KOERNER

Damon Koerner grew up in the Clare Valley but flew the coop to work and study in other parts of Australia and abroad. KOERNER was established in '14 and made a good dent in modernising the ‘classic’ Clare Valley style with its early picked, minimal-intervention wines and use of terracotta and ceramic fermenters. Now KOERNER produces premium wine from both the Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills, working with a mix of traditional and unique varieties that are suited to each region. This includes riesling (the old-vine rieslings are pristine and worthy of their accolades), vermentino, sangiovese and cabernet from the Clare Valley, and chardonnay, gamay and sangiovese from the Adelaide Hills. '23 marked the first vintage of estate-owned chardonnay from the brand's Lenswood site. The possibilities for KOERNER are endless. -KATRINA BUTLER