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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.1 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 106 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Cremuel on 3/7/2024 & rated 91 points: Bob's cellar. Nice garnet red, no evident bricking. Swirls of sharp cassis pinched with redcurrant, spicy menthol, twist of black cherry nose. A little dryness on opening tasting, but this is washed away by delicious red berries, cassis and damson, peppery spice, and a nicely done dash of tannic grip. With some air, crunchy red fruit comes through, funky forest floor. Really good. (418 views) | | | Tasted by Vini Ciclismo on 2/10/2024 & rated 94 points: Deeply coloured, bright red with black core.
Bright, intense fragrance. Dark spice, red berries, blood plum, damson, rich cassis.
Fruit flavours drive the impression, rich and sweet, but with excellent structure, finessed, lithe, refined. Primary fruits still set the profile, gentle secondary flavours only, youthful. Hints of dark tar spice, licorice, graphite. Silky, stylish and delicious. (578 views) | | | Tasted by ogres3 on 2/9/2024 & rated 92 points: So I really liked this wine. Could have been a Napa syrah. Great fruit, complex, fairly smooth, very nice finish. (531 views) | | | Tasted by Cremuel on 12/31/2023 & rated 90 points: Bob's cellar. Deep red, no bricking evident. Nose is deep damson, cassis, lovely stewed black fruit, rich and delicious. The Viognier hits your palate (in a good way) initially, it's complex and layered. Vegetal notes bubble up to the top, and there's a sharp red fruit behind. Tannins are still peppery, and in control. Nice wine. (564 views) | | | Tasted by john_s on 8/2/2023: Barely ready to my taste. The combination of screw cap and excellent cellaring conditions make for a very long time for maturation. Côte Rôtie under cork takes long enough, but for someone of my age this wine is problematic. What I should have done 12 or so years ago was store it in a kitchen cupboard.
Apart from that, it's a lovely wine. (1022 views) | | | Tasted by Avid Wino on 4/14/2023 & rated 95 points: Deli meats, red fruits, exotic spice, ample length, dreamy tongue coating feel good tannin, supreme balance. Worthy accompaniment to a 50th birthday meal, though life got in the way of those plans and we’re a few days past. (1075 views) | | | Tasted by Geerath on 12/15/2022 & rated 95 points: Dec22- Screwcap, some sediment. Slowox 3 hrs. Ruby red, translucent on the rim. (red)berries and cream, with a subtle reductive biltong, dried herbs sous bois underlay. Palate has a lovely savoury red fruited, dried cranberry + licorice kind of vibe. Tannins almost completely integrated, with just a small uplift of interwoven pepper and acid fanning out at the end, giving vibrancy. This is an outstanding wine, and I’m throughly impressed. Clearly not at the end of its drinking window for me, but at a great spot all the same and over the next 6 yrs+. 95 (1316 views) | | | Tasted by Vaughanwallace on 9/24/2022 & rated 94 points: In great shape. Drinking really well (1499 views) | | | Tasted by tanduybui on 9/12/2022 & rated 92 points: This bottle was much better than the one I had a few months ago so a re-evaluation. It had life, definition, power and much more drinkable. Who said there is no bottle variation with screw cap.
Bright ruby. Complex bouquet that is dominated by floral notes, spice / white pepper, cherry and a hint of rose petal. Palate was humming with freshness accompanied by dark plums or berries, peppery and with a sweetness undertone. Tannin was present with vanilla oak quite present. The finish was long although not satisfying. The wine had power but missing the grace on the finish which let it down.
Drink now to 7+ years. (1446 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 8/17/2022: Blind Tasting Australian Shiraz (Taylor's wines, Alexandria): Medium minus intensity aromas of charcuterie, savoury, meaty, blackberry and black pepper with a little red berry underpin. Chalky tannins dominate the palate, the fruit is a little dried out but does grown with time. A good decant should help. (1617 views) | | | Tasted by brisbane piefan on 7/31/2022 & rated 96 points: Beautiful. No rush at all. Perfumed and spicy with dark fruits and a subtle wash of pepper. (1303 views) | | | Tasted by BAJRiley on 7/8/2022 & rated 94 points: Appearance: showing good developed but not too much bricking. Medium+ intensity nose that is fragrant and showing lots of pepper, black fruits, some meat and herbs.
Palate: medium+ body. Fine tannins, acidity is still bright for its age. Great balance and concentration. Has softened nicely. Outstanding. Alas, my last bottle from 2008. (552 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 7/8/2022 & rated 93 points: Very happy with my first bottle of three. Concentrated fruit. Some acidity.
drink or hold. (1257 views) | | | Tasted by tanduybui on 6/26/2022 & rated 90 points: This wine needs more time and right now, it is still somewhat unintegrated. The role of the viognier is quite prominent, currently giving it a perfume lift and raciness. Certainly it helped with smoothing out the tannin which is still quite present.
So why is not a great wine? Yes, it ticks all the boxes but it is very linear - straight as an arrow with the taste profile not truly changing from front to back palate. And it does not have the depth at this stage but this could change. It is Rhone like as there is a hint of that rustiness but not too much.
