Kilikanoon’s old-vine Attunga 1865
The complex story of a Chinese acquisition in Australia.
Changyu is China’s biggest wine company, which makes it both substantial and powerful.
Between 2020 and 2024 a great big wall went up between China and Australia in wine terms. You might even call it the original wine-tariff barrier, reducing what had been Australia’s most important export market by far to virtually zero when China imposed crippling import tariffs of up to 212% on Australian wine in response to some unwise words about China by the then Australian premier.
This must have been particularly galling for Changyu, which had acquired Kilikanoon in South Australia’s Clare Valley as recently as 2018, and China was planned to be its major export market.
It had previously been owned by a syndicate including cellist Nathan Waks, who recently sent me this account of the genesis of Kilikanoon, the name of the cottage where winemaker Kevin Mitchell (shown below with his father Mort) was based, and the subsequent Chinese acquisition.
‘In 1997 Kevin Mitchell, who had access to his own vineyard and the adjacent one which was his father Mort’s, started Kilikanoon from a barrel shed in his backyard – not a winery as such – with the red wine being made at Torbreck until around 2005 [when a winery was built for Kilikanoon]. Kevin made the wine with a lot of help from his then close mate Dave Powell [then at Torbreck]. From memory, Pike’s helped with the Riesling, which in any case was, and is, made very simply with only free-run juice. Two vineyards provided the grapes for the first four wines, and still do. Mort’s Block and Kevin’s Block.
‘Kevin has a double degree in oenology and viticulture. Mort has the deep knowledge of his terroir, and a passion, bordering on fanaticism, for pruning that is unparalleled in my experience. For example, he only allowed the use of the French Pradines secateurs, and when the company introduced a new model which he found inferior, he bought up the remaining stock, as he used a new pair each year. I have a video where he shows just why they are superior to supposedly “improved” models.
‘Mort’s viticultural experience played a very important role. The four initial Kilikanoon varietals (Shiraz, Cabernet, Grenache and Riesling) were either planted or stewarded by him over 50 years or more. Kevin inherited his love of precision, although Mort has never claimed any knowledge of or interest in winemaking.
‘In 1999 Richard Meyman, then operations manager at the Sydney Symphony [where Nathan Waks was principal cellist], approached the concertmaster John Harding about his dream, which was to make world-class Riesling in the Clare Valley. John said, “talk to Nathan”, which he did.
‘Richard, a rather gruff individual then and probably still, came to me during a rehearsal break, saying, “John said I needed to talk to you.” He then outlined his dream, which was simple. Buy a suitable bare block in the Clare Valley, plant German Riesling clones, and make great wine. Details were a little lacking.
‘I asked for his business plan. He didn’t know what that was so I explained that it was what you wanted to do, how you would do it, how long it would take, and how much it would cost. I suggested the use of a spreadsheet, about which he was equally ignorant, but he understood the principle.
‘The next day he arrived with a hand-made spreadsheet, consisting of several A4 sheets stuck together, with the necessary elements. Crucially it showed a period of 13 years from start to profitability, still probably the most honest and accurate estimate, and one I never hesitate to recommend to aspiring wine folk.
‘However, at the time, I suggested to Richard that 13 years was too long for me, as I was approaching my half century, and investments of that length and uncertainty just didn’t seem appropriate. I did however make the fatal mistake of asking whether the 13 years could be truncated (another word with which Richard was unfamiliar). His answer was classic. “I suppose you could buy an existing Riesling vineyard”, although this was not at all what he wanted.
‘So I suggested that he start looking for vineyards for sale. For the next six months he kept proposing vacant land, which I politely rejected. Then one fateful day, in 2000 but before the Olympics, he arrived with a little ad in the local newspaper The Northern Argus for 10 acres [4 ha], four varieties including Riesling, and an owner who wanted to buy back the fruit. This was Kevin. The first year we actually negotiated to keep 10% of the Riesling so that Richard could start to realise his dream. That 2001, under screwcap and unlabelled, exists and was drinking beautifully last time I found a bottle!
