A compelling Syrah, for the mind, soul and tummy. It may not be the best Cka Syrah (09, 15, 16 and 19, perhaps 18 too, vie for that spot) but it’s upper echelon and one I love, not least for the intrigue – is it a great wine, or almost but for how the delectable fruit was handled with oak? And like some legendary romances or Jane Austen thing, it wasn’t love at first sight or without ambivalence and subplots as it has evolved.
From a very good year. The vineyard sprung back from the frost devastation of 07 to deliver the largest crop at that time, absorbing a notably (notoriously) hot summer.
Similar colour to my last note almost 2 years ago. Purple core, with decided fade on the rim (up to a centimetre or so).
A spicy, bunched, complex nose. Fruit and oak spicy, greengage plum, tarragon or fennel, pepper, raspberry, boysenberry. Lots of aromas competing for your attention, a dusty oak note receding like the last trumpet call at post. I could sit with the nose a long time, longer than I could meditate with my woeful self.
The palate is a silk slipper. So fine, so delightful and playful, waltzing across Texas tonight (check out Emmylou Harris’s version on her brilliant Wrecking Ball, you’ll get the drift). More raspberries, dusty spices, charcuterie touches, and crystalline acid trail across the palate. Fresh yet mature.
Does it retain the fruit intensity to see out the 22 month oak birthmark? That’s the nagging question that keeps me coming back, trying to crack the code. The romantic in me thinks so. The realist thinks it 50:50. The 2006, the maiden Cka Syrah, also had 22 months or so in oak. It’s very good, a fave, but walks the line.
While I’d prefer a touch less oak to let the almost delicate fruit disport its naked self, this is a case where the oak plays an honourable role. It provides savouriness, texture and grunt to the fine fruit. As Townes Van Zandt sang, ‘I’ll miss the system here, the bottom’s low and the treble’s clear’.
All up, a study in how to use oak. It reminds me of what Duane Coates is doing in the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale, in a different climatic context and inspired by different influences. With the right touch, vintage and fruit, it works. On balance, I think so here with the 08. It’s great now but should offer more subtle delights as it merges into its twilight (5 or perhaps 10 years on). Not better than now. Just another intriguing stage in its life story. Oh to have a magnum of it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
An update, with a needed amendment, based on night two’s tasting. Even more Hermitage like, especially the nose. Loaded up with warm spices, all manner of peppercorns, and perfumed fruit (perhaps those elusive florals too).
The main reason to provide a post script relates to the oak. It was entirely simpatico on the second night. I still think it could have been dialed back a few months to let the fine fruit sing more, but it’s now deeply stitched into body of the wine and invests added structure, as well as savoury elements to the overall fabric.
I meant to give 94 points yesterday and definitely wish it be so now. Already drinking well but another five years should see it go full Hermitage. Bring it on.
The best bottle of this vintage to date. Retains a deep dark purple core, with browning on the rim.
Strikingly toasty, spicy nose, in upper register. Yes you know it’s an Aussie but the charcuterie, pink peppercorn and sprinkle of dry herbs tells you it’s a Hermitage kind of red - and the accent’s not fake. Clearly a Syrah, not a Shiraz (nor an ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie mate’, thank god).
Superbly balanced palate. It’s both substantial and yet very fine, almost lacey in the mouth. Simmering intensity and good line. Cherry/red berry spectrum, with more of that charcuterie character and fine spice. Alive.
There’s some bottle variation with the 08. This looked much better than the stolid, stern example at the extraordinary Clonakilla 50th anniversary two months ago in early October. The 08 bottles opened then attracted a lot of acclaim, with an MW telling me it was his standout from the 28 SVs and Syrahs tasted. I don’t get the rose petals or florals that another esteemed editor detected but agree it’s fine, long and balanced.
While the oak overcoat that earlier seemed to smother the fruit is fading, I still think this would have been a more expressive beauty if it had less time than 22 months in barrel. The contrast with the even better, pure, Chambertin like 08 SV (10-12 months barrel work) makes the case.
Tim Kirk, the maker, used to draw parallels between Murrambateman/Canberra region and Seppelts area in the Grampians, western Victoria. This wine is almost a finer, delicate Seppelts St Peters from the late 90s/early 2000s. More European in many ways but perhaps not the typical Clonakilla style. Intrigued to see how it evolves, as it will continue to do.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Complex and intriguing nose of pan juices, autumn leaves, cherry, and smoke. A gentle nuttiness in the background.
In the mouth, fragrant purple-tinged fruit, star anise, ink, and florals abound. Classy mouthfeel with fine sandy tannins and wonderful length. Very fresh.
