01/09/2008

Youth Woos Judges…

KILIKANOON WINES 2008 Morts Reserve Watervale Riesling outshone over 900 entries to be awarded the judges choice as Wine of the Year at South Australia’s most prestigious wine event, the Hyatt Advertiser SA Wine of the Year Awards on Friday night. Described as “stunningly pure Watervale expression” by the judges and a “cracker of a vintage” by Kilikanoon’s winemaker and founder Kevin Mitchell, the 2008 Morts Reserve is a very limited bottling of this fine Riesling. Named in honour of Kevin’s father Mort, who planted the Riesling vines on Kilikanoon’s ‘Golden Hillside’ at Leasingham in the Clare Valley in the 1970’s and grown by parents-in-law Les and Helene Bourne this wine is a true expression of family ties both human and vinous. With minimalist winemaker intervention Riesling is the wine with the truest expression of it’s terroir… its own familial ties, and for Morts Reserve that is the terroir of Watervale, home of Kilikanoon Wines.

2008 is proving to be not only a stellar year for Clare Valley Rieslings but a truly golden year for Kilikanoon Wines. Kilikanoon 2005 Oracle recently won the International Shiraz Trophy for Best Shiraz worldwide at the highly prestigious International Wine Challenge in London. The award will be presented at a Gala Dinner in London this week, 3rd September 2008.

These major awards demonstrate convincingly the strength of Kilikanoon’s terroir, that magical mix of soil, climate and people.