98 Points
98 Points
96 Points
95 Points

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2023

SKU: CKSV202310 UCAU

$123.99

Unit price: per

Tyson Stelzer Shiraz of the Year

98 Points, Tyson Stelzer

94% Shiraz, 6% Viognier

Critic Scores & Awards

98 // Tyson Stelzer

"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"

98 // Ken Gargett – Winepilot.com

"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."

96 // Campbell Mattinson

"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."

95 // James Halliday's Wine Companion

"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."

Shiraz of the Year - Tyson Stelzer

Halliday 5 Red Stars Winery

Product Details

Red

2023

Shiraz Blend

Clonakilla

Canberra District, New South Wales, Australia

15 Plus Years

Stelvin

13.5%

750ml (Bottle)

Out Of Stock

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Description

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier began its life after a career defining trip to the Côte-Rôtie in the mid 90s which set Tim Kirk on the journey towards producing one of Australia's best Shiraz. Determined to show that Australia could produce elegant but still powerful Shiraz, Tim's work has paid off with his flagship being acclaimed worldwide. In only 15 years, the Shiraz Viognier has attained 'Exceptional' status with Langton's, the highest possible.
Gorgeous, silky texture, a symphony of character in fragrance, game meats, herbs, red berries, clove, sweet spice. The palate is incredible – supple, pliant, long, satiny yet etched with the finest tat-work of lacy tannin. It’s savoury, fruit driven, pure-feeling but lifted on fine spicy oak and glossy acidity. It's a new classic for Clonakilla.
Tasting Profile

Light

Full

Low Tannin

Tannic

Sweet

Dry

Low Acidity

High Acidity

Aroma:

Blackberry, Blueberry, Pepper

Palate:

Blackberry, Fruit Cake, Tobacco

Food Pairings:

Pork

Red Meat

Tasting Notes

Description

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier began its life after a career defining trip to the Côte-Rôtie in the mid 90s which set Tim Kirk on the journey towards producing one of Australia's best Shiraz. Determined to show that Australia could produce elegant but still powerful Shiraz, Tim's work has paid off with his flagship being acclaimed worldwide. In only 15 years, the Shiraz Viognier has attained 'Exceptional' status with Langton's, the highest possible.

Gorgeous, silky texture, a symphony of character in fragrance, game meats, herbs, red berries, clove, sweet spice. The palate is incredible – supple, pliant, long, satiny yet etched with the finest tat-work of lacy tannin. It’s savoury, fruit driven, pure-feeling but lifted on fine spicy oak and glossy acidity. It's a new classic for Clonakilla.

Tasting Profile

Light
Full

Low Tannin
Tannic

Sweet
Dry

Low Acidity
High Acidity

Aroma:

Blackberry, Blueberry, Pepper

Palate:

Blackberry, Fruit Cake, Tobacco

Food Pairings:

Pork

Red Meat

Clonakilla

John Kirk planted his first vines at Murrumbateman in the Canberra District in 1971 and named his winery Clonakilla, meaning 'meadow of the church', after his grandfather's farm in County Clare, Ireland.

Eschewing the traditional Australian Cabernet Shiraz blend, John set about crafting single varietal Shiraz. After a visit to Guigal winery in the Rhône Valley's Côte Rôtie in 1991, John's son Tim returned to Australia and started to experiment in the winery, co-fermenting Shiraz with a small amount of Viognier as he saw in France.

The first vintage was produced in 1992. In 1996, feeling pulled in two directions; Tim left his teaching position at a Jesuit school to permanently take on the winemaking and General Manager roles at his family's estate.

The current Clonakilla portfolio consists of Shiraz, Viognier, Riesling, Chardonnay and a Bordeaux Blend. In 2013, Tim was awarded the coveted title of 'Australian Winemaker of the Year' by Gourmet Traveller magazine and his Shiraz-Viognier is often heralded as one of Australia's great reds.

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