This is amazing QPR! Clonakilla makes amazing stuff. This one for the price I payed was the bomb! Color is Burgundy red headed towards purple. Nose was funky, smoky, red fruits, black olive. On the palate you add pepper to that and a meaty funk to it. Red cherry, raspberry and unripe strawberry. This is very well made, easy to enjoy now but can take a couple years of age. At below 40$ I'd get a case. Wow!
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Drank over three nights and it really held up and found it morphed from this rose petal & raspberry tea – primal & primary flavors to cocoa nibs and meat crust…you know, the one on that roast beef.
I was most impressed by the fine tannins that held it all together. Love it when they co-ferment with Viognier. I bet it has a decade still before it crests that tertiary hill.
Do we get wines like this outside of Australia?
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Disappointing given the pedigree. An enjoyable wine but, lacking precision on the palate, it feels unsure of its identity. The aromatics and flavors kind of run together into something nice but anonymous.
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Deep ruby in the glass, with violet hues. Much more open and richer than the 2017. The fruit here definitely comes out more, with the spice playing a solid role in the background. Some forest notes as well - dried leaves, mushrooms, freshly dug up soil. Palate is still tight, but much richer than the cooler '17. Tannins are nearly ripe with the acidity really coming out. Long, drying finish. Good wine to start drinking in a couple of years.
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Clonakilla Zoom tasting with Tim Kirk. Drank in Conterno Sensory. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of black pepper, black plums, blackberries, brambly stems, hint of soy earth. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol, slick smooth medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, wth flavours of blackberries, fruit pastille, black cherries, brambly spice, dark spiced tea/stems, black pepper, bit of olive + soy earth hint to the long finish. Very good quality. Lovely complexity for this great QPR Shiraz. In a good drinking place already, and still room for more development.
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18 O’riada So very drinkable and fragrant for Shiraz. You can really see the stems and cloves. Like a Pinot, Shiraz, and Grenache made a medium weight baby wine. Sappy and autumnal while being crunchy and dark fruited all at once. Ready to go now, no need to wait. Serve up to a Pinot drinker to show the versatility and (sometimes) elegance of Shiraz in Oz. Excellent. Drink now to 3 years, 93. Thank you Duck.
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Takes me back to the 90’s. Medium to medium dense red. Maybe just a little dull. Medium intensity but lifted. White pepper and winter spice. Herb and brambles. Bright nose. The palate is full, even and peppery. Fresh while still round. Mid weight. A lovely classic cool climate Shiraz. As an Aussie in the US, this is one of two Shiraz styles I really miss.
Meaty, dense, spicey on night one: 92 pts. On the second night it drank beautifully, showed a lot of elegance and a bit more resemblance to the grand vin. 93/94 ish. One of my favourite labels, reliably good again in 2018.
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Very young but very classy. Clonakilla seems to so rarely let me down in delivering up cool climate, Rhône style, complex and savoury Shiraz wines. This was no exception. Balanced, elegant but plentiful, savoury, spicy, blackcurrant and dark plum. Cloves, leather, stone.
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Appearance: medium ruby with purple rim. Nose: medium plus intensity; aromas of ginger, mandarin peel, a lot of pungent spices of cloves, white pepper and black pepper, chamomile. It's youthful. Palate: dry, medium plus acidity, medium plus chalky tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus flavour intensity, plenty of pungent spices as well. The finish is medium plus. Overall, it's a very good wine. Can drink now, has potential for further ageing. Lovely elegant cool climate Shiraz. I'm always a big fan of Clonakilla. O'Riada is a great offer with good QPR, which you can sneak peak the charms of their flagship but with less than half the price. Beautiful peppery notes just shout out Shiraz vividly, typical of the climate/region. This wine has the tannin structure for cellaring, but also drinks really well now. Paired it with my scotch fillet seasoned with black pepper sauce. How about the double dipping!
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Interesting different profile for a Clonakilla- Riper fruit: Mulberry, Dark cherry, marmalade, white pepper, vanilla, Tight and long mid palate, fruity, black pepper to a lush, light tannic finish great balance, Excellent wine, but imo this is a drink soon next 5yrs why, there is plenty on show now, so enjoy!
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Lovely young. Light and bright but has good depth. The red berried fruit is fresh and is followed by pepper and warm spice. So easily drinkable. The bottle disappeared rather quickly.
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10/13/2023 - DevenStephens Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is amazing QPR! Clonakilla makes amazing stuff. This one for the price I payed was the bomb! Color is Burgundy red headed towards purple. Nose was funky, smoky, red fruits, black olive. On the palate you add pepper to that and a meaty funk to it. Red cherry, raspberry and unripe strawberry. This is very well made, easy to enjoy now but can take a couple years of age. At below 40$ I'd get a case. Wow!
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8/3/2023 - KillerJones Likes this wine: 94 Points
A color so deep & a nose so complex – Oh boy!
Drank over three nights and it really held up and found it morphed from this rose petal & raspberry tea – primal & primary flavors to cocoa nibs and meat crust…you know, the one on that roast beef.
I was most impressed by the fine tannins that held it all together. Love it when they co-ferment with Viognier. I bet it has a decade still before it crests that tertiary hill.
