Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2023

Product Information: The 2023 vintage of Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier is a triumph from the cooler season, demanding your full attention. Ken Gargett praises this wine, stating, “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 Côte-Rôtie.” Tim Kirk, winemaker at Clonakilla, adds, “You really have to smell this wine to believe the intensity and purity of fruit we received in the 2023 Shiraz Viognier. As Clonakilla SV goes, this vintage strikes me as archetypal, style-defining, the essence of cool-climate Shiraz.” Clonakilla’s Shiraz Viognier is highly sensitive to seasonal variations, and 2023 was no exception. The result is an aromatic explosion of spice, laden with the signature peppery notes that Clonakilla is known for. Expect waves of cherry, cranberry, sage, and savoury herbs, enhanced by the presence of black pepper on the palate, which complements the bright red fruits and savoury edges. The intensity and complexity of this wine are truly spellbinding. The 2023 vintage is a blend of 94% Shiraz and 6% Viognier, co-fermented to enhance aromatic complexity. Approximately 22% of the grapes were whole bunches included in wild ferments, followed by around three weeks of maceration. The wine then spent time in 33% new oak from preferred coopers, including François Frères, Sirugue, Taransaud, and Mercurey. Maker: Clonakilla, located in the Canberra wine region of Murrumbateman, New South Wales, was founded in 1971 by Dr. John Kirk AM, an Irish biochemist who immigrated to Australia in 1968. The first vintage was produced in 1976, and since then, Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier has become one of Australia’s most iconic wines. Inspired by Tim Kirk’s visit to the Rhône Valley in France, Clonakilla introduced the Shiraz Viognier blend in 1992, combining Shiraz’s depth with Viognier’s floral aromatic complexity. Clonakilla’s Shiraz Viognier has earned numerous accolades over the years, including Wine of the Year by James Halliday in 2010 and a perfect score from Robert Parker in 2015. Alongside their famous Shiraz Viognier, Clonakilla also produces other exceptional wines, including Riesling, Viognier, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Vineyard: The 2023 growing season presented some challenges, as Tim Kirk recounts, with a wet and cool spring delaying the vine’s growth. However, as summer arrived, conditions improved, and the grapes ripened beautifully during the warm late summer and mild, sunny autumn. By mid-April, the fruit was perfectly ripe and in excellent condition, resulting in a wine that is both aromatically thrilling and luminously elegant. Tim Kirk remarks, “You really have to smell this wine to believe the intensity and purity of fruit we received in the 2023 Shiraz Viognier. As Clonakilla SV goes, this vintage strikes me as archetypal, style-defining, the essence of cool-climate Shiraz. It is certainly beautiful; aromatically thrilling with a classically luminous, elegant palate.” Nose – Heady Spice, Dark Cherry, Pantry Spices Bouquet is detailed and fragrant, violets and roses, an entire spice cupboard of aromas, with dark cherry to blackberry fruit underpinning it all. Palate – Bramble, Sage, Silky Tannins he aromatic intensity is heightened on the palate with black peppery spice a strong feature that also brings real energy, highlighting the bright cherry, red fruits, sage. Finish – Cocoa Powder, Truffles, Seamless Focus, balance and seemingly endless length. Cocoa powder, truffles, raspberries, spices, aniseed and tobacco leaves, the wine is utterly seamless. (2024) 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. Abandon all resistance, ye who enter here. – Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, 96 Points. (2024) The colour is medium-deep with a good purple rim and the bouquet is detailed and fragrant, violets and roses, an entire spice cupboard of aromas, with dark cherry to blackberry fruit underpinning