‘We got to know Kevin and appreciate the quality of what was coming from his (now ours) and Mort’s adjacent vineyards, so when one day on a flight from Adelaide to Sydney, Kevin asked whether I knew anyone who would be interested to acquire part of his company. My second fateful decision was to say, “What about me?” Perhaps it was the altitude, because I had been warned by many in the know, especially my friend Bob Roberts from Huntington Estates, to stick to vineyards and avoid investing in wineries! In any case, there was, as often with Kevin, a degree of hitherto undisclosed urgency. If we wanted him to keep buying back the grapes, he needed money. Winemakers are only occasionally good business people – Warren Randall is the standout exception.
‘Things escalated very quickly after the 2002 Clare Valley Wine Show, where our unheard-of-before-or-since performance in an almost clean sweep of the trophies on offer astounded everyone including the chairman of the jury, Mr Huon Hooke. I have often reflected on how this could have happened. The best answer I can think of is that Kevin is a fine winemaker, but an exceptional one in a challenging vintage. 2000 was a bummer, and Kilikanoon’s wines were the best of a patchy lot. 2007 was another such example from memory.
‘In the next few years came many awards, including Best Shiraz a couple of times, and especially scores, with a certain Mr Parker in love with the reds. You are familiar with all of that hype, and we have discussed it.
‘At the same time as we expanded Kilikanoon, we acquired many other vineyards, some of which failed, due to the triple whammy of drought, the appreciating Australian dollar and the GFC (Great Financial Crisis as it is known in Oz). It did allow Kilikanoon to become a major Shiraz producer, with good wines from Barossa and McLaren Vale, complementing the Clare Valley and more dubious Baroota area. We even had fun in France, first with Vouvray and then Syrah from Hermitage. The Kilikanoon Vouvray is still made.
‘In 2007, during a weekend bike ride with my friend, neighbour and business partner Bruce Baudinet, he mentioned that he had seen that “Seppelts is for sale”. I doubted this, but upon inquiry discovered that indeed Seppeltsfield was. Gary Mitchell, Kevin’s younger brother, and his opposite in many ways, asked why on earth we would want to buy “sleepy hollow” as it was known in the industry.
‘Gary worked for Foster’s (and still does for Treasury as wine trading manager in charge of their gigantic purchases and sales of bulk wine). He gave me the contact for the man in charge of the sale who was, serendipitously, on holiday while mulling over an acceptable offer from the US. We negotiated the sale in a frenzied week. Our partners were [Western Australians] Janet Holmes à Court and Greg Paramour, head of Mirvac and a major real-estate developer well known to Bruce. I brought Janet whom I knew through music.
‘In late 2008, we celebrated 10 years of Kilikanoon, and Warren Randall came along. We started the day at Seppeltsfield as he was interested in our new project of restoring the 1888 gravity-flow winery, to my knowledge the largest in the world at that time. Over a glass of 100-year-old, he asked to buy that building. I said no, but let’s talk about working together, not knowing what was about to happen.
‘In January 2009 the real folly occurred when the West Australian partners wanted out. Mr Paul Holmes à Court pronounced complete disinterest in Seppeltsfield, and especially fortifieds. “Don’t drink ‘em, don’t make ‘em, don’t sell ‘em” was one memorable quote. The other was, “Nathan, you’re dreaming”.
‘Thus Warren Randall’s arrival as partner and later majority owner of Seppeltsfield, now part of the Randall wine group, a rather large beast. This was a good move.
‘In 2011 Warrick Duthy joined Kilikanoon as GM, then CEO, after impressing us as consultant to Seppeltsfield. He had an impressive background with the big wine companies, but was intrigued by the challenge of Kilikanoon, which was still hurting after the GFC.
‘One of his jobs was assessing our various international distributors. We had tried a few ways in to China with limited success, but we had developed a rather strange, but ultimately important, relationship with Huawei, the giant telco. That’s another story.
‘We had distribution discussions in depth with Changyu, but Warrick’s view was that they probably wanted a nice “halo effect” brand, but that they would not actually sell much. Perhaps correct at that time.
