Katnook Estate 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, $25
It’s impossible to drink this wine without thinking of Wayne Stehbens, who died in 2017. Stehbens was Katnook’s founding winemaker and he loved crafting Sauvignon Blanc from Coonawarra’s terra rossa soils, noting that it ages unusually well. Tim Heath, who was formerly with New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay, has joined Katnook as its new senior winemaker after Stehbens’ untimely passing. Heath oversaw final production of this wine, which comes from an excellent vintage, with grapes picked in optimal conditions. This means lots of great flavours and varietal definition. This wine was given 6 months in French oak, so it has a really pleasing texture and complexity, something that is missing in a lot of Sav Blanc on the market. We like it a lot.