Drink in 5+ years. (854 views) | | | Tasted by Dsen on 6/24/2022 & rated 92 points: Needed a longer decant ! (828 views) | | | Tasted by JonathanP on 1/1/2022 & rated 94 points: Screw cap. Decanted for 3 hours. Bloody beautiful and still quite youthful. Nose is a complex and savoury mix of dark fruits, red berries, charcuterie, blood and bone, bramble, earth, some floral notes and spices. Not peppery. Very refined on the palate where there is excellent drive and focus. Medium to full bodied, and tannins are present but very lithe and well on their way to resolution. Excellent balance with all parts of the choir singing from the same sheet of music. Drink now with a decent breathing or let rest for 5-10 years. (1363 views) | | | Tasted by Rote Kappelle on 10/30/2021 & rated 95 points: Scored using the Cellar Tracker scale as 'Outstanding'. My note is made courtesy of a very good friend who poured some for me. I believe I was tasting on day 2. The swine made my inferior palate work hard, because he did/would not tell me the variety. I really need the crutch of the label to help me, otherwise in blind tastings I have a terrifying tendency to veer off into strange territory, like a Be-bop sax player in a swing band. It is interesting, but just not good.
The colour is quite deep, with great persistence, promising power as befits a great, war, year. The colour suggests a wine out of nappies but there is little evidence of bricking.
The nose shows charcuterie, red fruits, berries , but also some darker characters. There is perfumed lift as well. At first I wondered if this wasn't a really bulky Grenache based wine. There is a note of black pepper that takes one to Shiraz, however.
The palate puts to rest Grenache; the tannins are supple and fine but not sandy, nor of the type I associate with Grenache. The palate feel is also not Grenache. This wine is both round and full, intense and long but not heavy. The acid remains fresh and the flavours are still mostly in the primary spectrum. If asked I would have said, based on colour and palate, a wine past the first flush of youth - perhaps 5-7 years.
Depending on closure and cellaring conditions, I think this has plenty of time ahead. However, it is ready to go now and it is splendid drinking. I want to throw a CK vintage into a tasting of Cote Rotie. I think the results could be very interesting. Many thanks to my very generous friend. Although a New Zealander, he has many good qualities. (2448 views) | | | Tasted by Dr S on 10/29/2021 & rated 96 points: In a beautiful place. Dark garnet still. High-toned nose of dark plum and raspberry, with some dried herb embroidery. Clarity and purity sum it up.
Similar clean, pure flavours run the length of the refined palate. Everything in its place. Still fresh and long. This is on a long plateau, for at least another 10 years, but is superb drinking now.
It owes as much to Burgundy as it does Cote Rotie. A close friend, who’s a hard core (neo) Burgundyphile, said it reminded him of ‘very good Chambertin’. An apt parallel. (1333 views) | | | Tasted by Vaughanwallace on 8/5/2021 & rated 94 points: Sour cherries. Full fleshy fruit. Very clonakilla. Really good. Drink soon. (1842 views) | | | Tasted by Vaughanwallace on 6/14/2021 & rated 95 points: Medium bodied. Sour cherries and tart to start with. Long finish - no peppery notes to speak of. Plenty to go. (2029 views) | | | Tasted by Dr S on 1/1/2021 & rated 97 points: In stunning form (and a perfect way to say adieu to a more imperfect year than usual). Agree it looked even better on night two.
Good colour still with bricking starting to show.
Close your eyes and the nose could be top class Cote Rotie. Lifted notes, hung meat/charcuterie, exotic spices, and, for the first time with the 08, a CR dark herb streak that I associate with the original Cka vineyards (before the T&L block became part of the mix, from Tim the winemaker and his amazing wife Lara’s own block next door).
The palate is beautifully poised, everything so well proportioned. Both SV components melded, red cherry and dark berries, savoury tannin resolved - lovely smooth texture. Great line and structure.
Further proof that the SVs come into their stride at the 12 year mark. In March 2019, the 08 SV looked a little hot, reflecting the year. Tasted twice in 2020, it looks to have entered its maturing drinking window, richer, more complex, no heat. Lovely now but miles ahead (PS the 1994, the third ‘prototype’ SV with Pinot, tasted two weeks before Xmas was alluring and alive, another 10 if not 20 years left). Life is good. (2109 views) | | | Tasted by Vaughanwallace on 11/14/2020 & rated 93 points: Dry and tannic. Leave for a while longer. (1989 views) | | | Tasted by Bromie on 11/1/2020 & rated 92 points: Little bricking, sweet brambles on the nose, some secondary flavours. Better the second day so would maybe benefit from decanting? (1924 views) | | | Tasted by Vaughanwallace on 8/29/2020 & rated 93 points: Vibrant cool climate Shiraz. Drinking well. Still seems young (1815 views) | | | Tasted by deverett on 8/21/2020 & rated 95 points: Fantastic edition of this wonderful wine, beautifully aged, still highly fragrant and spicy, fruit is elegant yet deeply rich and long. Loved it. (1813 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Angus Hughson
Vinous, Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 1994-2021 (Nov 2022) (11/1/2022)
(Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (4/13/2016)
(Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier Canberra District, Australia) Subscribe to see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, September/October 2009, IWC Issue #146
(Clonakilla Wines Shiraz/Viognier Canberra District) Subscribe to see review text. | By Campbell Mattinson
The WINEFRONT (7/25/2009)
(Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Halliday
Halliday Wine Companion (4/7/2009)
(Clonakilla Canberra District Shiraz Viognier) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JamesSuckling.com and The WINEFRONT and Halliday Wine Companion. (manage subscription channels) |
| Clonakilla Producer website2008 Clonakilla Shiraz ViognierPublic wine reviews
* Wino Sapien review
Article from wineanorak.com:
http://www.wineanorak.com/australia/clonakilla_shiraz_viognier_vertical_tasting.htm
Clonakilla has built its reputation for making brilliant Shiraz with a touch of Viognier from the relatively cool climate region of Canberra District. The winery was established in the 1970s by CSIRO scientist Dr John Kirk, and his son Tim took over operations in 1996, after completing a degree in Theology and teaching religious education for a few years.
