INTRODUCING
RIPOSTE by Tim Knappstein
Adelaide Hills
FOIL, Sauvignon Blanc
Adelaide Hills
13% abv
20-25% fermented in french oak
DAGGER, Pinot Noir
Adelaide Hills
14.5% abv
Unoaked
The Stiletto is a partially oaked Pinot Gris that has incredible freshness and racy acidity. The palate shows nashi pear and some floral notes with a stab of spice on the finish. This really is Pinot Gris for grown-ups.
HALBERD, Cold Fermented White
Adelaide Hills
12.5% abv
Fermented in French oak (25% new)
SABRE, Pinot Noir
Adelaide Hills
14% abv
10 months in French oak (25% new)
CUTLASS, Shiraz
Adelaide Hills
14% abv
Passionfruit, gooseberry and snow pea with a beautiful minerality. An elegant palate of intense fruit tapers cleanly on the palate to a crisp, finely honed conclusion of piercing acidity.
STILETTO, Pinot Gris
Adelaide Hills
13% abv
25% fermented in French oak (15% new)
Slices of white peach and nectarine gently parry with undertones of floral apricot and spice to create a bouquet both subtle and complex. The 2012 Halberd glides along the palate with generous, creamy stone fruit drawing to an elegant finish of toast and clean citrus acidity.
This Pinot has lush dark berry fruit with striking floral edges. Lifted rich fruit and spice parry along the palate to a finish of fine-grained tannin and bright acidity. The Dagger has been honed to create a vibrant, rich, earlier drinking wine displaying all of the hallmark aromas flavours and texture of Pinot Noir.
Small production Shiraz made from only a few rows of outstanding cooler climate Shiraz. The nose of the Cutlass has blueberry, cherry and plum, the palate oozes elegance with subtle oak influences and white pepper balancing nicely with the fruit character. The finish builds and lasts in the mouth.
Rich and fragrant bouquet of plums and cherries, with darker fruits on the palate, balanced with spices. The finish is long and satisfying. This is a trophy winning wine!!
If Ned Kelly is synonymous with Australian history, then Tim Knappstein is synonymous with Australian wine. He is simply a wine god.
In 1969 Tim founded the Enterprise and Tim Knappstein Wines labels in the Clare Valley and established himself as one of Australia’s most highly regarded winemakers. Today the Clare Valley winery and wines that bear his name are owned by a multi-national company. Tim has been making wine in the Adelaide Hills since 1981 and in 1994 he severed all ties with the Clare Valley winery that still bear his name.
In 2006 as a response to personal vicissitudes and the inability to use his own name as a brand Tim launched the Riposte label, a small portfolio of complex and striking cool climate wines from the Adelaide Hills. Riposte is a fencing term meaning a quick reply or counterthrust and is Tim’s personal reply to the increasingly corporatised world of wine making.
From the vineyard to the bottle Tim controls every aspect of each wine with the driving philosophy to create the finest wines possible from premium Adelaide Hills vineyards. A true family enterprise from its inception Riposte is wholly owned and run by Tim with his wife Dale and son Nick. With his wild hair, pink shorts and branded mini cooper Nick is a fun loving guy who knows the wines inside out and passionately spreads the Riposte gospel all over the world.
The haul of gold medals and trophies that the range has picked up are testament to the quality of the wines that the family produce. The “best Australian Pinot Noir” at the 2013 Winewise show is a nice addition to the trophies on the mantelpiece.
"..... If Ned Kelly is synonymous with Australian history, then Tim Knappstein is synonymous with Australian wine. He is simply a wine god. In 1969 Tim founded the Enterprise and Tim Knappstein Wines labels in the Clare Valley and established himself as one of Australia’s most highly regarded winemakers.....”
