It takes a lot to rouse the UK wine trade, but when Jamie Goode referred to Koomilya as “the new Wendouree” it really pricked up its ears, because Wendouree is Australia’s most revered cult wine, whose bottles rarely make it to these shores and when they do, they are snapped up by collectors, and in Australia, they are only available to a lucky few on Wendouree’s mailing list. I have never even seen one, let alone tasted one. So, when Jamie made that bold comparison, the big sharks of the wine trade detected blood in the water and started circling. Little did they know, however, that Koomilya is only available via three minnows of the UK wine trade and Vin Cognito is one of them! As volumes are tiny (we only have 6 cases available), it made no sense for them to sell through the bigger fine wine brokers and we were extremely honoured to be chosen. So, with a little bit more ado...

Koomilya is the new project of Steve Pannell, who, when he was the head winemaker at Hardy’s, used to source Shiraz from this old McLaren Vale vineyard for the ‘Eileen Hardy’, Hardy’s flagship red, and even won the Jimmy Watson Trophy for a wine made from these very vines. When it came up for sale in 2012, he pounced and Koomilya was born. The oldest vines on the Koomilya estate date back 120 years (a gnarly old parcel of Mourvedre), but the two Shiraz plots are at least 80 years’ old (and equally gnarly). They are named after the original growers, so this Shiraz is called the ‘JC Block’, after Jill Cant, whose family have tended these vines for decades. It’s a glorious old-vine Shiraz made in the classical style, without any new oak and aged in large foudres, eschewing the modern preference for small barriques. As Jamie Goode says: “These are serious, old-school wines with incredible potential for development. Just as with Wendouree, they are not wines to crack in their youth, but instead need cellaring.” Drink 2024-2050. 14% alc.

Press reviews:

James Suckling: “This parcel is rich in limestone and ironstone and gives a bold delivery of ripe, glossy red and dark berry and plum fruit aromas and flavours. The plushness is so impressive, blooming with big flavours. Delicious and almost hedonistically fruited but precisely balanced. Concentrated and packed with fine, rich, smooth tannins. You can drink it now but try after 2025 to see more of what’s inside.” 99 Points 

The Wine Front: “Earthy, saline, fragrant, deep, special. Liquorice, bramble fruit, walnut, spice, charcoal, dried flowers and herbs. Thick tanning rolling through the mouth, nori and lavender perfume, all the berries but not fruity, as such, powerful and stony, with chew and freshness on a superb long finish. And, indeed, it’s the length of flavour and presence that marks this out as a special wine. Outstanding. An Australian classic. Very long term.”  96+ points

The Australian Wine Companion: “There is so much to ponder across this Koomilya triumvirate that writing notes on wines that, in the words of Stephen Pannell, symbolise ‘a reclamation of Australian shiraz’, is a study unto itself. I adore this sentiment, because much in this country has become too big, too sweet and too challenging to drink, or conversely, overly reductive. Not here! The JC is comprised of 46yo vines on silty alluvials flecked with ironstone. Hand picked. Minimal messing. Jubey and floral. Pomegranate, persimmon, blue- and red-fruit allusions, hung game and ample Asian spice undertones. Best, the tannins! As with all of these Koomilya iterations! Here, a splay of moreish, detailed and utterly precise stitches, like imprints in calf-skin leather across the palate, serve as a weapon to combat any unwanted seam of sweetness. Superlative warm-climate Shiraz.” 96 points