Kilikanoon Blocks Road Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

The 2003 Kilikanoon Blocks Road Cabernet Sauvignon is a clear knockout. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines averaging more than 50 years of age and bottled unfined and unfiltered, it would be hard to find a more polished and intense Cabernet than Kilikanoon’s 2003 Blocks Road. The wine still exhibits its youthful deep purple color, but more importantly its mature aromatic profile is nothing short of sensational. Intense blackberry, crème de cassis, violet, and cigar box scents remind us of just how good prime Cabernet Sauvignon can be from a consummate artist such as Kevin Mitchell. “Dense, rich, intense, elegant, and impressively endowed, it would be difficult to find a California Cabernet for under $50 that competes with this beauty,” are Robert Parker’s salient words about Kevin Mitchell’s 2003 Blocks Road Cabernet and to that we add a simple Amen! Enjoy this outstanding Cabernet now and for the next five years. Although decanting and or extended aeration will surely heighten the pleasure of this fine Cabernet, there is no reticence in this first class offering. Consequently, one’s pleasure quotient depends almost entirely on one’s level of discipline. We suspect you won’t be able to wait an hour, not even fifteen minutes. Enjoy!

A balanced and flavor packed Australian beauty like the 2003 Kilikanoon Blocks Road Cabernet Sauvignon will complement all kinds of meat and spicy vegetarian specialties with aplomb. One need not be too fussy with accompaniments, as this wine needs only a willing imbiber to shine. Nevertheless, several traditional South Australian favorites such as beef casserole, roast lamb with plenty of garlic and herb, kangaroo, ostrich, and rabbit stew are tried and true companions. The finest cuts of beef provide loyal companionship as well. For a simple, tasty complement, why not consider Steak Sliders made with rubbed beef tenderloin or sirloin steak, aioli, and quality greens. For the more culinary daring, Indian specialties such as Lamb Biryani, a classic dish with juicy pieces of lamb, cooked with basmati rice, spices, and nuts offers an excellent accompaniment to Kevin Mitchell’s Block’s Road Cabernet. A loaf of crusty bread and some ripe semi-hard or soft cheeses such as Cheshire, Dubliner, and Esrom also offer everything one could ask for in the way of superb accompaniments. Enjoy!

Kilikanoon is a boutique winery with a big reputation ... a very well deserved reputation for sure. In the words of Wine Advocate critic Robert Parker Jr. “This (Kilikanoon) is one of the most brilliantly run wineries in Australia, and the quality of the entire portfolio is impressive thanks to the enviable talents of winemaker Kevin Mitchell ... also one of South Australia’s ‘good guys’.” Owner and winemaker Kevin Mitchell is internationally recognized as one of Australia’s most talented winemakers. In fact, Kilikanoon Winery won 5 out of 5 gold medals at the 2009 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. In addition, a Kilikanoon wine was named South Australia's Wine of the Year for 2008 by Decanter Magazine, Great Britain’s most prestigious wine publication. Located in the Clare Valley just north of Adelaide and the Barossa, Kevin Mitchell specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the Clare’s two finest varietals: Shiraz and Riesling. All of Kilikanoon’s red wines hail from exclusive vineyard sites in the Barossa, Clare, and McLaren Vale and are bottled unfiltered to retain character and flavor. Kevin Mitchell’s impressive offerings exhibit the finest attributes of the Barossa and Clare Valleys: ripe, rich fruit and profound flavor, along with everything that has made Clare Valley wines so highly prized: balance, elegance, purity, and a highly charged aromatic profile. And if the Kilikanoon portfolio of red wines were not enough to dazzle critics and consumers alike, Kevin Mitchell has earned international acclaim for his Clare Valley Rieslings, wines that critics have called some of finest in the world.