Tasted beside the 2003, a rare treat to try two 20 year or older SVs. The 01 is special for several reasons, not only personally but for its place in the evolution of Australian Shiraz.
This was the last SV made exclusively from original Clonakilla vines. The 01 shows how impressive the original Cka blocks were at producing high-end Rhone styled wine, even if the higher, north-facing warmer T&L blocks next door have taken the wine to a new level since 2002. I vividly recall a dinner where the 01 looked right at home beside two top Cote Roties (accompanied by guinea fowl, cooked two ways of course).
The 01 was rightly acclaimed by the wine commentariat. It showed the new horizons available to Oz Shiraz in inspired hands, with winemaking flair and the blessing of a well-disposed site. It was not alone but it was a beacon. It won wine of the year in a leading guide, paving the way for many subsequent vintages to win that accolade in different publications.
The only cloud over this foundational tale is the closure. Perfidious cork resulted in a lot of bottle variation. Perhaps up to 30% we’re corked. At the Clonakilla 50th, 9 or so bottles had to be opened to find 4 fit for pouring - and among them the four varied. My previous bottle a few weeks ago was utterly spoiled with TCA.
This was my last bottle. The gods were not up to their capricious games. A good clean old bottle it was. And so finally to the wine.
Well into the very late autumn of its life. Almost turning to orange rind on the rim. Then brick, with an old burgundy centre.
Profoundly savoury nose. Baking bones to the fore, whispers of the red fruits that made it a delight in its youth, some leaf and herb, all dialled down. Touch charry, some balsamico too. Haunting and ethereal, as its maker would say.
Fruit fading away from the bones of tannin on the palate. Mild pepper streaks emerge. Just enough acid to save it from the grave.
For all it’s faded glory, it still resonated with me, no doubt with my heart over ruling my palate. The score shows some objectivity, mind. Others including an eminent Komrade have called it tired. I cannot object.
Another reminder not to wait until some arbitrary, mythical date or peak state. Better to regret the last bottle tasted too early than lament it tasted too late etc. Suitably chastened, I intend to work through those remaining older vintages in earnest. Watch this space.
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Nose of pepper, smoked meats and red fruits. Light to medium bodied on entry, pepper, red fruits, fine firm tannins, lovely acid spine with good length. Probably not developing much in the way of tertiary flavours, and the fruit is starting to fade, so this one is best consumed in the short term (especially if provenance is uncertain). From a bottle professionally cellared since release.
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Black olives, briney, gamey and black pepper aromatics, Cote Rotie style all the way; medium plus bodied, red fruit sweetness with black olive accents spiked through, meaty. fine raspy tannins, good persistence and acid spine. Likely to be at its peak (this bottle has perfect provenance). High quality cork used by Clonakilla (minimal holes/pits), albeit a tad short.
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PnP’ed. Initially with a tinge of heat on the nose... but this soon blew off & gave way (after some time/air) to a very attractive nose of white-flowers, spices, pepper (which kept growing/going). On the palate, red-fruited, with earthly tones and a touch of garrigue, all wrapped in a fresh & silky package. So attractive & tasty!
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Terroir-istes International - Australia-Clonakilla Vertical (Klein Constantia): (Blind Tasting): A deep red garnet to bricking orange rim wine showing developed tertiary characteristics on the nose. The bouquet offers wet earth, forest fruits, undergrowth, fungal and some aged Parmesan shavings. I pick up burnt sugar, dried orange peel and slightly oxidative elements that morph to a funky nose that suggests some Brett infection. The palate mirrors the development adding brambles with some earth on them and damp undergrowth. The acid is lively - a cooler year or simply added, - sweet and rich texture offers warmed or baked fruit compote with a smattering of spice (from stem inclusion?). It is not that deep a wine; the mid-palate to finish is more cola drops and cough syrup. Medium in length, the wine seems a little out of sorts with seemingly added acidity trying to offset the riper earthy fruit, touch volatile, orange peel, and coarse tannins. The wine is less integrated and spiky, less rounded, and isn't showing great. Blend of Shiraz and Viognier grapes.
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Elegant, loads of black pepper and brambly fruit, a dead ringer for a very good Cote Rotie in the style that is rarely made these days. It fills out with air, gaining complexity. Stunning wine.
