Clonakilla, Shiraz Viognier, Canberra District

An absolute killer of a wine. I’ve had a few bottles of their better vintages and they always impress. Circa 15 years aging seems to be the optimum. Shear perfection and matches wines costing way more, ie a relative bargain.

2009 vintage

In the proverbial sweet spot. Lovely aged hue. Bricking rim, dusky centre. Let it breathe to unfurl. Initial steamy/stalkiness (ex WBP) yields to dancing florals, raspberry, and notes that evoke (for me anyway) lamb roast with a herb crust. A greener herbal streak haunts the nose that I find mildly distracting. No such issue on the divine palate. Raspberry and dark cherry combine with subtle game and warm Mid East spices on a pillow of ultra fine tannin. Here the …

2013 vintage

Four very good wines, all performed at their best: Clonakilla 2013 The wine of the evening, dark blackberries, white pepper and crushed stone. Cold-grown Shiraz at its best, especially after 12 years in the cellar! This is New South Wales, feels more like Northern Rhone. Winemaker Tim Kirk has spent a lot of time here, which is noticeable in the style. The 2013 vintage also contains 5% Viognier, which complements the Shiraz perfectly. Hoddles Creek 2013 A wonderful PN from …

2013 vintage

Decanted for 2 hrs. We found it on the lighter side of medium bodied. Was quite nice for a hotter climate for which we had it in FNQ Australia. Nice and smooth, very nicely balanced, quite a nice Shiraz Viognier. ✅

2013 vintage

Real Review - Top Wineries of Australia (Kimpton Margot Sydney) : Red over blackberry, slight black peppercorn, slight whole bunch. Juicy, fleshy, fruit as per the nose, drying silky tannins, very slight lean, fresh. Still very young.

2024 vintage

Fresh deep colour. Gorgeous dark fruit, cocoa, violets, dark spice, seamlessly integrated. Delicate structure but intensely flavoured. Bright red berries, ink, blueberries, very fine spice, super stylish, no hard edges, pretty and complex, in a beautiful space.

2009 vintage

Belated birthday celebrations at Meyerise. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl Cru. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is not clean, pronounced intensity, with aromas of dark wild furry forest animal, leather, dark earth, blackberries, black cherries. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), silky medium tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of peppery spices, dark leather, dark furry wild animal, black cherries, blackberries, dark red cherries, dark green olives. Long finish. Very …

2000 vintage

Christmas in july 2025 (Balmian) : Bob's cellar for Xmas in July. Dark red and full of fruit on the nose. Tasting reveals a superb and drinkable old Shiraz Viognier, rich fruit, some spicy pep from the Viognier, long lingering flavours. Full of life and vitality and beautifully drinkable. Wiped the floor with the 1996 Montrose.

2009 vintage

Deep garnet colour in the glass. Aroma is dominated by black tapinade, pepper, tomato leaf, black cherry, tobacco. Palate shows elegance with a full fruit bouquet of dark cherries, plum blackberry mixed with soy sauce, dried herbs and leather. Its light and fresh on the palate. 5% cofermented voignier. Carries the 14% alc with ease.

2013 vintage

Wine dinner with Dave : Wow on first pour I immediately said Vosne, but after some time in the glass I agreed with someone who said that the spice was more peppery in nature. The sweet cherry and raspberry fruit then brought me to new-world, and I concluded that it was By Farr from a cool vintage in the early '00s. Again I was pleasantly surprised that this turned out to be an aged Clonakilla since I rarely come across …

2000 vintage

Medium weight, elegant, juicy, everything in balance. Delicious

2013 vintage

16 years on and this wine has developed beautifully. Exceptional balance, subtle fruits - red berries and plum, soft pepper tones and a hint of oak.

2009 vintage

As previous. So consistent here. Fine, elegant style. Medium bodied at most.

2013 vintage

A huge improvement over the previous bottle, six years ago and with the tannins and fruit well integrated, the overall effect was a smooth, fine wine in a restrained style with some pepper and spice and with a freshness that makes it more Northern Rhone than a typical Australian shiraz.

2013 vintage

An excellent showing compared to the last bottle. This was fresh, perfumed, and lifted.