‘Then on 18 March 2015, [my wife] Candice’s [serious] accident changed everything for me and ultimately led to the sale [of Kilikanoon]. My colleagues were unfailingly supportive, but it was clear that I could not continue to travel the world as I had for either brand [Kilikanoon and Seppeltsfield].
‘Again serendipity arrived. I saw a little article lauding Changyu for some wine served at a (Chinese) presidential dinner. I wrote a little congratulatory note, which led to a very sudden resumption of communications. Mr Sun [Changyu GM and nephew of the former chairman] explained that they had embarked on their long-held strategy of diversification through ownership in France, Chile and potentially Australia. He asked whether I could suggest a suitable winery for acquisition. Thinking that they would want a Riverland cheap but reliable, heavily irrigated source, I asked what they in fact wanted. The answer was a surprise. “We want a high-quality boutique brand like Kilikanoon.” Followed by, “Can we buy 50% please?” The rest is history. Negotiations were in fact quite straightforward with no haggling. We just needed to prove that our numbers were real, and they were. Indeed, the 2017 vintage, which could have scuppered the deal if it had been a bad one, was the opposite, and we exceeded our forecasts. For this I thank Dr No, aka David Adams, the conservative, unflinchingly honest and brilliant “consultant CFO” to Kilikanoon, Torbreck and Seppeltsfield, all simultaneously and with an impervious Chinese wall between them.
‘Thus was Kilikanoon sold to Changyu. At their request they initially bought 80% with another 19% after five years. For some reason I have yet to understand, my main partner, Bruce Baudinet, still owns 1%.’
Kevin Mitchell made the wines until the Changyu acquisition in 2018 and stayed on for a while as consultant although today the chief winemaker is Peter Warr, assisted by Mercedes Paynter. Below, left to right, are Peter Warr, vineyard manager Troy Van Dulken and managing director Travis Fuller.
The property currently consists of 12 ha (30 acres) of vineyards at the southern end of the Clare Valley next to Auburn, at about 350 m (1,150 ft) elevation on terra rossa above limestone and slate. In fact, the Auburn bluestone quarry on the property once provided slate for the South Australian Parliament building apparently. The farm was established in the 1850s by one of the many European settlers who made their way out to Australia, and the first record of vines growing there is dated 1865, although the current owners think they may have been planted earlier than that.
The most treasured vines on the property today are the remaining dry-grown Shiraz vines at its southern end in a plot they call Attunga that has been owned for the last 20 years by Peter Burner (who works at the Kilikanoon cellar door on the site of Kevin Mitchell’s original cottage), although the wine is made and sold by Kilikanoon. At the last count, a precious 480 of these were the original plantings from the 1860s, or derived from them by layering, and it is the produce of them that goes into bottles labelled Attunga 1865. They lose two or three ancient vines a year, mainly because of eutypa. (A further 216 vines were planted by the then-owner in 1999 next to the old ones.)
The plants were originally bush vines but a trellis system was installed in the early 1990s so that today they are all on a single four-foot wire. The Shiraz called Attunga 1865 is made primarily from just 13 rows of widely-spaced vines planted north–south on a west-south-west-facing slope (although an addition of up to 15% other grapes is permitted). An average crop yields barely a tonne per ha so that each vine produces about 3 kg (<7 lb) of super-concentrated, thick-skinned grapes which are, naturally, hand-picked, into one-tonne bins.
In the winery just north of the Attunga vineyard the fermenting juice is pumped over three or four times a day and then basket-pressed. As used to be the fashion, the wine was initially aged in barriques, but in 2019 they switched to 500-litre hogsheads and now these are mainly second- or third-use. Oak ageing has been reduced to about 12 months. Attunga 1865, only about 250 cases a year, is released only in more successful years. There will, for example, be no 2023 or 2024 because of South Australia’s unusually savage frosts in those years.
Until the 2019 vintage the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered but, with Chinese consumers in mind, the wine has been given a ‘light’ filtration since then. Also in 2019 there was a switch to bottling everything, even Attunga 1865 destined for the Chinese market, under screwcap.
I asked Nathan Waks about the genesis of this special Attunga 1865 bottling.