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Clonakilla Dinner 2012 (Moon Under Water, Melbourne): Issues with the Spanish corks used for this wine has meant that the 01 SV is a bit hit and miss. A gentleman at our table had unfortunately had two poor bottles of this wine, so brought one in from the cellar for Tim to have a look at. Fortunately for all at the table, the wine was in perfect shape and was generously shared around the group. Another wow wine. Would improve even further with time in bottle. Beautiful, complex, plush yet elegant nose of ripe red berry fruit, cigar box, tobacco and spice. Silky, fine tannin, perfectly ripened fruit, and earthy, spicey complexity on the palate. Fine, long finish. This would get even better with age, and/or a good decant. Not meant to be part of the tasting, but ended up WOTN for me.
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2011 Simple Series V: Benchmark Aussies 10-Years and Older (The Moomba @ Circular Road): Alcohol :: 14% Sweet plum, blackcurrant, prune and spices that lifted by aromas of mangoes, chalk, quite expressive and complex with really good focus. The highly concentrated sweet dark fruits continue to explode on the intense palate along with layer of spices, mushroom, earth and some sweet herb with really silky tannin that leads to the long finish that remain fresh despite on the almost over-ripe sweet fruits. Very good. Buy - Yes (if the price is right)
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Night of Benchmark Aussies (Moomba Restaurant): Light to medium bodied but with great intensity of flavors. Slightly off-dry and a little spritzy making it very pleasant to drink. A nice change from the typical Aussie Shiraz or Cabernet. Very distinctive in terms of character but if I had to be picky, it just needs a tad more depth.
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2011 Simple Series V: Benchmark Aussies 10-Years and Older (The Moomba, Circular Road): An excellent wine. Quite amazingly, almost everyone picked this out as a Cote-Rotie style Shiraz-Viognier and, by process of elimination, identified it as a Clonakilla. This is truly a unique wine in Australia. The nose showed lovely notes of garrigue, lavender, rosemary, thyme - very Rhone - alongside some cherries, winter melon and peppery spice all layered with a nice floral tone. The palate showed enough big, palate-staining ripeness to betray its new world origins, but it had a lovely, velvety elegance to it that formed a classy frame to the ripe cherry and red berry fruit flavours, and a nice touch of cooler climate meat and pepper flavours, especially as it pulled away with a long finish. I would not exactly call this fresh, but it was well-balanced, and there was enough acidity so that it each sip of the wine called out to another. Very nice indeed.
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This wine took a while to open up, but when it did, wow. Eventually revealed a delightful complex nose with red and dark fruits, pepper, spice, tobacco and cigar box. Very fine with smooth, silky tannins. Excellent length. WOTN against some stiff competition.
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Tannins and red fruit have all but ebbed away, giving way to strong woody, sawdust notes of pine, cedar, sweet rosewood and a hint of graphite on the nose and palette. The finish is shorter than expected, with a hint of mint/eucalyptus at the end. A very pleasant drinking wine, (I love the wooded notes) though rather unexpected experience overall, as I was anticipating the same opulence and power of the 2004 I tasted a year ago. Unlike that bottle, this did not require much decanting. This together with other telltale signs of ullage and a slippery cork suggest there might have been some premature aging due to suboptimal storage conditions. Despite this disappointment, still very fine overall.
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Clonakilla Vertical Dinner: Amazingly lifted florals and pepper - really beautiful nose. The palate shows the same freshness but with excellent depth as well. Long and brilliantly balanced. Ultra classy and it just kept on getting better the longer it was in the glass.
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A trio of Shirazes (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): This was starting to show benefit from its age. Some meat and earth notes starting to show as well as the fragrance from the voignier. Drank very well.
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2/17/2023 - Dr S Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted beside the 2003, a rare treat to try two 20 year or older SVs. The 01 is special for several reasons, not only personally but for its place in the evolution of Australian Shiraz.
This was the last SV made exclusively from original Clonakilla vines. The 01 shows how impressive the original Cka blocks were at producing high-end Rhone styled wine, even if the higher, north-facing warmer T&L blocks next door have taken the wine to a new level since 2002. I vividly recall a dinner where the 01 looked right at home beside two top Cote Roties (accompanied by guinea fowl, cooked two ways of course).