Tim Kirk cites Côte Rôtie, the northern Rhône appellation, as the inspiration for the Shiraz Viognier, which was first made in 1992. In late 1992/early 1992 Tim had toured the Rhône, Burgundy and Bordeaux to expand his winemaking horizons. He visited Marcel Guigal and the highlight for him was tasting Guigal’s Syrah/Viognier out of barrel. ‘Here were Côte Rôties that had an ethereal dimension,’ he recalls. ‘A soaring, heady perfume that was more red fruit than black.’ Australian wines had robust tannins, but these French Syrah/Viognier blends had finer, more succulent tannins. ‘I was smitten by these wines,’ says Tim, describing it as a ‘revelatory moment’.
John Kirk had first planted Viognier in 1986 to give Clonakilla a point of difference. ‘It was very hard to establish,’ says Tim. ‘These were weedy sticks, and it took years.’ When Tim got back he suggested putting the Clonakilla Shiraz and Viognier together. ‘Dad said “go ahead”’, he recalls. So the 1992 Clonakilla Shiraz had ‘1% Viognier’ on the label. ‘I’ll wager that’s the first time these names ever appeared together on a wine label,’ reckons Tim. Now Shiraz Viognier is such a popular category that Australian wine shows have a class for it. [The rules are that you can only use the two names together when there is at least 5% Viognier in the blend, which is slightly problematic because 5% can be too much, resulting in some wines with a big apricot character on the nose.] Tim reckons that the addition of a little Viognier has a subtle, mesmerising effect on the palate. ‘It extends the thing in every direction. If it is done well you shouldn’t really notice it.’
Canberra District is at altitude (600 metres), with chiefly granitic soils. At most, it makes wines that are medium bodied; that are more about beauty, elegance and structure than sheer power. ‘I have always loved great Burgundy,’ says Tim. He has 2.5 rows of Pinot Noir and makes it every year. ‘It is quite good, but that isn’t good enough: I’d love to make great Pinot Noir.’ He describes his Shiraz Viognier as a ‘Shiraz for Pinot lovers.’
His winemaking is simple. Whole bunches are put into 2 ton fermenters, only part full. Some Viognier is typically crushed and destemmed and put on this, and then some Shiraz is destemmed and put on top. The fermenters are plunged three times a day and a jet of air is given each day. The whole bunches are really interesting, because some of the grapes stay attached and don’t burst (perhaps 20%), but instead begin fermentation from inside. If you take these whole berries out part way through fermentation, their pulp is coloured red, so they are extracting colour from the inside. They are also still a bit sweet; they have fermented about half the sugar from the inside by time of pressing. On pressing, these berries release sugar, which acts to prolong fermentation.Clonakilla Shiraz ViognierTOP VINTAGES
2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2007,
2005, 2004, 2001, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1994.
Bottled exclusively under screwcap since the 2007 vintage.
complexity, dimension, natural balance and completeness.
Doctor John Kirk planted a vineyard at Murrumbateman near Canberra in 1971. Kirk also planted a small plot of viognier in the mid 1980s, and the Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier came about in 1992 when Kirk’s fourth son, Tim Kirk, co-fermented the viognier fruit with shiraz. He also included a tiny amount of pinot noir and mataro in the early trial blend.
The fruit is now sourced from the best shiraz and viogner parcels of the Murrumbateman Vineyard. Located on a gentle fold of the cool southern tablelands at 600 metres above sea level, the soils are granitic, with sandy brown
and red loams over friable clay.
THE WINEMAKING
Traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques are applied to showcase the fruit flavours. Post vinification the wine is matured in new (33%) and seasoned French oak for around one year.
THE WINE
This medium to full-bodied style is highly aromatic and typified by fresh ginger, white pepper, apricot and black cherry aromas, underlying savoury French oak and fine, slinky, dry tannins. The style develops more complexity and depth with age.Shiraz BlendViognierAustralia Wine Australia (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) | Australian Wines (Wikipedia)New South Walesd we’reSouthern New South WalesI |
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