‘I plead guilty re the 1865 (or so we believe) vines, which I have photographed many times. [The initial] vintage was 2004, and the idea came about pretty spontaneously, when Bruce Baudinet represented Kilikanoon at a celebration by Mr Parker of 25 years of The Wine Advocate. Others were donating valuable items for a charity auction at the end of what I think was a weekend, including Penfolds. Bruce rang me and asked for something special. Thus was Attunga born, and it all but guaranteed a high level of interest from Bob Parker, as he said something drooling about the wine which did not yet exist at the charity dinner.
‘I was always keen on these vines, given their age, and of course, the possibility to compare with younger vines with the same terroir. The good news, as ever, is that Kevin was always ready for a challenge. Over time he has come around to the notion of single-terroir wines, which is hotly debated in Oz. I have always been clear. Cheaper wines can be blended for consumer tastes etc, but the higher you go, the more granular I like it. I have a little project at the moment, involving a two-barrel cuvée, and demonstrable Grange quality/componentry.’
The tasting
I was lucky enough to taste most vintages made, from 2004 onwards, in our London flat with Austrian Lenz Moser, who makes wine in China with Changyu, and managing director of Kilikanoon, Travis Fuller, who was over to see their UK importer Mentzendorff.
As is Moser’s wont, there were one or two extra classic wines to compare with the Attunga 1865s: Hermitage La Chapelle, no less, from the 2015, 2019 and 2021 vintages. The 2021 was, most unfortunately, spoilt by TCA so only two comparisons could be made with the same vintage of Attunga 1865. This is not the first time I have had a chance to compare famous northern Rhône Syrah with top-quality Australian Shiraz. Another Austrian, Bertold Salomon, has put on similar exercises with his Finniss River Shiraz, Alttus. See, for example, the range of Australian and Rhône 2018 Shiraz/Syrahs I tasted with him in 2002.
In the case of the Attunga 1865 tasting, however, these were not the finest vintages of La Chapelle. And in the event it was a little like comparing apples and oranges. These vintages of the Rhône wine were so much more rigid and dry than the Attunga 1865. I took the opened bottle of my favourite vintage of Attunga, 2010, to dinner the next night with some wine-loving friends. They had also brought a bottle, entirely coincidentally another northern Rhône Syrah, a 2015 Côte Rôtie, Les Terrasses from the other (Jean-Luc) Jamet (which was meant to have been served blind except that the waiter at Chez Bruce spilled some of the beans, the appellation anyway).
Northern Rhônes are so much more savoury, linear and sleek than top-quality Australian Shirazes, which are broad, rich and medicinal. Neither is better than the other; they are just completely different. I almost think you have had to have been to Australia and soaked up some of the heat and (post-colonial) Australian culture to appreciate classical Australian red wine.
This is a wine that should please fans of South Australia’s unique way with old-vine Shiraz – make that ancient-vine Shiraz – but are unwilling to pay today’s price (approaching £700) for a bottle of Henschke, Hill of Grace. According to Wine-Searcher.com, the 2010 and 2004 vintages are available by the six-bottle case from about £1,000 in bond from several sources in the UK, almost £1,500 (£250 a bottle) duty paid.
UK importers Mentzendorff are currently offering the 2014 vintage. This was missing from my tasting with Fuller and Moser but Mentzendorff recently sent me a bottle to try. This will be offered by VINVM at around £115 a bottle.
The 11 vintages of Attunga 1865 – and the two untainted vintages of Hermitage, La Chapelle – are presented in the order I tasted them, with the subsequently tasted 2014 inserted in vintage order – but you can change this.
Select sorting optionSort by scoreSort by producerSort by appellationSort by vintageReset
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2004 Clare Valley16.5
Cork stoppered.
The only wine in this vertical tasting with any marked aged on the rim, some brick (though see 2006). Still deep blackish crimson in its core. Rich and chocolatey with a suggestion of plums on the nose and a lightly medicinal note. Spice. Refined tannins and a little alcohol on the end. Very slightly old-fashioned but definitely Australian! (JR)
15%
Drink 2014 – 2028
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2006 Clare Valley17.5
Cork stoppered.
