In 1896 John Riddoch made Coonawarra's second ever vintage in the Katnook woolshed. The later neglected vines were replanted in the 1970s and Wayne Stehbens produced the first release under the Katnook Estate label in 1980.

Katnook Estate wines are formed by Coonawarra's terra rossa soils, considered among the best in the world for Cabernet. Like all terroir, it is how the terra rossa interacts with the region's climate that makes the difference. Coonawarra is just 80 kilometres inland from the Southern Ocean, with long but cool hours of sunshine during ripening, and cold nights. They have restored John Riddoch's stone woolshed, now the barrel hall and micro-winery for their best parcels.

Katnook Estate's reputation is founded on their terra rossa soils. The Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon and Prodigy Shiraz are the stand outs. They also release the more affordable Estate and Founder's Block series.