Knappstein winemaker Michael Kane. Knappstein Wines YouTube
Knappstein Wines of Clare is marking its 50th anniversary this yr by refreshing its labels.
Knappstein is a reputation well-known in Australian wine, particularly within the Clare Valley. Mick Knappstein was a legend in Clare, the place he ran the Stanley Leasingham wine firm within the Nineteen Sixties and ‘70s. He mentored Tim Adams amongst many, and had an extended affiliation with Max Schubert of Penfolds.
Except for its new labels, with their extra fashionable look, Knappstein Wines has launched two super-premium wines—a riesling and a shiraz—beneath the 1878 Transcendence model.
Mick’s nephew, third-generation winemaker Tim Knappstein, opened his eponymous vineyard in an outdated stone constructing, the previous Enterprise Brewery, within the Clare township in 1974. After establishing it solidly over twenty years, he bought it and moved to the Adelaide Hills (to open Riposte Wines) within the mid-Nineties, the place he’s been ever since.
Right now, Knappstein Wines is owned by a Chinese language firm, Yinmore.
Except for its new labels, with their extra fashionable look, Knappstein Wines has launched two super-premium wines—a riesling and a shiraz—beneath the 1878 Transcendence model. The 1878 Transcendence Riesling 2024 and 1878 Transcendence Shiraz 2021 are priced at AUD $70 and $130 respectively.
Winemaker Michael Kane has produced a superfine riesling from the corporate’s Ackland winery, a wine of 11.5% alcohol and loaded with citrus florals and crushed herb nuances.
“None of my wines ‘want’ to be cellared, however they are going to age and have an optimum consuming window,” says Kane.
His Transcendence Shiraz is fascinating as a strong however not over-built wine, of simply 13.5% alcohol, which can appear low for Clare shiraz nowadays. Sourced from the corporate’s contoured, low-yielding Provis winery, it’s extra like a Clare crimson of the previous, save for the proof of some new oak within the maturation combine. (It’s really seen one-third new, one-third one year-old and one-third two year-old barrels.) Low yielding on this winery means between 2 and 4 tonnes of grapes per hectare, which is certainly low.
Kane says the wine is the results of chosen rows of vines, chosen parcels of wine and chosen barrels.
“The winery has a specific clone of shiraz, recognized solely because the Provis clone, which has smaller bunches and rounder berries.”
So, the 1878 Transcendence wines are boldly priced, however the most effective information is that the common Knappstein wines stay very attractively priced and nice worth. My decide of the present releases could be a toss-up between the 2022 Knappstein Property Shiraz and 2022 Knappstein Property Cabernet Sauvignon—each AUD $22 and each nice buys.
These vintages nonetheless put on the outdated labels, that are about 20 years outdated, however the brand new ones are coming!
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