2013 vintage

Still going very strong. Drank over a few hours and no sign of the wine falling over. Perfumed, medium-bodied and with length. Nicely complex, a wine for taking some time over.

2009 vintage

Slightly soft acid, loads of white pepper, charcuterie, sweet red and black fruit, sandpaper tannins.

2013 vintage

Medium ruby. Very aromatic and intense flowery nose, with coffee beans, black pepper, blackberries, dried meat aromas. Medium body, soft and silky tannins, bit of oak and coffee beans flavours coat intense and savoury blackberry and meaty flavours. could do with bit more acidity, but it’s already quite nice as it is. Very very long enjoyable finish. Excellent wine reminiscent of an excellent aged cote rotie.

2009 vintage

Very peppery, excellent cool climte shiraz, and the viognier gives a noticeable lift to the wine. Drinking very well now but has life left in it.

2013 vintage

A bit on the fence with this one. I wanted to like it more given I loved it on release but on this showing it was firmly in the “nice red wine” camp for me. Clearly well made and no obvious faults. White pepper, cherries and all the hallmarks of Clonakilla SV but no real zing. Just felt a bit muted and uninspiring, despite the obvious quality. Drunk over the course of an afternoon on the back of a lazy …

2013 vintage

Excellent, everything in harmony, long finish

2009 vintage

Popped and poured. Delicious - classic cool climate shiraz. Dark berry, leather, hint of smoke, lovely nose, good length. Very smooth with slight acidity. Finished it off the next night after putting in the fridge in a smaller bottle. No worse, no better. Question is, is it worth ~3 O'Riadas? A moot point as I now have none of either!

2013 vintage

Dark ruby colour. Beautiful drinking.

2009 vintage

Colour still deep red. Nose has strong white pepper and baking spices. Lovely medium bodied seamless plush fruit. Finishes quite long. Spices again on the palate. Just lovely with the roast turkey. Drink up as not likely to improve.

2009 vintage

Liquorice and dark fruits on nose. Fresh, rounded mouthfeel. Lovely dark fruit flavours along with liquorice and great length. Still has a nice freshness. Drinking really well - a delicious wine. Still has plenty of life left.

2009 vintage

Beautiful!

2009 vintage

Ripe dark and red berries and beautiful herbs and spices. Some licorice and chocolate, beautiful acidity and round tannin. Great drinking stage, but no hurry at all.

2009 vintage

This was awesome. The viognier gives it a lightness and freshness that brightens up the otherwise traditional Shiraz profile. Paired beautifully with a rich pork dish.

2013 vintage

Tim Bday lunch at GW-IT. My bottle. Drank in Gabriel Standart. Everyone was guessing Rhone. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of blood raw meat, red floral flowers, red licorice, concentrated red berries, red plums, red cherries, sweet spices. Developed. On the palate, dry, good high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), very fine integrated high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of red plums, red cherries, intensely sweet red licorice, …

2013 vintage

Screw cap. 14% alc. 5% Viognier. Black berries, violet, perfumed. Medium bodied. The interplay of acid and alcohol keeping things narrow and fine in the mouth. Food friendly style.

2013 vintage

I'm not sure what happened with this bottle compared to the last. It was completely tertiary, meaty, savoury with some peppery notes and dark chocolate, and elegantly structured, but it was not perfumed or as complex as the last bottle. It is only a year since the last bottle was consumed, but this was tired in comparison. I'm hoping this was an anomaly in my stash, as this had little charm.

2013 vintage

First time I am drinking this wine with age. I have always been a fan of this and tonight's bottle confirms it. Really tastes like a solid Cote Rotie. Meaty, savory aromas intermixed with black pepper. The palate is fresh, medium bodied.

2009 vintage

Decanted for an hour. Drinking exceptionally at present. Smooth, excellent length.

2013 vintage

F*ck me. Wonderful wine. Silky smooth, length for days. Drinking not thinking before eating in an aromatic Indian restaurant, so no detailed notes. GGCCC.

