#49: Kilikanoon 2021 Mort’s Block Riesling
Scoring 92 points, and listed at $20 suggested retail price, Kilikanoon’s Mort’s Block Riesling landed in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 list of Best Buys for 2023 at #49. Top 100 Best Buys is the annual list of wines with a “super-high quality-to-price ratio.” This year, the Wine Enthusiast editorial team raised the price limit from previous years, from $15 to $20 in recognition of marketplace realities and expecting to “up the overall quality of the Best Buys” – and they’ve succeeded.
Hailing from Clare Valley, known for its world class Rieslings, Kilikanoon utilizes old vines with low yields, The nuclei of the Kilikanoon vineyards are those planted by Kevin’s father, Mort, in the Leasingham sub-district. Affectionately known as the “Golden Hillside,” this unique site boasts a terroir of rich red loam soils over free-draining limestone and plentiful sunshine that has kept the vines flourishing for 50 years. These terra rossa soils are renowned for producing long-lived Rieslings of distinct minerality, and spicy, dark-fruited reds of great intensity and earthiness.
Clare Valley is north of Adelaide in South Australia, which is northwest of Melbourne in Victoria.
Kilikanoon Mort’s Block Riesling – review note: There’s bright citrus fruit waiting to shine just beneath the surface. Waxy lemon-lime, fresh honeycomb and a bit of ginger spice march from nose to palate with a persistent line of crisp acidity and textural interest. Dry, bracing and balanced, with length and ageability. Drink now–2028. — Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast, March 2023
Old Bridge Cellars is Kilikanoon’s exclusive US importer, with 10+ Kilikanoon wines currently in distribution, including the Killerman’s Run range. Contact cellar@obcwines.com for ordering or more information in the US. See the Tasting Note & Technical Details for this wine.