Do we get wines like this outside of Australia?
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7/29/2023 - LimeyDick wrote:
Decent
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7/15/2023 - mfimiani47 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruit, and a peppery jerky on the palate. This is a wine full of potential. It does need some time though as it’s a bit inward at the moment 92+
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2/11/2023 - ragavolley Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cassis et confiture de framboise . Encore très jeune . A revoir dans quelques années
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2/4/2023 - scorbett Likes this wine:
Little bit of pepper, little bit of meat, dark fruit, nice texture. Solid syrah.
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12/10/2022 - LeSow wrote: 97 Points
JH
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6/4/2022 - Benj wrote:
Disappointing given the pedigree. An enjoyable wine but, lacking precision on the palate, it feels unsure of its identity. The aromatics and flavors kind of run together into something nice but anonymous.
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12/3/2021 - grapenomad wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby in the glass, with violet hues. Much more open and richer than the 2017. The fruit here definitely comes out more, with the spice playing a solid role in the background. Some forest notes as well - dried leaves, mushrooms, freshly dug up soil. Palate is still tight, but much richer than the cooler '17. Tannins are nearly ripe with the acidity really coming out. Long, drying finish. Good wine to start drinking in a couple of years.
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12/2/2021 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
Clonakilla Zoom tasting with Tim Kirk. Drank in Conterno Sensory.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of black pepper, black plums, blackberries, brambly stems, hint of soy earth. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol, slick smooth medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, wth flavours of blackberries, fruit pastille, black cherries, brambly spice, dark spiced tea/stems, black pepper, bit of olive + soy earth hint to the long finish.
Very good quality. Lovely complexity for this great QPR Shiraz. In a good drinking place already, and still room for more development.
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7/20/2021 - Screwcaps Likes this wine: 93 Points
It’s not often I agree with the CT mean score,..
18 O’riada
So very drinkable and fragrant for Shiraz. You can really see the stems and cloves. Like a Pinot, Shiraz, and Grenache made a medium weight baby wine. Sappy and autumnal while being crunchy and dark fruited all at once. Ready to go now, no need to wait. Serve up to a Pinot drinker to show the versatility and (sometimes) elegance of Shiraz in Oz. Excellent. Drink now to 3 years, 93. Thank you Duck.
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2/26/2021 - Fat1Wombat wrote: 93 Points
Takes me back to the 90’s.
Medium to medium dense red. Maybe just a little dull.
Medium intensity but lifted. White pepper and winter spice. Herb and brambles. Bright nose.
The palate is full, even and peppery. Fresh while still round. Mid weight.
A lovely classic cool climate Shiraz.
As an Aussie in the US, this is one of two Shiraz styles I really miss.
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2/17/2021 - wcranners wrote: 94 Points
Young and bold.
Spicy and lots of white pepper. Fruit forward and drinking very well so young. Watch with interest
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2/12/2021 - brodien wrote: 94 Points
Meaty, dense, spicey on night one: 92 pts. On the second night it drank beautifully, showed a lot of elegance and a bit more resemblance to the grand vin. 93/94 ish. One of my favourite labels, reliably good again in 2018.
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1/12/2021 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very young but very classy. Clonakilla seems to so rarely let me down in delivering up cool climate, Rhône style, complex and savoury Shiraz wines. This was no exception. Balanced, elegant but plentiful, savoury, spicy, blackcurrant and dark plum. Cloves, leather, stone.
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12/30/2020 - Jason Wu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Appearance: medium ruby with purple rim.
Nose: medium plus intensity; aromas of ginger, mandarin peel, a lot of pungent spices of cloves, white pepper and black pepper, chamomile. It's youthful.
Palate: dry, medium plus acidity, medium plus chalky tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus flavour intensity, plenty of pungent spices as well. The finish is medium plus.
Overall, it's a very good wine. Can drink now, has potential for further ageing.
Lovely elegant cool climate Shiraz. I'm always a big fan of Clonakilla. O'Riada is a great offer with good QPR, which you can sneak peak the charms of their flagship but with less than half the price. Beautiful peppery notes just shout out Shiraz vividly, typical of the climate/region. This wine has the tannin structure for cellaring, but also drinks really well now. Paired it with my scotch fillet seasoned with black pepper sauce. How about the double dipping!
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12/10/2020 - ShirazTrain wrote: 93 Points
Interesting different profile for a Clonakilla-
Riper fruit: Mulberry, Dark cherry, marmalade, white pepper, vanilla,
Tight and long mid palate, fruity, black pepper to a lush, light tannic finish
great balance,
Excellent wine, but imo this is a drink soon next 5yrs
why, there is plenty on show now, so enjoy!
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9/24/2020 - Jimmy_D Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely young. Light and bright but has good depth. The red berried fruit is fresh and is followed by pepper and warm spice. So easily drinkable. The bottle disappeared rather quickly.
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8/15/2020 - chatters wrote:
Canberra districts whistlestop tour; 8/14/2020-8/15/2020 (Canberra Districts): Perfumed, a little rose petal, slight green and black peppercorn, meaty/charcuterie notes, blackberry plays second fiddle to it. Juicy, fleshy, blackberry, peppery spice, slightly chalky tannins. Balanced.
Rather nice.
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