The 01 was rightly acclaimed by the wine commentariat. It showed the new horizons available to Oz Shiraz in inspired hands, with winemaking flair and the blessing of a well-disposed site. It was not alone but it was a beacon. It won wine of the year in a leading guide, paving the way for many subsequent vintages to win that accolade in different publications.
The only cloud over this foundational tale is the closure. Perfidious cork resulted in a lot of bottle variation. Perhaps up to 30% we’re corked. At the Clonakilla 50th, 9 or so bottles had to be opened to find 4 fit for pouring - and among them the four varied. My previous bottle a few weeks ago was utterly spoiled with TCA.
This was my last bottle. The gods were not up to their capricious games. A good clean old bottle it was. And so finally to the wine.
Well into the very late autumn of its life. Almost turning to orange rind on the rim. Then brick, with an old burgundy centre.
Profoundly savoury nose. Baking bones to the fore, whispers of the red fruits that made it a delight in its youth, some leaf and herb, all dialled down. Touch charry, some balsamico too. Haunting and ethereal, as its maker would say.
Fruit fading away from the bones of tannin on the palate. Mild pepper streaks emerge. Just enough acid to save it from the grave.
For all it’s faded glory, it still resonated with me, no doubt with my heart over ruling my palate. The score shows some objectivity, mind. Others including an eminent Komrade have called it tired. I cannot object.
Another reminder not to wait until some arbitrary, mythical date or peak state. Better to regret the last bottle tasted too early than lament it tasted too late etc. Suitably chastened, I intend to work through those remaining older vintages in earnest. Watch this space.
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8/1/2020 - lightning wrote: 92 Points
Nose of pepper, smoked meats and red fruits. Light to medium bodied on entry, pepper, red fruits, fine firm tannins, lovely acid spine with good length. Probably not developing much in the way of tertiary flavours, and the fruit is starting to fade, so this one is best consumed in the short term (especially if provenance is uncertain). From a bottle professionally cellared since release.
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5/2/2020 - lightning wrote: 91 Points
Black olives, briney, gamey and black pepper aromatics, Cote Rotie style all the way; medium plus bodied, red fruit sweetness with black olive accents spiked through, meaty. fine raspy tannins, good persistence and acid spine. Likely to be at its peak (this bottle has perfect provenance). High quality cork used by Clonakilla (minimal holes/pits), albeit a tad short.
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4/12/2018 - etyc Likes this wine:
Sushi & BBQ at J's office
PnP’ed. Initially with a tinge of heat on the nose... but this soon blew off & gave way (after some time/air) to a very attractive nose of white-flowers, spices, pepper (which kept growing/going). On the palate, red-fruited, with earthly tones and a touch of garrigue, all wrapped in a fresh & silky package. So attractive & tasty!
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8/1/2016 - rikipedia wrote: 87 Points
Terroir-istes International - Australia-Clonakilla Vertical (Klein Constantia): (Blind Tasting): A deep red garnet to bricking orange rim wine showing developed tertiary characteristics on the nose. The bouquet offers wet earth, forest fruits, undergrowth, fungal and some aged Parmesan shavings. I pick up burnt sugar, dried orange peel and slightly oxidative elements that morph to a funky nose that suggests some Brett infection.
The palate mirrors the development adding brambles with some earth on them and damp undergrowth. The acid is lively - a cooler year or simply added, - sweet and rich texture offers warmed or baked fruit compote with a smattering of spice (from stem inclusion?). It is not that deep a wine; the mid-palate to finish is more cola drops and cough syrup. Medium in length, the wine seems a little out of sorts with seemingly added acidity trying to offset the riper earthy fruit, touch volatile, orange peel, and coarse tannins. The wine is less integrated and spiky, less rounded, and isn't showing great.
Blend of Shiraz and Viognier grapes.
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1/30/2016 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 94 Points
Elegant, loads of black pepper and brambly fruit, a dead ringer for a very good Cote Rotie in the style that is rarely made these days. It fills out with air, gaining complexity. Stunning wine.
