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 inventive and original Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier takes Australian shiraz in a completely new direction. A combination of a mature vineyard site, faith in nature and near-religious winemaking philosophies has resulted in a distinctive wine of extraordinary aromatic complexity, dimension, natural balance and completeness.
95 Points Robert Parker
Considerably more serious is the Cote-Rotie-like 2006 Shiraz-Viognier (with 6% of the latter co-fermented). It offers a splendid bouquet of pain grille, smoky bacon and sausage, violets, blackberry, and blueberry muffin. This is followed by a full-bodied, savory, opulent wine with gobs of fruit, layers of flavor, and well concealed tannin. All components are nicely integrated and the finish lasts for 60+ seconds. Give it 6-8 years of additional cellaring and drink it through 2036.