Winemaker and proprietor Kevin Mitchell purchased the property of the same name in the hamlet of Penwortham in South Australia's picturesque Clare Valley. Hailing from a long line of wine grape growers, Kevin now had the opportunity to turn the vision of creating his own wine brand into a reality.
Kevin's father Mort Mitchell has been a defining influence, planting and tending to Kilikanoon's Golden Hillside suite of vineyards including the famed Mort's Block, for over 40 years. Kevin's fascination with terroir is a result of years spent playing and eventually working in these vineyards alongside his father. The first Kilikanoon branded wines from the 1997 vintage were four single vineyard wines, each from Kevin and Mort's vineyards. These were the 'Oracle' Shiraz, 'Prodigal' Grenache, 'Blocks Road' Cabernet and 'Mort's Block' Watervale Riesling.
Mr Killerman, as a young Mort Mitchell called him, lived alone in a humble tin shed in the hills behind the Kilikanoon Cellar Door. Entirely self-sufficient, he grew his own fruit and vegetables and roamed the valley for his meals with rabbits being his favourite gourmet treat. Mort grew to know and respect this man of the bush, learning the secrets of the land and how to become one with the environment. The Killerman's Run range of approachable wines showcases the distinguished and varied terroir of the Clare Valley and the Kilikanoon philosophy of uncompromised quality and consistency.
Each individual parcel was vinified separately, and remained so until the final wine was assembled. Maturation in a selection of seasoned French oak hogsheads for fifteen months provides a softness and elegance to the silky palate.
"The Mort’s Block Riesling is exceptional with a crisp acid line that is truly reflective of the famed soil of Watervale. The fruit intensity that Mort’s Riesling know for is underpinned by a driving flavour of the limestone and slate of the vineyard. Refined, yet mouth-filling and flavour persistent, this is one of the finest Mort’s blocks produced." - Peter Warr, Chief Winemaker.
With the exception of the 2011 vintage, each year since 1997 we have released the iconic Oracle Shiraz. Crafted from old vine fruit grown along the Golden Hillside in Leasingham, it continues to display the opulence, regional character and varietal power the valley is so renown for.
This revered vineyard was planted in 1865 and it celebrates the incredible legacy and history of Australian Shiraz. Located just north of Auburn, the Attunga Vineyard is still producing fruit commercially today and in certain years is released as a single vineyard wine of widespread acclaim.
