Awards & Reviews
97 Points — Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
“Native ferment, with 16 days on skins; maturation in a 2300L oak vat. This with a certain succulence allied with tension, a play of sour cherry spiced with caraway, tart raspberry confiture, red plum, haunting warm spices, orange-fruity coffee grounds, umeboshi, dried mint and bitter chocolate, and all feeling of fruit, of place, the winemaking subservient. The fruit swoops in on the palate, expansive but serene, with ripples of texture, tannins extracted masterfully, caressing, savoury but not drying, quietly commanding. Brilliant.”
Published 7 August 2024
97 Points — Huon Hooke, The Real Review
“Very deep, bright red-purple colour; rich dark berry and bitter cherry aromas, concentrated, powerful and long on the palate. An arresting wine of profound and beguiling flavour, dimension and drive. Has a great future if cellared.”
Reviewed 28 September 2024 | Drinking Window: 2024–2041
96 Points — The Wine Front
Tasted September 2024
95 Points — Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Drinking Window: 2024–2041
About This Wine
A compelling single-block McLaren Vale Shiraz from Stephen Pannell’s Koomilya vineyard, the 2021 DC Block captures an extraordinary balance of power and finesse. Sourced from 49-year-old vines on ancient slaty siltstone and ironstone soils, it is dark, savoury and deeply concentrated, yet driven by freshness, mineral energy and beautifully controlled tannins.
The DC Block is named after Don Cant, the vineyard’s previous owner, and was the first individual block at Koomilya to be released as a single-block wine. The south-east-facing parcel sits at 108 metres altitude, giving a distinctive expression of site that Stephen Pannell describes through the interplay of strength, intensity and structural grape tannin.
Tasting Notes
Deeply savoury and complex, with briny, dark-toned aromas layered with red currant, Satsuma plum, charcuterie, tapenade and Russian caravan tea. Pomegranate, cranberry and boysenberry bring a vivid line of freshness, complemented by sandalwood and pie-crust complexity.
The palate is powerful and energetic, with a deep core of fruit wrapped in savoury, textural tannins that build in increasingly powerful waves. Despite its concentration, there is an intriguing tension between lightness and weight, elegance and power, carrying the wine through a long and commanding finish.
About Koomilya
Koomilya is Stephen Pannell’s historic McLaren Vale vineyard, where his focus is firmly on site expression and wines shaped by fruit rather than winemaking artifice. The single-block wines explore individual parcels within the vineyard, highlighting the character of their old vines, ancient soils and distinctive aspects. The DC Block was the first of these parcels to be bottled separately.
Specifications
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Vintage: 2021
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Grape Variety: Shiraz
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Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia
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Vineyard: DC Block, Koomilya Vineyard
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Vine Age: 49 years
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Aspect: South-east facing
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Altitude: 108m
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Soil: Ancient dark grey slaty siltstone flecked with ironstone
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Harvest: Hand harvested on 6 March 2021
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Fermentation: Spontaneous fermentation in large old oak fermenters; 14 days on skins
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Maturation: Nine-year-old 2,300L French oak vat and two new puncheons
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Production Attributes: Racked once; bottled unfined on 28 October 2022
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Alcohol: 14%
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pH: 3.51
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Total Acidity: 6.7
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Drinking Window: 2024–2041
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Cellaring: Producer recommends more than 15 years
