Kevin O'Brien van wijnhuis Kangarilla Road uit Australië komt speciaal naar Utrecht om hun prachtige wijnen van 'Down Under' aan u te laten proeven!

Kangarilla Road is een wijnhuis in de wijnstreek McLaren Vale in het zuiden van Australië. Eigenaar Kevin O'Brien kwam tijdens zijn studie chemie in aanraking met wijn (tijdens wijntrips met zijn roeiclub) en een nieuwe interesse was geboren. Hij besloot zijn chemies studie om te zetten naar oenologie (wijnkunde) en reisde door diverse wijngebieden van Europa. Hij werkte voor het  Australian Wine Research Institute, maar droomde ervan zijn eigen wijn te maken. Die droom kwam uit toen hij in 1997 een wijngaard over nam in de McLaren Vale. Samen met zijn vrouw Helen bestiert hij sindsdien dit wijnhuis. Inmiddels staat de nieuwe generatie al klaar in de startblokken; zoon Charlie is net zo gek van wijn als zijn ouders. 
In de winkel hebben we die dag de mooie en elegante chardonnay te proeven en uiteraard een aantal van hun stevige, gulle en gecontentreerde shirazwijnen. 

"At Kangarilla Road we have our own interpretation of the McLaren Vale wine style, making elegant wines which show
restraint, fine textural qualities and varietal integrity and clarity. We produce wines we enjoy drinking to
enrich every occasion – wines enjoyed with or without food and with good friends."

Kevin and Helen O’Brien

Kevin legt even uit hoe het ook weer zit met zijn 'Geology Series':

Kangarilla Road Geology Series Shiraz

McLaren Vale is one of the most geographically and geologically diverse wine regions in the world.

Our Geology Series wines celebrate single block Shiraz allowing us to continually learn more about our region, exploring the relative influence of place (terroir): geology, soil, climate and topography on wine style.

These wines are from a single block, a small plot of land with a unique flavour profile and personality.

Over time the Geology Series will become an invaluable resource for us as we endeavour to gain an unparalleled understanding of Shiraz, McLaren Vale's most significant variety.

2017 Kangarilla Road McLaren Vale Alluvial Fans Shiraz (95 pts Halliday)

                                     Geology Series                                      

The Alluvial Fans Shiraz is grown on our estate vineyard in McLaren Flat.  This single vineyard wine is part of our Geology Series.  The underlying geological profile of the vineyard is the Pleistocene era (2.6m - 10,000 year old) Christies Beach Formation which is essentially alluvial fan clays, alluvial soils.  The wines from this profile produce deep yet elegant arrays of spicy red fruits together with the geological/soil characteristic of sweet beetroot which I believe to be an earthiness originating from the clay base.

2017 Kangarilla Road McLaren Vale Blanche Point Formation Shiraz (94 pts Halliday)

Geology Series

The Blanche Point Formation Shiraz is from the closest vineyard to the coast in McLaren Vale at Maslins Beach.  Here the vineyard is only 500m from the gulf, protected somewhat from the harsh winds of the gulf by the cliffs it essentially grows atop.  The underlying geological profile of the vineyard is the quite rare Eocene era (56m - 34m year old) Blanche Point Formation which consists of Glauconic, fossiliferous, calcareous siltstone, hard cherty bands with glauconitic Tortachilla Limestone at base, essentially ancient sea bed.  The wines from this profile produce deeply coloured wines with intense dark fruits together with an amazing structural tannin and minerality I associate directly with the terroir of this vineyard.

The focus of these wines are their vineyard origins.  For this reason fermentation is gentle and oak maturation is limited to older oak. Our intention is to preserve the wonderful natural structure that these wines produce all on their own.  In this instance new oak would interfere.