2023 Koerner Adelaide Hills Sangiovese

94 pts
Salty, zesty, and packed with stone-fruit swagger, this Savagnin is summer in a glass.

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Description

This Sangiovese from Damon Koerner is pure Adelaide Hills magic, with medium-bodied brightness that feels just as at home on the dinner table as it does around a backyard BBQ.

Hand-harvested from well-tended vines planted in the late ‘90s, Damon gives these grapes a natural ferment in open steel, coaxing out flavour through gentle hand plunging and pumping.

It's a classy medium-bodied red, with silky tannins, bursting with wild strawberry, cherry, and subtle spice, then aged for a year in a massive Slavonian foudre and an extra six months in stainless before bottling.

At 12.4% alcohol, this wine is all about bright acidity and balance, practically begging to be enjoyed with your favourite pasta or lamb dish. It’s pure Sangiovese, fresh, structured, and unapologetically food-friendly—just how Damon likes it.

94 points
"Bright fruit notes of dark cherries, wild blackberries, tobacco leaves and dried herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of raspberries, graphite and potpourri. Great balance of bright fruit and a savory undertone. Delicious. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling

94 points - "Bright fruit notes of dark cherries, wild blackberries, tobacco leaves and dried herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of raspberries, graphite and potpourri. Great balance of bright fruit and a savory undertone. Delicious. Drink or hold." - James Suckling

92 points - "The wine edgy and energetic with its vivacious acid profile and general pluck and crunch. Red cherries galore at the crisper edge of their profile. Likewise strawberry where the flesh under the calyx and sepals is white – hence a bitter-tartness amongst that more recognisable flavour. There’s a faint slosh of cola, a faint lick of liquid cinnamon/clove spice too. Tannins are firming, stony and proper. It feels a bit on the leaner side where it gets a little too firm and dry, but there’s merit in that for the variety too. Get some red sauce pasta happening and watch it work better." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Medium bodied red - red fruits, spice and long tannins

Vineyard: Deanery

Varietal: 100% Sangiovese

Planted: 2000, 1996 & 1998

Soil type: Clay loam on shale soft rock and sandy loam on deep clay

Picking date: April 4 & 18, 2023

Picking method: Hand harvested and sorted in vineyard

Processing: Destemmed retaining some whole berries with no whole bunch

Fermentation: Natural ferment in open top steel fermenters, hand plunged and pumped over daily

Time on skins: 2 weeks

Pressing: Free run and pressings combined

Settling: Settled off gross lees for 7 days

Aging vessel: 2000L Slavonian oak Foudre for 12 months, then stainless steel for 6 months on fine lees

Filtration: No

Fining: No

Bottled: July 2024

Alc: 12.4

pH: 3.27

TA: 7.7

SO2: 26 F / 55 T

Production: 410 dozen

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Sangiovese
Country Australia
Region Adelaide Hills
Australian State SA
Reviewed By The Wine Front
James Suckling
Critic Score 92
94
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Cork

Koerner

Growing up in Clare Valley, Damon Koerner developed a deep connection with the region's rich wine history. In 2014, he and his brother Jono launched Koerner Wines to bring fresh energy to their home turf, creating vibrant, modern wines that feel both distinctly Clare and cutting-edge.

Koerner Wines is all about blending tradition with innovation. Damon’s organically-minded approach and contemporary techniques – like fermenting and ageing in clay amphora – result in wines that are bright, food-friendly, and ideally suited to Australia’s climate.

Using his family’s Gullyview vineyard alongside nearby plots, Damon works with Clare Valley classics like Riesling and Cabernet, while also embracing more unique varieties like Carignan, Sciacarello, and top-notch Vermentino. His wines showcase Clare Valley’s diversity, revealing unexpected sides of this iconic region. With a recent expansion into the Adelaide Hills, the range continues to grow and mature.

As one of Australia’s most celebrated young winemakers, Damon Koerner is redefining what Clare Valley & Adelaide Hills wines can be. If you haven’t tried Koerner Wines yet, it’s high time to explore these excellent South Australian vinos.

Damon Koerner in his Adelaide Hills winery Koerner

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