Experience the essence of cool-climate Shiraz with Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2023. This vintage boasts great intensity and purity of fruit, creating a classically elegant palate. Indulge in the beautiful aromas and style-defining taste of this archetypal wine.
"I’ve loved Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier since the 1997 release and I love them from all manner of seasons. But gradually, over time, I’ve come to really prize the results of the cooler seasons, and the 2023 season was one of those. In a wine like Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, which comes from a micro-climate, seasonal variation makes a distinct difference. The finesse of this release. The fragrance too, which leads to a palate where just enough, feels like extra. It’s buoyant, juicy and perfumed, with a wild party of spice notes flying through the wine like happiness itself, or like confetti, either way there’s an air here of celebration. This wine sits on the apex of the road, where the rain meets the oil. The fruit flavours have a water-colour aspect; the texture coats the flavour in satin. We’ve come to expect all the above from Clonakilla’s flagship wine. What’s special, for me, in this 2023 release is the web of tannin, as dewy as it is strong. There’s a weave to this release. It’s a masterpiece of twigs, nuts and strings. If Morricone had been a winemaker he’d have made something like this. Orchestral. Spellbinding. Itself. Abandon all resistance, ye who enter here." 96 Points - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, July 2024, Drink: 2025 - 2040+
There is no doubt vintage 2023 gave us some anxious moments.
The spring was so wet and cool that the vines were very reluctant to emerge from their winter sleep. When they did emerge, the shoots grew so slowly that I wondered whether the grapes would ever ripen.
Thankfully, the summer did finally arrive, and the vines embarked on the long but determined journey of ripening grapes through the warm late summer and mild but generally sunny autumn.
We ended up picking in mid-April, with the fruit exactly ripe and in excellent condition.
22% whole bunches, 6% Viognier, co-fermented, wild yeast, three week maceration, 33% new oak. Winery Notes
