• Delivery
Wine clubWine clubWine clubWine club
  • Gift registry
  • Wishlist
  • FAQs
Legendary Penfold winemaker John Duval began his apprenticeship in 1974 under the tutelage of the late great Max Schubert. Duval's family had been supplying Penfolds with fruit and root stock for generations, many of South Australia's most prestigious vineyards were sown with cuttings from Duval's family property. Duval was awarded International Wine & Spirit Competition Winemaker of Year and twice London International Red Winemaker of Year. He now focuses on releasing painfully limited editions, assembled from precious parcels of elite Barossa vine, hand crafted by one of the world's most accomplished and peer respected winemakers... Ancient barossa hamlet vines»
Kooyong Estate only make limited editions from tiny blocks of vine, a hectare or less, which yield deeply personal wines, highly eloquent of their terroir, aspect and clime. There are the pebbled ironstone soils of Farrago, which create an uncannily Burgundesque style of Chardonnay, redolent of grapefruits, mealy bran and wet flint. The precious half hectare at Faultline articulates the savouryness of seaweed and struck match. The sheltered lee of Haven Block encourages the grapes to bloom with chewy red jube characters. The windswept parcel at Meres infuses wonderfully perfumed rhubarb and ribena notes into a velvetine tannin structure. All are equally remarkable for their individuality, they speak of little places, husbanded to artisanal winemaking practices, the most wonderful expressions of Mornington... Venerable vintages from the most precious parcels»

Knappstein Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon CONFIRM VINTAGE

Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley South Australia
Knappstein has been the most conspicuous name in the development of Clare Valley wine since 1895. Originally established by Tim Knappstein as Enterprise Wines, the low yielding Enterprise Vineyard yields some of the region's finest Cabernet Sauvignon, exhibiting bold concentration of flavour, distinctive mint eucalypt flavours, fine, velvety tannins and striking acidity, as derived from the iron rich soils and limestone geology. Replanted in 1969, the calibre and typicity of Enterprise Vineyard has shone consistently throughout the years.
Available by the dozen
Case of 12
$299.00
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller components Merlot and Cabernet Franc, sourced from the estate's Yertabulti, Enterprise and Ackland vineyards. A couple of carefully selected growers from a little further north in the Clare Valley also contribute grapes. The diverse range of vineyards enhances the rich textures. The wine was made with minimal intervention to preserve fruit purity. Vinified in a combination of static potter and open fermenters for over a fortnight, with gentle extraction of flavours and texture through pumping over and hand plunging four times daily. The skins are then pressed and the wine allowed to settle before transfer to a selection of fine oak barrels for ageing.
Brooding red colour. Displaying the rich textures of Clare valley, lifted cassis and black currants with subtle Clare eucalypt on the nose. The palate reveals ripe blackberries and black currants with integrated oak. A wine of soft, velvety textures, the fine persistence of flavours is balanced by fine, sandy tannins.
Knappstein
1 - 8 of 8
1
1 - 8 of 8
1
Knappstein
Knappstein is one of the most recognisable and popular Clare Valley wineries

Knappstein are a small producer of premium quality wines, who manage their own vineyards. Redeveloped around the historic Enterprise Brewery building at the heart of Clare township, and deeply connected to the community and cultural life of Clare. The Knappstein name has been involved in the wine business in Clare since 1895. The winery was originally founded by Tim Knappstein as Enterprise Wines, a name utilised for the premium Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard and thus honouring the Knappstein heritage as early winemakers connected with Clare for well over 100 years.

Knappstein

The Clare Valley lies 130km north of Adelaide and 60km east of the Gulf St. Vincent perched high amid the North Mount Lofty Ranges. As one of Australia's longest established regions, with plantings by the Jesuits dating back to 1851, the Clare Valley is also one of the most defined regions in terms of climate, geology, soils, varieties, viticultural techniques and quality of wine.

The north / south oriented Clare Valley is approximately 40km long and 14km wide with the bottom of the valley lying at about 250 metres above sea level and its eastern escarpment rising to over 580 metres. As a result significant differences exist between vineyards in their altitude, latitude and individual topography. The latter is reflected in many mesmerising contour vineyards which most clearly depict this unique region.

Over the past 20 years the Knappstein winemakers have developed an almost intuitive understanding of the Clare Valley. Central to the understanding of the affinity certain grape varieties have with the region, are the efforts over the past 10 years to ensure a natural environment under which the vines can find their innate balance. Hand pruning of all the vines, and hand picking of the delicate varieties have been obvious choices for the winemakers. A more subtle environmental choice has been the planting of permanent rye grass between rows. This has not only eliminated unnecessary compaction of the ground by plough machinery and prevented the erosion of the unique mosaic of soils, but also caused distinct changes in the meso-climate.

Knappstein

The winery's decision to un-graft some Chardonnay in preference of its 30 year old Shiraz rootstock was an unfashionable choice in the 1990s. By allowing the vines to find their natural balance, Knappstein has best been able to understand the quality and characteristics of the different sites. Of these, three 30 year old vineyards have excelled with unique characteristics and calibre for their respective variety.

In 1971, Knappstein's Ackland Vineyard was planted at the cool altitudes of 420-450 metres overlooking nearby Watervale township. Its east and north-east facing aspect protects the vines from the prevailing winds off the Great Southern Ocean. Thus whilst capturing the full morning sun to develop strong lime and citrus flavours the high natural acids are greatly enhanced by the cold night-time temperatures of this altitude. The slate and shaley rock abundant in the Ackland vineyard soils play a crucial role in the aromatic development of the Riesling, whilst the delicate floral nuances are unique to the handful of vineyards within this Watervale area. Further north on a slightly warmer site, located on the Clare Valley's famous Terra Rosa soils over limestone, is Knappstein's Enterprise Vineyard. The low-yielding Cabernet vines of this vineyard bear fruit with incredibly bold concentration of flavour, distinctive mint-eucalypt flavours with fine natural tannins and striking acidity derived from the iron rich soils and the limestone geology. Planted in 1969, the calibre and typicity of the vineyard has shone through consistently over time, and now is the source of the Knappstein Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. This vineyard has produced all the Enterprise Cabernet Sauvignon since 1974.

"Knappstein Lenswood Vineyards is now the sole (and full-time) occupation of Tim and Annie Knappstein, Tim Knappstein having retired from the winery which bears his name in the Clare Valley, and having sold most of the Clare vineyards to Petaluma (along with the wine business). With 25.5 hectares of close-planted, vertically trained vineyards maintained to the exacting standards of Tim Knappstein, the business will undoubtedly add to the reputation of the Adelaide Hills as an ultra-premium area!" -James Halliday

Knappstein