Winemaker Kevin Mitchell established the Kilikanoon wine estate when he purchased this lush piece of land in 1997, located in the hamlet of Penwortham in the beautiful and respected Clare Valley region. Kevin hails from a family rife with winemakers and viticulturists, which instilled him with a passion for wine from a very young age. He always envisioned establishing his own wine brand, and with the founding of Kilikanoon, he transformed his dream into reality.
Mort Mitchell, Kevin’s father and esteemed grape grower, was a major influence on his son. For over 40 years, he planted as well as tended to the Golden Hillside area of Kilikanoon, which included the reputed Mort’s Block. Whenever he used to work, Kevin would play or work along with his father, which is what initially piqued his interest in wine production.
The 1997 vintage yielded four single vineyard wines, named as follows – Oracle Shiraz, Blocks Road Cabernet, Prodigal Grenache and Mort’s Block Watervale Riesling. With the release of these premium quality wines, Kilikanoon Wines rocketed towards fame and Kevin Mitchell was applauded for his skill, craft and style. This new reputation allowed Kilikanoon to make numerous invaluable partnerships with respected vineyard owners in South Australia, including two of the finest – Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Experiencing small and humble beginnings in 1997, with only 25,000 bottles released to the wine market, Kilikanoon has now grown to an enormous size, manufacturing and exporting vibrant and elegant wines to over 25 countries.
Kilikanoon Wines operates with a unique philosophy in mind. Their biggest strength is the lush and nutrient rich Clare Valley terrier that they have access to. Clare Valley also exhibits an interesting fusion of diverse microclimates, which aid in the growth of incredible quality fruit displaying unique characters and flavours.
Terrier sits at the heart of Kilikanoon, as the harmony amongst the various elements – soil, place, people and climate, all of these are essential to the creation of wines which can truly deliver on their reputation. This is why Kevin himself has personally selected each vineyard from where they source fruit for their wines, so that each bottle of wine can aptly portray the wonderful array of flavours and aromas that are infused into the wine. The most sophisticated vineyard site of Kilikanoon lies at the southern corner of Leasingham, named Golden Hillside. Being the heart and soul of Kilikanoon, Golden Hillside includes Covenant, Mort’s Block, Attunga and Walton’s. The cool Skilly Valley region includes the Tregea vineyard that lies right next to the original Kilikanoon cottage, which now functions as the cellar door for the wine estate.
Kilikanoon crafts a wide array of wines, with some of the most notable wine ranges being Sparkling Vouvray, Killerman’s Run Collection, Asset Collection, Regional Collection, Icon Collection, Cello Collection and Classic Clare Collection. All of these magnificent wines can be found at major wine selling stores Australia.
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