or black rendzina clay lying to the west of the limestone ridge and because of its poor drainage this soil is less favourable  The main wine styles produced in Coonawarra include  Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Riesling.