Utopos (eUtopos) 2021 - In Bond

Stuart McCloskey, tasted 23rd January 2026 "Glossy, almost impenetrable black with the faintest purple rim – it makes you want to dive right in… Bouquet: expect an immeasurable depth and a list of fragrances longer than one’s arm. As you would expect – aeration changes the aromatics. The journey begins with juniper, damson, mulberry, black and blue fruited compote, violets, raspberry, liquorice stick and Amarena cherries (and their syrupy juices). More air brings more depth – chasm like. This takes brooding to another level. Bay leaf, anise, graphite, iron filings, garrigue, cedar, tobacco and sea kelp – there’s a floral lift in the background too. Freshly ground coffee wafts in after 30-minutes in my glass along with schezwan pepper and vanilla. Flavour: In abundance and balanced with lots of freshness. The fruit quality is amazing, as is the density. Another chasm to fall into. I like to gently roll the wine around my palate and focus-in on the voluptuous and velvety feel. This is archetypal ‘silk’ – utterly seamless. The flavours are so pure (packed with black fruits), extremely long, the flow is effortless, there’s tension, and excitement – it does warrant your full attention. The tannins are broad and provide shape and form (they’re certainly not intrusive). When you sit back and study the entire wine – exoticism comes to mind. I do like the liquorice and twang of mint on the finish. All-in-all, and if am being honest, I am left feeling a tad emotional (perhaps knowing the rarity and history of the tiny number of vines planted). A wine that requests nothing of you, but gives you everything… This is one of those ‘forever’ wines which has the quality to cellar for 20-30-years. That said, I would urge you to open a bottle this year as it’s such a treat. Decant for 2-3-hours."

Block 3C, Kalimna Vineyard is a very special site indeed. To many, perhaps the most hallowed, identifiable single block in Australia. The 3C component normally contributes to Penfolds Grange however, and when the block produces perfect fruit, Penfolds release Bin 170 which is an extremely rare wine. Released only for the second time in history, both the experimental Bin 170 made in 1973 and the second release in 2010 were sourced from Block 3C in the Kalimna Vineyard and released at $1,800 per bottle.

Previously, we have touched upon the magic of the Utopos vineyard and the reason why Kym had been longing to take this special site under his guardianship. The Cabernet Sauvignon was regularly used for Penfolds Bin 707 and now is selfishly kept for Utopos Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab / Shiraz blend, and for a fraction of the price (we will be launching the full and new Utopos collection next weekend...)

Block 1 now formally named ‘εutopos’ is crafted around the oldest Shiraz planting on the Utopos site.  A tiny one-acre block planted on a red clay and ironstone section of the vineyard in 1974 to the famous Kalimna 3C clone of Shiraz.

You may wonder what a ‘clone’ is and the exact relation to Block 3C, Kalimna. In short, there are two ways to develop a grape vine. Like many plant behaviours there is the sexual reproduction, where two parent plants combine genetic material to create a seed. Germination takes place, and then grows into a vine. Germinating grape seeds can be tricky and is best avoided.

The second and best method is by asexual reproduction, in which a cutting is taken from a single parent plant and grafted onto existing rootstock, which is common practice as resistance to phylloxera is paramount along with the rootstock’s resistance to nematodes, and other factors, such as its environmental tolerance to drought and wetness, which are now major concerns with the impact of global warming.

Essentially, the 1974 Utopos vines are genetically identical clones to the mother vine (Block 3C in the Kalimna Vineyard) they were cut from. The new clones will exhibit similar desired characteristics to those mother vines however, as time passes, new vines may develop their own unique characteristics. Equally, they will also respond to their planting environment. Another successful and well documented case being cuttings taken from Henschke Mount Edelstone vineyard and planted at Hutton Vale Farm. Save for the past two vintages, all Standish Lamella fruit is sourced from these specific blocks of Mount Edelstone clones.