Katnook’s Odyssey is one of Coonawarra’s modern benchmarks: a flagship Cabernet drawn from selected terra rossa parcels over limestone and made only in the strongest vintages. It’s built for longevity and clarity rather than sheer size—pure cassis and black cherry at the core, framed by graphite, cedar and tobacco, with the region’s subtle eucalypt/mint lift kept firmly in check. The palate is dense yet composed: fine, chalk-tinged tannins, a cool line of acidity and a long, savoury finish that layers dark fruit with cigar box, bay leaf and cocoa.
Winemaking is meticulous and small-lot. Parcels are picked by flavour ripeness, fermented separately for precision, and matured for an extended period in high-quality French oak (with a modest seasoning of American oak in some vintages) to polish structure rather than stamp flavour. The result is a Cabernet that feels classical and exact: ripe but never jammy, structured but not austere, with oak integrated as texture and frame.
Serve at 16–18 °C in large Bordeaux stems after a short decant—young bottles benefit from 60–90 minutes to unfurl the mid-palate and lift the aromatics. Food pairings lean savoury and protein-rich: dry-aged rib-eye with rosemary, roast lamb with garlic and anchovy, venison with juniper, or hard cheeses such as mature Cheddar and aged Gouda. The wine’s freshness and fine tannins keep richness in balance.
Cellaring is part of the promise. Odyssey typically hits an early plateau at 5–7 years from vintage, then develops secondary complexity—cedar shavings, graphite, dried thyme, leather—through 12–20 years in strong seasons. Warmer years bring plusher black fruit and a broader palate; cooler, long seasons emphasise cassis purity, line and mineral detail. However you catch it, Odyssey is Coonawarra Cabernet at full resolution: concentrated, poised and built to last.
