Katnook Founders Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 | Coonawarra

Winemaking Notes

Matured in a combination of stainless steel tank and oak barrel, with 5% new French Hogshead and Barrique, to deliver the concentrated dark berry flavours, balanced sweet spice, and delicate oak integration that define the Founders Block style. Crafted from Katnook’s Terra Rossa vineyards in the heart of Coonawarra, South Australia.

Producer History

Katnook’s history stretches back to 1867, when Scottish immigrant John Riddoch arrived at Penola in South Australia and purchased parcels of land throughout Coonawarra, impressed by the remarkable rate of growth of fruit trees and vines in the area. He commissioned the building of his Woolshed — which still stands today at Katnook — planted 140 acres of vines, and made his first vintage in 1895 in a neighbouring nursery shed. His second vintage in 1896, made in the Woolshed with qualified winemaker William Salter, indicated the outstanding quality that was to come.

In 1971, the first vines of a new era were planted after an extended period of farming on the property. The first commercial vintage was made in 1980 by winemaker Wayne Stehbens — in the same Woolshed where Riddoch had made his wine 84 years earlier. When Wayne passed away in 2017, he was one of the longest-serving and most successful winemakers in Australia’s history. Now, a new generation leads the charge at Katnook, with Daniel McNicol at the helm. Two wines in the prestigious Langton’s Classification of Australian Wines, two Jimmy Watson trophies, and a five-star rating in James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2020. The Woolshed still stands. The quality endures.