I've been chipping away at a bottle of this 2021 Shiraz Viognier all week of a nighttime, and a very interesting and impressive trend has emerged. Despite the wine in the glass being delicate, pristine and almost a little nervous (a product of the cool La Niña year that was responsible for over 1,000 millimeters of rain, when the average is only 630 millimeters), over the course of a couple of days at first, it opened up beautifully, the major impact being on the texture, which has silked right out and has brought all components of the wine into harmony. Onto day three and four, the wine has started to indicate little hints of the exotic spice, cocoa nib and roasted meat rind that it picks up in old age, yet it has not fallen to the ravages of oxygen. This evolution tells me everything I need and want to know about its quality and ageability. So, what's it like? It has notes of rose petals, raspberry leaf tea, brine, licorice root, redcurrant, tobacco leaf and even a hint of orange rind/bergamot. The palate is shaped by very fine tannins that cascade across the mouth, leaving a trail of cocoa nib, clove bud and again with the orange zest/bergamot suggestion. Such a beautiful wine in youth, it's no wonder much of it won't make its first birthday! As seems to be the ongoing trend, (more...)

Fantastic aromas of dark berry, thyme, white pepper, and lavender. Medium-bodied with firm and silky tannins that are fine textured, long and persistent that run the length of the wine. Energetic and focused. Drinkable but better in two or three years to take the edge off it. Screw cap.

The benchmark in some respects and the axis from which shiraz turned, perhaps, in Australia’s imagination. Anyways, lots of us know this fame. Here’s the return after 2020 didn’t happen. And it’s a skeletal, light and tightly wound expression. Lots of floral lift, lots and lots of white pepper and sweet spice, flinty mineral notes. There’s red fruits, cranberry crunch and a lick of rose hip tea in this release. Edgy wine, nervous almost, structural but feels like its fruit hung off tannin and acid bones and the three haven’t found their rhythm yet. Tannin profile is on song, fine, long, elegant. Wait, wait. Drink 2025 - 2040+

This 2021 Shiraz Viognier is pretty and ethereal thanks to the cool vintage, showing gentile raspberry, rose petal, and white pepper aromas lifted by stalky Chinese five spice. Supple and elegant in style, fresh acidity provides delicious impact supported by delicate sinewy tannins that support a fine and lingering finish. A refined expression of Clonakilla. Drink 2022 - 2035.