Opinion: What a beautiful wine! In fact, wine of the year so far. In such a great drinking spot now. Still youthful in many respects, however it really shines in that youthfulness and may not get better with further ageing. Do I have enough Clonakilla Syrah in the cellar?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Plums, cloves, nuts. It's quite rich and dense in the mouth, with the oak playing a fair hand in the mouthfeel. A lifted note to finish which almost feels hot. Would not have picked this as Clonakilla if blinded.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A good wine that was definitely improved on day 2 - so decant this baby. Powerful fruit (not sweet though), firm tannins, integrated acidity. Nice cool climate notes with plums, cherry, cloves and white pepper. Medium bodied with a lingering finish. I thought the 06 was outstanding - this vintage is nearly as good. In my view this challenges the Shiraz Viognier as the top wine from Clonakilla.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was denser and heavier than I was expecting and for my palate, is showing quite heavy handed oak which throws everything off. Drank over 2 days and while it improved a bit, it fell well short of my expectations for this producer and other reviews. There is cleary some lovely underlying fruit but it was lacking real cool climate personality and was completely swallowed by the oak. Might try another to see but likely the rest may be off to auction.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
There are some wines which have an X-factor - that point of difference that sets them apart from the others. This is one of those wines. It's about a balanced combination of flavour, acid, tannin, length, etc, as well as outstanding fruit - blackberry, cherry, pepper, tar, chocolate, pan juices - and spicy oak.
I've had a number of Canberra-based shiraz from this and the 2009 vintage and this is leaps and bounds ahead.
I had this a few years ago and wasn't as impressed but this has aged beautifully. In fact, it was all still a bit tight and took about an hour to really express itself, so don't rush into it - but if you do, give it a good decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent. 14% alc. Colour: deep black berry Bouquet: mocha coffee, blueberry, black olives, mint, chocolate Palate: as bouquet, black cherry, vanilla, spice, full-bodied and flavoured, long clean acid finish September 2014
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Canberra and Hilltops Tasting (Prince Wine Store - Bank Street): The nose is chock full of dark juicy fruits with a purfumed, spicy oak that add some interesting complexity. A good tannin balance on the palette with some delicate blackberry and cherry notes on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/9/2024 - Dr S Likes this wine: 94 Points
A compelling Syrah, for the mind, soul and tummy. It may not be the best Cka Syrah (09, 15, 16 and 19, perhaps 18 too, vie for that spot) but it’s upper echelon and one I love, not least for the intrigue – is it a great wine, or almost but for how the delectable fruit was handled with oak? And like some legendary romances or Jane Austen thing, it wasn’t love at first sight or without ambivalence and subplots as it has evolved.
From a very good year. The vineyard sprung back from the frost devastation of 07 to deliver the largest crop at that time, absorbing a notably (notoriously) hot summer.
Similar colour to my last note almost 2 years ago. Purple core, with decided fade on the rim (up to a centimetre or so).
A spicy, bunched, complex nose. Fruit and oak spicy, greengage plum, tarragon or fennel, pepper, raspberry, boysenberry. Lots of aromas competing for your attention, a dusty oak note receding like the last trumpet call at post. I could sit with the nose a long time, longer than I could meditate with my woeful self.
The palate is a silk slipper. So fine, so delightful and playful, waltzing across Texas tonight (check out Emmylou Harris’s version on her brilliant Wrecking Ball, you’ll get the drift). More raspberries, dusty spices, charcuterie touches, and crystalline acid trail across the palate. Fresh yet mature.
Does it retain the fruit intensity to see out the 22 month oak birthmark? That’s the nagging question that keeps me coming back, trying to crack the code. The romantic in me thinks so. The realist thinks it 50:50. The 2006, the maiden Cka Syrah, also had 22 months or so in oak. It’s very good, a fave, but walks the line.
While I’d prefer a touch less oak to let the almost delicate fruit disport its naked self, this is a case where the oak plays an honourable role. It provides savouriness, texture and grunt to the fine fruit. As Townes Van Zandt sang, ‘I’ll miss the system here, the bottom’s low and the treble’s clear’.
All up, a study in how to use oak. It reminds me of what Duane Coates is doing in the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale, in a different climatic context and inspired by different influences. With the right touch, vintage and fruit, it works. On balance, I think so here with the 08. It’s great now but should offer more subtle delights as it merges into its twilight (5 or perhaps 10 years on). Not better than now. Just another intriguing stage in its life story. Oh to have a magnum of it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2022 - Dr S Likes this wine: 94 Points
An update, with a needed amendment, based on night two’s tasting. Even more Hermitage like, especially the nose. Loaded up with warm spices, all manner of peppercorns, and perfumed fruit (perhaps those elusive florals too).
The main reason to provide a post script relates to the oak. It was entirely simpatico on the second night. I still think it could have been dialed back a few months to let the fine fruit sing more, but it’s now deeply stitched into body of the wine and invests added structure, as well as savoury elements to the overall fabric.