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10/9/2012 - G.M. Likes this wine: 96 Points
Clonakilla Dinner 2012 (Moon Under Water, Melbourne): Issues with the Spanish corks used for this wine has meant that the 01 SV is a bit hit and miss. A gentleman at our table had unfortunately had two poor bottles of this wine, so brought one in from the cellar for Tim to have a look at. Fortunately for all at the table, the wine was in perfect shape and was generously shared around the group. Another wow wine. Would improve even further with time in bottle. Beautiful, complex, plush yet elegant nose of ripe red berry fruit, cigar box, tobacco and spice. Silky, fine tannin, perfectly ripened fruit, and earthy, spicey complexity on the palate. Fine, long finish. This would get even better with age, and/or a good decant. Not meant to be part of the tasting, but ended up WOTN for me.
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10/1/2012 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bright perfume, herbal edge, red berries, licorice spice. Soft, silky, rich, dark berries and black pepper, good balance. Nicely aged, smooth finish.
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4/1/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
2011 Simple Series V: Benchmark Aussies 10-Years and Older (The Moomba @ Circular Road): Alcohol :: 14%
Sweet plum, blackcurrant, prune and spices that lifted by aromas of mangoes, chalk, quite expressive and complex with really good focus. The highly concentrated sweet dark fruits continue to explode on the intense palate along with layer of spices, mushroom, earth and some sweet herb with really silky tannin that leads to the long finish that remain fresh despite on the almost over-ripe sweet fruits. Very good. Buy - Yes (if the price is right)
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4/1/2011 - Dbrane wrote: 90 Points
Night of Benchmark Aussies (Moomba Restaurant): Light to medium bodied but with great intensity of flavors. Slightly off-dry and a little spritzy making it very pleasant to drink. A nice change from the typical Aussie Shiraz or Cabernet. Very distinctive in terms of character but if I had to be picky, it just needs a tad more depth.
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4/1/2011 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
2011 Simple Series V: Benchmark Aussies 10-Years and Older (The Moomba, Circular Road): An excellent wine. Quite amazingly, almost everyone picked this out as a Cote-Rotie style Shiraz-Viognier and, by process of elimination, identified it as a Clonakilla. This is truly a unique wine in Australia. The nose showed lovely notes of garrigue, lavender, rosemary, thyme - very Rhone - alongside some cherries, winter melon and peppery spice all layered with a nice floral tone. The palate showed enough big, palate-staining ripeness to betray its new world origins, but it had a lovely, velvety elegance to it that formed a classy frame to the ripe cherry and red berry fruit flavours, and a nice touch of cooler climate meat and pepper flavours, especially as it pulled away with a long finish. I would not exactly call this fresh, but it was well-balanced, and there was enough acidity so that it each sip of the wine called out to another. Very nice indeed.
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2/20/2009 - G.M. wrote: 96 Points
This wine took a while to open up, but when it did, wow. Eventually revealed a delightful complex nose with red and dark fruits, pepper, spice, tobacco and cigar box. Very fine with smooth, silky tannins. Excellent length. WOTN against some stiff competition.
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10/11/2008 - drspicy wrote: 93 Points
Tannins and red fruit have all but ebbed away, giving way to strong woody, sawdust notes of pine, cedar, sweet rosewood and a hint of graphite on the nose and palette. The finish is shorter than expected, with a hint of mint/eucalyptus at the end. A very pleasant drinking wine, (I love the wooded notes) though rather unexpected experience overall, as I was anticipating the same opulence and power of the 2004 I tasted a year ago. Unlike that bottle, this did not require much decanting. This together with other telltale signs of ullage and a slippery cork suggest there might have been some premature aging due to suboptimal storage conditions. Despite this disappointment, still very fine overall.
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5/3/2008 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
Clonakilla Vertical Dinner: Amazingly lifted florals and pepper - really beautiful nose. The palate shows the same freshness but with excellent depth as well. Long and brilliantly balanced. Ultra classy and it just kept on getting better the longer it was in the glass.
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11/10/2007 - Wrighty wrote: 92 Points
A trio of Shirazes (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): This was starting to show benefit from its age. Some meat and earth notes starting to show as well as the fragrance from the voignier. Drank very well.
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