Koomilya is a 30-acre vineyard that sits at the end of Amery Road on the very edge of the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. The vineyards, the first of which were planted over 100 years ago, are surrounded by native forest, which is an important factor in moderating the climate. Home to an ancient soil type (dark grey, thinly laminated slaty siltstone flecked with ironstone) and a unique micro climate, this property leaves an unmistakable geological and viticultural mark. The GT Block Shiraz lies at 330 feet above sea level and is named for Gewurztraminer, the rootstock found in this block that was originally planted in 1974. The 2021 vintage was mostly joyous but not without its challenges. Good winter rain led to strong growth with good cover in the mid row and under vine well into summer. Nervous expectation after two low yielding years muted conversations about the potential for a good year right up until harvest. No disease pressure, good canopies and plentiful bunches lead to a long ripening season.

As always, Stephen Pannell’s goal in the cellar is to showcase a style that harks back to a tradition of what Australian wine looked like in the 1960s without all the artifice of winemaking. As such, the winemaking is incredibly straightforward. The grapes were hand harvested in mid-February from a single block of 31-year-old Shiraz vines. The fruit, which spent 12 days on skins with the hard pressings removed, was then transferred to stainless steel until early May. The wine was then moved to 3rd-use, 2300L French oak vats for malolactic fermentation and maturation. A small portion goes to large format oak puncheons.  After 18 months in oak, the wine was blended in tank and bottled without fining or filtering and with just a small sulfur addition.