I meant to give 94 points yesterday and definitely wish it be so now. Already drinking well but another five years should see it go full Hermitage. Bring it on.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
12/3/2022 - Dr S Likes this wine: 93 Points
The best bottle of this vintage to date. Retains a deep dark purple core, with browning on the rim.
Strikingly toasty, spicy nose, in upper register. Yes you know it’s an Aussie but the charcuterie, pink peppercorn and sprinkle of dry herbs tells you it’s a Hermitage kind of red - and the accent’s not fake. Clearly a Syrah, not a Shiraz (nor an ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie mate’, thank god).
Superbly balanced palate. It’s both substantial and yet very fine, almost lacey in the mouth. Simmering intensity and good line. Cherry/red berry spectrum, with more of that charcuterie character and fine spice. Alive.
There’s some bottle variation with the 08. This looked much better than the stolid, stern example at the extraordinary Clonakilla 50th anniversary two months ago in early October. The 08 bottles opened then attracted a lot of acclaim, with an MW telling me it was his standout from the 28 SVs and Syrahs tasted. I don’t get the rose petals or florals that another esteemed editor detected but agree it’s fine, long and balanced.
While the oak overcoat that earlier seemed to smother the fruit is fading, I still think this would have been a more expressive beauty if it had less time than 22 months in barrel. The contrast with the even better, pure, Chambertin like 08 SV (10-12 months barrel work) makes the case.
Tim Kirk, the maker, used to draw parallels between Murrambateman/Canberra region and Seppelts area in the Grampians, western Victoria. This wine is almost a finer, delicate Seppelts St Peters from the late 90s/early 2000s. More European in many ways but perhaps not the typical Clonakilla style. Intrigued to see how it evolves, as it will continue to do.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/18/2020 - mphatic Likes this wine:
Screwcap, 14% alc. Bright red.
Complex and intriguing nose of pan juices, autumn leaves, cherry, and smoke. A gentle nuttiness in the background.
In the mouth, fragrant purple-tinged fruit, star anise, ink, and florals abound. Classy mouthfeel with fine sandy tannins and wonderful length. Very fresh.
Opinion: What a beautiful wine! In fact, wine of the year so far. In such a great drinking spot now. Still youthful in many respects, however it really shines in that youthfulness and may not get better with further ageing. Do I have enough Clonakilla Syrah in the cellar?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2019 - brisbane piefan Likes this wine: 96 Points
Powerful but restrained/balanced through nose and palate. Dark fruits and seamless. Drinking really well right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2018 - fizz wrote:
Plums, cloves, nuts. It's quite rich and dense in the mouth, with the oak playing a fair hand in the mouthfeel. A lifted note to finish which almost feels hot. Would not have picked this as Clonakilla if blinded.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2017 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
A good wine that was definitely improved on day 2 - so decant this baby. Powerful fruit (not sweet though), firm tannins, integrated acidity. Nice cool climate notes with plums, cherry, cloves and white pepper. Medium bodied with a lingering finish. I thought the 06 was outstanding - this vintage is nearly as good. In my view this challenges the Shiraz Viognier as the top wine from Clonakilla.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2017 - deverett wrote: 88 Points
This was denser and heavier than I was expecting and for my palate, is showing quite heavy handed oak which throws everything off. Drank over 2 days and while it improved a bit, it fell well short of my expectations for this producer and other reviews. There is cleary some lovely underlying fruit but it was lacking real cool climate personality and was completely swallowed by the oak. Might try another to see but likely the rest may be off to auction.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2016 - azzah Likes this wine: 96 Points
There are some wines which have an X-factor - that point of difference that sets them apart from the others. This is one of those wines. It's about a balanced combination of flavour, acid, tannin, length, etc, as well as outstanding fruit - blackberry, cherry, pepper, tar, chocolate, pan juices - and spicy oak.
I've had a number of Canberra-based shiraz from this and the 2009 vintage and this is leaps and bounds ahead.
I had this a few years ago and wasn't as impressed but this has aged beautifully. In fact, it was all still a bit tight and took about an hour to really express itself, so don't rush into it - but if you do, give it a good decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2014 - rmarkey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent. 14% alc.
Colour: deep black berry
Bouquet: mocha coffee, blueberry, black olives, mint, chocolate
Palate: as bouquet, black cherry, vanilla, spice, full-bodied and flavoured, long clean acid finish
September 2014
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2010 - AlexGarner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Canberra and Hilltops Tasting (Prince Wine Store - Bank Street): The nose is chock full of dark juicy fruits with a purfumed, spicy oak that add some interesting complexity. A good tannin balance on the palette with some delicate blackberry and cherry notes on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment