98 Points | Shiraz Of The Year - Tyson Stelzer
Located some 30 minutes north of Canberra in the small rural town of Murrumbateman, Clonakilla has established a status that belies its relatively small size. Inspired by the great wines of Cote Rotie of France’s Rhone Valley, Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier is widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest red wines.
The newly released 2023 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier is a product of a cool vintage with gentle ripening progressing well into autumn. These conditions have highlighted the intensity and quality of the spice elements in the wine, while delivering another beautifully structured, poised and balanced Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier that will be welcomed by its many fans.
"98 Points. Shiraz Of The Year. 94% shiraz, 6% viognier, 22% whole bunches, wild fermented, gently plunged over 2-3 weeks of maceration, one-third new French oak barriques and puncheons. The third cool season in a row and the latest harvest in more than a decade has delivered a glorious shiraz viognier of exquisite detail and harmony. Whole bunches (22%) and viognier (6%) seamlessly unite to heighten aromas of violets, rose petals, potpourri, white pepper, fennel seed and curry, providing dimension to a delicious core of satsuma plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit. Super-fine, granitic-mineral tannins trace a magnificent finish and confirm a Clonakilla for the ages. A worthy joint winner of my Shiraz of the Year. $135. Screwcap. 13% alc. Drink 2028 - 2053"- Tyson Stelzer, Top 250 Australian Wines Of 2024.
"98 Points. Put simply, this is one of Australia’s greatest wines, year after year, and one of only a handful that can be reliably called world class, without hesitation. It is also one of the world’s very best Shiraz Viognier blends, happily sitting beside the best from Cote Rotie. From a cool year, their third in a row, the blend is 94% Shiraz and 6% Viognier. 22% of the Shiraz was whole bunches and that was co-fermented with the Viognier, via wild yeasts. For maturation, the wine went into French oak barrels, both puncheons and barriques, with one-third of them new. Deep magenta, the nose exhibits all the joy and complexity that we have come to expect from this stellar wine. Focus, balance and seemingly endless length, this also has silky tannins and while there is an underlying exuberance with the fruit, everything is held in restraint. Cocoa powder, truffles, raspberries, spices, aniseed and tobacco leaves, the wine is utterly seamless with fifteen to twenty years ahead of it, with ease. Virtuoso winemaking resulting in a masterpiece. $135. Drink: 2024 - 2044."- Ken Gargett, winepilot.com.
"96 Points. The finesse of this release. The fragrance too, which leads to a palate where just enough, feels like extra. It’s buoyant, juicy and perfumed, with a wild party of spice notes flying through the wine like happiness itself, or like confetti, either way there’s an air here of celebration. This wine sits on the apex of the road, where the rain meets the oil. The fruit flavours have a water-colour aspect; the texture coats the flavour in satin. We’ve come to expect all the above from Clonakilla’s flagship wine. What’s special, for me, in this 2023 release is the web of tannin, as dewy as it is strong. There’s a weave to this release. It’s a masterpiece of twigs, nuts and strings. If Morricone had been a winemaker he’d have made something like this. Orchestral. Spellbinding. Itself. Tasted Jul24. 13% Alc. Drink 2025-2040+"- Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front.
"95 Points. The flagship is in fine form from this cool vintage, rendering it elegant and quite exotic. Plus, 22% whole bunches in the ferment make an impact. It’s a touch sappy yet laden with heady aromatics - all florals with a dusting of Middle Eastern spices such as sumac. Super peppery. The mid-weighted palate is tight and a touch lean with red fruit accents, bright acidity and fine if plentiful tannins. It’s a wine you keep coming back to as it reveals more and differently. It's lovely and enticing; it feels light and ethereal, deceptive. Time will reward the patient as this builds more complexity, but it is seriously hard to resist now. Tasted Jul24. 13% Alc. Drink 2024-2035"- Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion.
