Stanton & Killeen's 2021 Vintage is a celebration of depth, colour and flavour. A labour of love in both the vineyard and winery created some gorgeous wine that allows each variety's personality to take centre stage.
It was the Chardonnay that kicked things off for the 2021 harvest with the first grapes picked on the 27th of February; from then on, S&K's 2021 vintage was full steam ahead.
This year there was a real focus on the relationship between vineyard and winery. The 2021 vintage was a labour of love from both teams, expertly headed up by Viticultrist Ben Fleer and Winemaker Faustine Ropars.
To reflect the months of hard work out in the vineyard, Ropars' treated each variety with the utmost care and integrity. Using different winemaking techniques and styles, depending on the grape, ensured that every bottle of wine is full of a personality best reflecting its variety.
While it was a challenging season out in the vineyard with cooler summer temperatures and the need to navigate multiple rainfall events, S&K is thrilled with the high-quality grapes produced.
The whites ripened slowly in the cooler temperatures retaining lots of natural acidities. The two Portuguese varieties Arinto and Alvarinho, are looking to be two standouts from the season (if we do say so ourselves!). The 2021 Chardonnay and Rosé will also be two wines to look out for when released this coming spring.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Jack's Block. Handpicked on the 19th of March and then processed in multiple winemaking parcels in the winery. 2021 will be one of S&K's best vintages to commemorate this extraordinary milestone year. We hope to release this wine late 2022.
While the vineyard team wrestled with the weather, the winery team faced challenges of their own. On top of creating exceptional wines, the team had to overcome staff and space shortages, covid lockdowns and everything else that 2021 decided to throw at them. It is, of course, remarkable what a group of hardworking, determined individuals can achieve. Everyone at S&K pitched in during the 2021 vintage, and now you, S&K's wonderful customers, will be rewarded with magnificent results.
Along with S&K's icon wines and all-time favourites, a few new wines are destined for the cellar door, most notably a fresh, funky Portuguese blend for you to enjoy sipping on this spring/summer season.
Overall, S&K's 2021 wines have a great depth of flavour, attractive aromatics, and elegance on the palate. S&K looks forward to sharing these with you soon. Until then, all the best, and thank you for your continued support.
