The Australian Wine Club: deal on Clare Valley's Knappstein wines
Knappstein senior winemaker Michael Kane
The grand old French-born grape has found its enduring qualities called into question of late, amid suggestions that wine drinkers are shifting their preferences to lighter, easy-drinking styles.
But Kane, who cut his teeth in the cabernet stronghold of Margaret River before discovering the joys of Clare, says the 'boundaries need to be broken down' to ensure the timeless appeal of elegant, fruit-driven cabernet isn't written off as 'an old man's drink'.
'Fashions and trends come and go but red wines like cabernet are not going anywhere – cabernet and shiraz will be the stalwarts of our wine industry for many years to come,'' he says.
'Cabernet is really the hidden gem in Clare Valley. There's an elegance and softness in our cabernets, with those nice primary red and blue fruits and higher feminine notes, which means they can be enjoyed on their release but there's also structure and complexity.'
Kane is backing up his passion with impressive results on the international show circuit, with the 2020 vintage of the premium Enterprise Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon being awarded the Great Gold and 95 points at the prestigious Catavinium World Wine and Spirits Competition in Spain last year. The 2021 vintages of the estate cabernet and estate shiraz-cabernet blend both scored gold medals.
The Australian Wine Club is jumping on the Knappstein bandwagon, offering these three award-winning wines, as well as the 94-point estate shiraz from the 2021 vintage, in our dozen deal of the week. And if any extra incentive is required to sample these classics, you've got it. We're throwing in a free magnum of the 2020 Knappstein Clare Valley Shiraz. Yes, it's party time!
Kane's cabernet crusade traces a direct line back to the birth of the Knappstein wine business and a special vineyard planted 56 years ago.
Knappstein founder Tim Knappstein. Picture Matt Turner.
Tim Knappstein, regarded as one of the most innovative winemakers of his generation, planted the Enterprise vineyard in 1969. This vineyard would produce the fruit for the first wine to be released under his name – fittingly, a cabernet sauvignon from the 1974 vintage.
Located at the northern end of the Clare, the vines were planted with easterly and westerly aspects along a ridge and are dry-grown on red loam soils. The vineyard was named after Clare's original brewery, built in 1878, which Knappstein converted into a winery in 1974 in time for the release of his Enterprise cabernet.
'The vineyard was started by a legend, an icon of our industry, really, and we're incredibly fortunate to be able to still work with these old vines,'' says Kane, who began at Knappstein in 2020 after a long run in the West with wineries including Stella Bella and Devil's Lair.
Knappstein and wife Annie shifted their focus to the Adelaide Hills in the 1980s and sold the Clare business in 1992 to Petaluma, then being led by another trailblazing winemaker Brian Croser. The star quality of the Enterprise cabernet shone through again, with the 2000 vintage winning an international trophy at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2004.
A series of corporate moves later saw Petaluma (and the Knappstein brand) being acquired by wine giant Accolade Wines. In 2019, Accolade Wines sold the Knappstein winery, vineyards, and label to Yinmore Wines.
For Kane, the links with the Knappstein family are still important today: 'Each year, we invite Tim up to the winery and show him the wines and he shows us what he's been doing. It's a really nice relationship.'
The best way, of course, to discover the joys of soft, fruit-driven, complex Clare cabernet is to pour a glass – and with our free magnum on offer you'll have plenty to share with your wine-loving friends.
Knappstein Enterprise Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Fragrant floral aromas lift from the glass, with a waft of raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, milk chocolate and spice. Classic medium-bodied style; generous rich fruit flavours, grippy tannins and a hint of black olive and bush mint on the long finish. A wine of subtle complexity from an iconic vineyard. Great Gold, 95 points. 14% alc; RRP $65.
SPECIALS $62.99 a bottle in any dozen; $23.99 a bottle in Knappstein dozen.
Knappstein Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Welcoming cassis/blackcurrant scents, leafy notes, menthol, graphite and olive brine. Concentrated flavours wash across the mouth. Grippy tannins with plenty of fruit to balance. Subtle use of oak and fresh acidity. Bring on the steak. Gold. 14.5% alc; RRP $25.
SPECIALS $18.99 a bottle in any dozen; $23.99 a bottle in Knappstein dozen.
Knappstein Spring Farm Clare Valley Shiraz Cabernet 2021
Blend of 70 per cent shiraz and 30 per cent cabernet sauvignon. Plums and blackcurrants, touch of graphite and leafy, herby notes on the nose. Lovely soft medium-bodied palate, with rich shiraz flavours melding with hints of cabernet-derived blackcurrants, dark chocolate and fresh mint-cream. Gold. 14.5% alc; RRP $35.
SPECIALS $21.99 a bottle in any dozen; $23.99 a bottle in Knappstein dozen.
Knappstein Clare Valley Shiraz 2021
Brambles, blueberry and plum scents on the nose, along with dry herbs, aniseed and coffee. Juicy palate, soft texture, fine tannins. Loaded with savoury complexity. Gold at the London Wine Competition. 94 points, International Wine Challenge. 14.5% alc; RRP $25.
SPECIALS $18.99 a bottle in any dozen; $23.99 a bottle in Knappstein dozen.
FREE MAGNUM Knappstein Clare Valley Shiraz Magnum 2020. 93 points, The Real Review. 14.5% alc; RRP $50.
KNAPPSTEIN DOZENThree bottles of each wine above for $23.99 a bottle + Free Magnum. SAVE $212.
Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST and quote 'ACCJ'. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.
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