2013 vintage

On tour with Tim and Phil day one (Canberra Districts and Beechworth) : Popped and poured. Slight rubbery reductiveness initially. With a good vigorous shake it shows blackberries, sweet spice, touch of savoury meatiness and black pepper. Medium plus intensity acidity, chalky/woody tannins prove slightly drying, aa little red fruit joins the blackberry, finishes quite savoury and a little hard - air will help - slight non-intrusive alcohol warmth.

2013 vintage

Another cellar door visit 9 years later, and another taste of this. Those tannins! Still fantastic! So good in the mouth, this wine. Nose threw me a bit, older than expected, but I’ve no idea how long the tasting bottle had been open. Grabbed a couple of bottles.

2013 vintage

Some bricky tones to the red now that the wine is a decade old. Crerries on the nose with a lingering iodine smell. Less funk than a new Clonakilla so age has certainly tamed it. Balanced and integrated tannins, nice acidity with slightly stewed plums and secondary flavours of dried woodland coming though. Finish a bit disappointing.

2013 vintage

Perfect.

2013 vintage

Rich, almost decadently so, in the Cka context. Bold dark colours, undimmed by time. An equally bold, unrestrained nose. Loaded with blackberry and blueberry, bacon drippings and exotic spice, in equal measure. Where some will see outrageous Viognier I get pork/pork fat aromas that I associate with aged Cote Rotie or the better SVs. Enticing. A plush palate to match the heady nose. Rich but not fat. Holds good line and length. Lots of depth, intensity and complexity. Will it …

2009 vintage

Took a bottle along on a holiday to check on its progress as it approaches 10 years. Had with Balinese smoked/spiced duck. This particular bottle showed very mellow, with tannins almost entirely resolved, and a slightly darker character than I recall with the '13. Still drank well albeit not as outstanding as previous bottles.

2013 vintage

Balanced with a long finish. Excellent.

2009 vintage

Beautiful, elegant wine. Ruby red with vermilion rim demonstrating its age; transparent. Perfumed. Red cherry, raspberry coulis, vanilla panna cotta, apricot skin, black pepper, very lifted, enticing. As it opens up, there is a slight mintiness, tomato-leaf and then leathery, charcuterie notes come to the fore. Slightly under-ripe fruits like wild strawberry, redcurrant and red cherry on the palate building to darker bramble fruits as it opens, with apricot skin, black pepper, vanilla, pastry crust, subtle coffee notes and savoury, …

2013 vintage

Screwcap, 14% alc. Medium red. Starting to fade to orange at the rim like a Barolo. Shy nose of deli meat, cherry, slight citrus peel, graphite, damp earth, delicate baking spices and mint. Gentle palate; not the brute it once was. Red cherry dominant flavour, heading in the direction of a Brunello. Chalky tannins. Medium bodied at best but a long finish. Feels like it has more to give with further ageing. Very different to the 2008. Builds depth and …

2009 vintage

Perfumed, lifted spice aromas, black fruits. Seamless and elegant mid-weighted palate. Fine tannins to close. Pure expression.

2013 vintage

Beautiful bottle - this is ageing slowly but wonderfully. It is restrained and elegant in that Cote-Rotie-Meets-Australia way that marries beefy stock notes with a tug of sweetness on the fruit. No rush. Great stuff.

2009 vintage

Deep, clear red colour. Attractive nose with a touch of floral on it. Flavours of black cherries and black fruits along with a savoury note. Not at all heavy in the mouth - very refined. Has a good few years left in it. Enjoyable.

2009 vintage

Absolutely glorious. It’s intense and brooding, much more so than younger examples. Still retains the delicate touch of Clonakilla. A real treat. It’s drinking great, but I sure wouldn’t mind tasting it again in another ten. This is the first Clonakilla I ever purchased.

2009 vintage

Deep crimson. Plum, blackberry and cherries with more of a savoury profile than the perfumed spice and floral character typical for this wine. Medium bodied, fine tannins and good length Suggests to me that this needs at least a couple more years, preferably 5+.

2009 vintage

Just a super drink right now. Balanced. Precise. Long. Plenty of fruit here still. Lovely.

2009 vintage

Brilliant - just needs more time. Comparatively big for a Clonakilla and still needs to mellow and develop a bit more. Should be great in another 5!

2009 vintage

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Clonakilla, Shiraz Viognier, Canberra District

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