Very deep crimson with a fine brick rim. Fresh nose – much, much fresher and better balanced than the 2004. Really very fine and satisfying. Great balance and no obvious alcohol. Lots of life with the tannins in the background and an agreeable hint of treacle. Long. (JR)
15%
Drink 2016 – 2030
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2009 Clare Valley17
The last vintage to be cork stoppered.
Deep blackish crimson. Rich and sweet, almost sugary on the nose. Less refined than the 2006. Just a bit riper and less harmonious. Bit of a chew on the end. Not quite as persistent as the 2006. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2015 – 2027
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2010 Clare Valley18
The first vintage to be stoppered with a screwcap (half was still stoppered with a cork but this bottle was screwcapped) and the first with a grey label. A cooler year.
Very deep, glowing, polished garnet – extremely concentrated. Very focused. Sweet liquorice nose. Beautiful silky texture and great balance. Real juiciness and a little bit of leather. Dry but not drying finish. Quite captivating. Firm impression of dry spices but masses of sleek fruit too. Lots of potential. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2020 – 2040
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2014 Clare Valley18
Full screwcapped bottle all of 1,584 g. 3,375 bottles produced.
Impenetrable blackish garnet. Rich, complex nose. Very smooth texture with a hint of dried bay leaf and spicy top notes. It’s much more savoury than cough-medicine-sweet. Super-appetising with a dry finish. This would be a great time to drink this vintage. Long. Really rather sumptuous. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2020 – 2035
£115 RRP imported by Mentzendorff who report it may be offered by VINVM
Paul Jaboulet Aîné, La Chapelle 2015 Hermitage17 +
Quite a black tinge to a very deep crimson. Looks more youthful than the Attunga 2015. It’s also more restrained on the nose with some oak. Dry finish. A little tight on the end. Not ready. Less obviously appealing than the richer Attunga 1865. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2025 – 2042
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2015 Clare Valley17
Very dark, glowing crimson. Smells of caramel. More opulent and winning than the Chapelle 2015 though still with some tannin left to shed. Needs food. Quite long, very energetic, and slightly salty. More obvious fruit than the Chapelle. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2023 – 2043
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2018 Clare Valley17 –
Very hot, dry vintage. This is the vintage currently available in the UK.
Dark blackish crimson with a very fine ruby rim. Intense nose of black pepper and liquorice. This is far from a faulty wine but I’d guess the VA is a bit higher than in some other examples. Heady in the extreme! Just a tad porty. Then a little dry on the end. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2025 – 2040
Paul Jaboulet Aîné, La Chapelle 2019 Hermitage16.5
Very deep blackish crimson. Smells very ripe, almost overripe! Overdone? Certain needs a bit more freshness. Bit of heat on the end. BIG! And even a bit blowsy. Maybe it will come into balance but for now it’s a little bit formless and hollow. (JR)
15.5%
Drink 2029 – 2050
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2019 Clare Valley17.5 +
Sold out in Australia.
Deep glowing blackish crimson. Pungent nose. Sweet and salty on the palate. Treacle toffee with still a little tannin. Very pure and essence of Clare. Some freshness. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2025 – 2042
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2020 Clare Valley17
To be released the end of 2024. Cool, dry, on-time vintage.
Lustrous dark crimson. Sweet, very medicinal and very Australian. Fruit showing more than the oak but overall less sophistciaed than the 2021. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2027 – 2045
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2021 Clare Valley18
Another cool, dry vintage.
Deep, dark, lustrous crimson. Tight yet sweet and controlled nose. Really fine but very different from the more obvious 2020. Maybe the 15% addition of grapes that were not Attunga Shiraz was different? Complete and impressive even if very youthful. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2027 – 2045
Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2022 Clare Valley17.5 ++
There’s no 2023 or 2024 because of frost.
Very dark, blueish crimson. Distinctly spicy. Angular, sweet and concentrated. All the elements are there but it’s a baby. (JR)
14.5%
Drink 2029 – 2045