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.
98 Points Halliday Wine Companion
Some young wines take hours to declare their full greatness, churning and evolving for some time before finding themselves. Others possess such an effortless confidence and elegant balance that their full calibre is apparent in seconds. Even months before its October release, 2013 declares itself as one of the great Clonakillas, thanks to a season of warmer days and cooler nights than average and rains exactly when they were needed. The result is gloriously exotic, yet at every moment distinguished, effortless and refined, assembled with impeccable precision engineering, with every element in intricate balance. Great depth of pepper, rose bud, exotic spice, dried herbs and black fruits of all kinds are set in place by a very finely textured, mouth filling underlay of impeccably knit, silky tannins. The finish is epic, seamless and enduring. 5% co-fermented viognier. Drink 2023 – 2033.