Estate grown since 1998.
Estate grown since 1998.
Our History.
It all started with Patrick Tocaciu (1953-2013) — "Larger than life"
Patrick Tocaciu was born in 1953 in Mount Gambier, South Australia. He loved his family, loved his community, loved his friends, loved his customers, and loved wine. Pat studied winemaking at University, graduating in 1975. For the first 10 years of his career, he worked as Chief Winemaker for Tollana in Barossa Valley, earning countless international accolades.
Pat and his wife Jenny moved to Coonawarra in 1989 with their son Luke, then 4 years old.
Pat’s ultimate dream was to one day own his own little vineyard and winery. That day came in 1989 when they bought their first little patch of cabernet vines, which we now call Home Block. In 1998, the first Patrick Home Block Cabernet was made and in 2004, Pat and Jenny Tocaciu officially opened their doors for the very first time releaseing their first 3 wines: 1998 Home Block Cabernet, 2001 Shiraz and 2003 Riesling.
They have never looked back.
Today Luke is the Director and Winemaker of Patrick of Coonawarra, with Jenny close by supporting and guiding.
Patrick Tocaciu
Patrick Tocaciu was a true South Australian, a man who loved good food, great friendships and laughter. He also happened to be a very successful and well-respected winemaker, boasting a decorated career that spanned more than three decades.
Born in Mount Gambier, Patrick moved to Adelaide in 1969 to play football for the North Adelaide Football Club before studying Oenology at the world-famous Roseworthy campus. His winemaking career began in the Barossa with Tollana Wines, after which his extensive knowledge and skillful craftsmanship saw him secure international accolades for several major labels including Penfolds, Hollick Wines, Heathfield Ridge and DiGiorgio Family Wines.
Following his success as a chief winemaker, Patrick's focus switched to fulfilling the more personal goal of establishing his own family vineyards at Coonawarra and Wrattonbully. The result was Patrick of Coonawarra, which opened its cellar door in 2004. Though Patrick sadly passed away nine years later, he'll always be remembered for his larger-than-life personality and contribution to the history of the Australian wine industry. His legacy, influence and passion lives on in the wines he made and the company he founded.
Luke Tocaciu
Luke took on the role of chief winemaker in 2013, following Patrick's unexpected passing. He graduated with a degree in Oenology from the University of Adelaide and had already completed vintages in the Barossa, Clare and Sonoma (USA) valleys before returning to Coonawarra.
He's glad to be home and carrying on the legacy and tradition of the family business. As part of the emerging generation of 'Young Gun' winemakers, Luke has demonstrated an ability to combine traditional wisdom with new-age trends, leading to a growing wave of consumer demand and interest in his wines.
Under Luke's leadership, Patrick of Coonawarra has maintained its reputation for excellence, earning accolades both nationally and internationally. His commitment to sustainability and innovation has solidified his position as a prominent figure in Australia's wine industry, contributing to the ongoing prestige of the brand.
Our Vineyards
The growing conditions in both Coonawarra and Wrattonbully are ideal for producing wine of exceptional character, quality and longevity. Our vineyards continue to produce high quality fruit year after year, which is a credit to our team and the methods we employ.
Coonawarra
Our premium Coonawarra vineyard, which is lovingly named the 'Home Block', is a single vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon surrounding the Tocaciu family home. These vines were planted in the 1970s and the quality of fruit was so fantastic that additional vines were planted a decade later. Yields are low, producing just 1–2kg of fruit per vine, which results in the concentrated, high-quality fruit that goes into our Grande Reserve and Home Block Cabernets.
In 2011, we purchased another Coonawarra vineyard to ensure we had access to additional volumes of premium cool-climate fruit. This vineyard is currently home to Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon plantings, with the cool-climate and long ripening period allowing for balanced acidity and gentle flavour development.
Wrattonbully
Our Wrattonbully vineyards encapsulate some 55 hectares of vines featuring three white and three red varieties. The area is known for the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves and is home to rich fossil beds and fertile soil, which provide the foundation for our full-flavoured wines.
We employ best-practice viticulture techniques across all vineyards including minimal spraying, organic composting and canopy management. This hard work and attention to detail in the vineyard produces optimal fruit, ensuring all our wines are full of flavour and character.
Our Philosophy
Contemporary style with elegance and balance, showcasing the true regionality of our area and our winemaker's personality – that's the goal for every bottle of wine we produce. All our wines display the characteristics typical of a cool-climate region and are produced using traditional winemaking techniques like extended skin contact, gentle maceration and slow fermentation.
Our full-bodied reds are matured in superior quality, tightly grained French and American oak barrels, generally for 18–40 months. Extended cellaring and delayed release ensures the wines have a wonderful structure and smooth finish, with our premium Cabernets being particularly well known for their drinkability upon release. That said, all our reds benefit from further cellaring and careful decanting.
Our white wines have a certain elegance and class about them; particularly our Rieslings, to which we pay extra special attention. Lean, balanced and pure, these wines are a testament to minimal intervention winemaking and an unsullied expression of the vineyard.
