Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Koerner The Clare is a Bordeaux blend made in a Loire style. The palate is vibrant with bright fruit notes & soft tannins. Jammy berries and forest floor.
Blend: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec, 12% Grenache, 9% Carignan & 1% Sciacarello
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mainly (51%) Cabernet Sauvignon, Koerner's 2020 The Clare Red Wine also includes 15% Cabernet Franc, 12% each Grenache and Malbec, 9% Carignan and 1% Sciacarello (a perfumed variety grown primarily on Corsica). Despite being basically three-fourths Bordeaux varieties, this tastes nothing like claret, boasting almost exaggerated perfume and floral aromas backed by red berries and spice. Refreshingly different, it's medium-bodied and silky in feel, immediately drinkable, with a fine dusting of gentle tannins on the lingering finish. I'd drink it over the next few years for its wonderful aromatic flourishes, but it could well evolve positively for a number of years beyond that.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A narrow band of hills and valleys east of the city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills region is a diverse landscape featuring a variety of microclimates. In general it is moderate with high-altitude areas cooler and wetter compared to its warmer, lower areas.
Piccadilly Valley, the part of Adelaide Hills closest to the city, was first staked out by a grower named Brian Croser, in the 1970s for a cool spot to grow Chardonnay, then uncommon in Australia. Today a good amount of the Chardonnay goes to winemakers outside of the region.
Producers here experiment with other cool-climate loving aromatic varieties like Pinot Gris, Viognier and Riesling. Charming sparkling wine is also possible. On its north side, lower, west-facing slopes make full-bodied Shiraz.