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Description
Damon Koerner is on a mission to bring the classic wine styles of the Clare Valley into the modern day.
He plays with a mix of 'classic' Clare Valley varieties such as Riesling, Cabernet and Malbec and a suite of alternate varieties that show a different side of this iconic Australian wine region.
With fruit sourced from the Koerner family vineyard known as Gullyview and a move toward more contemporary winemaking, utilising terracotta and ceramic for fermenting and making as little additions as possible in the winery, it's easy to see why Koerner star is on the rise.
As Mike Bennie recently wrote, "Some of the most interesting, delicious wines in Australia are emerging, and the reinvention and sexing up of Clare Valley is apparent."
- 2023 Koerner Watervale Riesling
- 2023 Koerner Adelaide Hills Savagnin
- 2023 Koerner Pigato Vermentino
- 2023 Koerner Adelaide Hills Gamay
- 2023 Koerner La Korse Sangiovese Blend
- 2022 Koerner The Clare
2023 Koerner Watervale Riesling
The Koerner Riesling is grown on the Koerner family vineyard, Gullyview, in Watervale, Clare Valley.
This vineyard has been farmed by the Koerners for 35 years, the sons Damon and Jonathan are intimate with the fruit and it shows. This is Watervale Riesling with more character and texture than the 'classic' styles of wine the region is famous for.
The fruit spent 6 hours on skins and was fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel and ceramic amphora for 2 months. No fining, filtering or additions apart from a smidge of sulphur. It has texture and vitality and a load of interest. It's an alternative look at a staple of the Australian wine landscape by a family-owned operation. Great stuff.
95 points
"This was fermented wild in both stainless steel and ceramic amphora. In flavour terms, it's as classic as they come, with lemon and lime flavours given some extra bite courtesy of bath-salt-like characters. It hits up well but saves its most impressive burst of flavour for the finish, always the clearest sign of quality."
- Campbell Mattinson (Halliday Wine Companion)95 points
"A potency to this wine, texture and savoury elements with strong currency of green apple, tart lime and gingery spice woven through...It feels so distinct from run-of-the-mill Clare Valley riesling archetypes, delivering complexity through its various elements, and yet so composed. Excellent."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2023 Koerner Adelaide Hills Savagnin
Koerner’s 2023 Adelaide Hills Savagnin is for the adventurous drinker who loves a wine that’s both seaside-crisp and deeply intriguing.
Damon leans into the variety’s natural acidity, picking early to keep things zesty, with notes of white peach, apricot, and a briny, coastal edge that feels like a refreshing ocean breeze.
Hand-harvested and whole bunch pressed, this Savagnin gets the Koerner treatment with a mix of barrique and stainless steel ageing, retaining purity while letting the stone-fruit aromas come alive.
It's Savagnin at its raw, natural best—an honest expression of Adelaide Hills terroir. Pair it with oysters, seafood, or light vegetarian dishes and let its clean, mineral finish take centre stage.
91 points
"It holds good texture, nearly medium weight, somewhat neutral overall. A mix of things quietly going on. A clatter of limey acidity on green apple, fresh and dried. A touch of green pear. Some slate-like mineral characters. A sizzle of very bitter tonic water a pleasing reset of the palate as it corkscrews through the finish. It’s got a decent bit of pulpiness and interest, though it feels pretty neutral and safe for the variety despite the drinkability and refreshment factor on hand. Worth a look."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2023 Koerner Pigato Vermentino
Vermentino is one of those varieties that shines with some skin contact and a few winemaking tricks. It adds an extra dimension of appeal.
Case in point is this Pigato Vermentino from Koerner wines in the Clare Valley. Vermentino was planted around 10 years ago on the family vineyard in Watervale, a pocket on Terra Rossa soils selected as best for this variety.
The wine spent 20 days on skins in open vessels during fermentation before being pressed back to steel to age for 7 months. Bottled without filtering or filtration. It's a winning style, complete with slightly cloudy and grippy elements.
93 Points
"Thirst-quenching stuff here. Tightly wound, lots going on, fine-boned. Yummm."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2023 Koerner Adelaide Hills Gamay
The 2023 Adelaide Hills Gamay is Damon Koerner’s love letter to the Gamay grape, showing off his deft touch and easy confidence with a variety that’s all about pure, juicy smashability.
Harvested by hand from the Deanery Vineyard in Balhannah, Damon goes for precision, destemming the fruit but keeping those whole berries intact to capture all the bright, crunchy character Gamay fans crave.
Naturally fermented in open-top steel and aged in a stunning 2000L Slavonian oak foudre, this wine spent 10 months soaking up texture and structure without losing an ounce of its energy.
It’s bursting with electric red berry notes, delicate florals, and an earthy, mineral backbone thanks to the sandy loam soils and Damon’s commitment to light-touch winemaking.
With no filtration or fining, it’s all about transparency and purity, sitting at a breezy 12.5% alcohol—perfect for sipping chilled on a warm day, letting those cherry-red flavours take the spotlight.
92 points
"This is tightly wound and compact with a slight haze to texture and a pleasing balance of sweet-sour-bitter of red berry fruit and herbal elements. It’s quite zesty as a red wine, succulent in texture too, a refreshing, if not crisp finish. Tart cherries, rose hip tea, a faint ginger element, dried basil and cardamom spice are the quarry. It feels very modern and bright. It drinks well."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2023 Koerner La Korse Sangiovese Blend
The Koerner brothers are running head on at Clare Valley wine. They've put together one of the region's most dynamic ranges of wine, investigating unsung pockets of the area with energy and creativity. It's exciting stuff.
The La Korse is not your average Clare Valley red. Here the boys combine Sangiovese, Grenache and Sciaccarello with a splash of Carignan & Malbec to create a vibrant, mischievous red with epic drinkability.
This is a new look Clare Valley red.
2022 Koerner The Clare
'The Clare' is a wine designed to showcase both the history and the future of this great region, through the eyes of one of Australia's brightest young producers.
The base of this wine is a classic Clare Valley varietal marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, with a splash of Grenache, Carignan and Sciacarello adding plenty of spice, nuance and pizzaz!
Contrary to the classic Clare Cabernet blend, this is a lively, juicy red wine ready to be tucked into immediately. "Bordeaux varieties made in a Loire style", as the Koerner brothers put it.
Super wine!
94 points
"There's a confidence to this wine. It's firm, it's wild with intricate flavour, it's light but it's buoyant. Potpourri, peanuts, boysenberry, earth and sweet plum flavours all make appearances, though the truth is that every time you put this anywhere near your nose/mouth, you detect something different. In a word: it's joyous."
- Campbell Mattinson (Halliday Wine Companion)
