If one may start with the bottom line, the only reason that this one didn’t get 100 points is because there would seem to be every chance that Tim Kirk will continue to outdo himself and come up with something even better. Mind you, looking at this wine, it is hard to imagine how he will do that. As always, this sits amongst the world’s very best Shiraz Viognier blends. It must also sit amongst the very best releases of this particular wine. World class. Deep and dark purple in hue, this is full of black fruits, black cherries, florals, cassis, leather, mocha, truffles, raspberries, aniseed and tobacco leaves. Immaculate balance, extraordinary length, a seductive texture and the silkiest of tannins, it will provide immense pleasure for at least the next two decades. The previous vintage was a masterpiece. This one tops it.

This release comes off two cool La Nina growing seasons and marks a return to a savory and earth-driven style. Aromas of red cherries, raspberries, rose petals, graphite, white pepper, sandalwood and citrus peel. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins and bright acidity, offering a vibrant, finely textured mouthfeel with a long, perfumed finish. Elegant and precise with real clarity, showing all the hallmarks and charm of the Northern Rhone. Excellent. Drink or hold.

The 2024 Shiraz Viognier is so perfumed from the glass, with notes of orange blossom and Boscobel rose, raspberry seed and peppercorns. The wine is delicately layered, spicy and medium-bodied, with so many nuanced levels of texture and flavor. In youth, these wines express floral detail and an orange-peel lift, while with age, they begin to show meaty nuances and ethereal, dried-rose-petal complexity. I love this wine in pretty much every vintage condition; it varies each year, but it remains true to its fine, complex DNA. This is super. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Good depth of bright translucent purple colour; reserved spicy aromas, the palate deliciously flavoured with concentration and fruit sweetness, there is violet and blackberry, a touch of pepper, a powerful wine of focused intensity and terrific length. Juicy middle surrounded by fine grained balancing tannins. Already has lovely drinkability. Superb shiraz. A riper and more powerful vintage of this wine.

The nose is complex. The palate is powerful. The finish is both fine-grained and sustained. The hallmarks of Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier are in keen supply here though, that said, this release is some years from really strutting its stuff. The nose has a stone-like character to it, along with apricot kernel, mint, mineral and sweet berried fruit. The palate is another matter: the nose plays things cool, but the palate opens up and flexes its fruit. Cherry-plum, anise, soy, assorted florals and smoked meats, though the emphasis is on the abundance of summer berries. It all comes down, in a way, to how the wine touches the wall, and here is where this wine excels: at the exact right time the fingers of flavour show both intricacy and precision. We’re up at the high water mark again here with this 2024 release of Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier.