{"product_id":"clonakilla-shiraz-viognier-2021-750ml","title":"Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier 2023 (750ml)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is no doubt vintage 2023 gave us some anxious moments. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Virtuoso winemaking...a masterpiece.” - Ken Gargett\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThankfully, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe ended up picking in mid-April, with the fruit exactly ripe and in excellent condition.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Orchestral. Spellbinding.” - Campbell Mattinson\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou really have to smell this wine to believe the intensity and purity of fruit we received in the 2023 Shiraz Viognier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Achingly beautiful” - Nick Ryan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Clonakilla SV goes, this vintage strikes me as archetypal, style-defining, the essence of cool-climate Shiraz. It is certainly beautiful; aromatically thrilling with a classically luminous, elegant palate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlcohol\u003cbr\u003e13% Alc\/Vol\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTA\u003cbr\u003e6.0 g\/L\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003epH\u003cbr\u003e3.6\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSugars\u003cbr\u003e\u0026lt;0.3 g\/L\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReviews\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere can be no question that Tim Kirk’s Murrumbateman masterwork is one of Australia’s most important wines, and this latest release builds on the legacy of previous vintages and elevates it even more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Achingly beautiful and intricately layered”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ethe wine presents a fine tapestry of fragrant fruit and heady spices, moves through the mouth like unfurling silk and finishes with a plume of finely pixelated tannins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick Ryan, Top 100 wines of 2024, The Weekend Australian Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe third cool season in a row and the latest harvest in more than a decade has delivered a\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“glorious shiraz viognier of exquisite detail and harmony.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhole bunches (22%) and viognier (6%) seamlessly unite to heighten aromas of violets, rose petals, potpourri, white pepper, fennel seed and curry, providing dimension to a delicious core of satsuma plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“joint winner of my Shiraz of the Year”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuper-fine, granitic-mineral tannins trace a magnificent finish and confirm a Clonakilla for the ages. A worthy joint winner of my Shiraz of the Year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTyson Stelzer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePut simply, this is one of Australia’s greatest wines, year after year, and one of only a handful that can be reliably called world class, without hesitation. It is also one of the world’s very best Shiraz Viognier blends, happily sitting beside the best from Cote Rotie.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“one of the world’s very best Shiraz Viognier blends”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeep magenta, the nose exhibits all the joy and complexity that we have come to expect from this stellar wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Virtuoso winemaking resulting in a masterpiece.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFocus, balance and seemingly endless length, this has silky tannins and while there is an underlying exuberance with the fruit, everything is held in restraint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCocoa powder, truffles, raspberries, spices, aniseed and tobacco leaves, the wine is utterly seamless.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFifteen to twenty years ahead of it, with ease. Virtuoso winemaking resulting in a masterpiece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKen Gargett, Winepilot\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust when we think we know the Clonakilla shiraz viognier style – all those red berries and rosehip aromatics – up pops a couple of cool years one after the other and with them a peppery spice explosion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It’s a wow!”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing on from the 2022 shiraz viognier comes another cooler-than-cool example where the drinker is treated to a wonderful world of spice, fully laden with heady black pepperiness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“a peppery spice explosion”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCherry, cranberry, bramble, sage, black pepper, rosemary and spice. It’s a chockful aroma attack.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe aromatic intensity is heightened on the palate with black peppery spice a strong feature that also brings real energy, highlighting the bright cherry, red fruits, sage. Tannins are cherry pip savoury dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHas class and medium-bodied elegance to burn but with a youthful personality that just keeps on going.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJeni Port, Winepilot\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“a wild party of spice notes flying through the wine like happiness itself”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It’s a masterpiece of twigs, nuts and strings”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Orchestral. Spellbinding.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat’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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf Morricone had been a winemaker he’d have made something like this. Orchestral. Spellbinding. Itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbandon all resistance, ye who enter here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCampbell Mattinson, The Winefront\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA new release of one of Australia's benchmark wines; and it's a ripper. I've been fortunate enough to try most of the Clonakilla shiraz viogniers over the years; and this is right up there with the very best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“it's a ripper”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom another cool growing year in Murrumbateman, it delivers both aromatics and potency, with impressive opulence on the mellifluous palate, where myriad flavours combine with cohesion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“impressive opulence”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shiraz (22% whole bunch) was co-fermented with 6% of viognier to produce a wine in the style for which Clonakilla has become famous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe price may have crept up over the years, but compared to many other Australian shiraz standouts, this is still at a very fair price point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLovely stuff even in its infancy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWinsor Dobbin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe colour is medium-deep with a good purple rim and the bouquet is detailed and fragrant, violets and roses, an entire spice cupboard of aromas, with dark cherry to blackberry fruit underpinning it all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“effortless intensity and charm”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is supremely elegant on the palate, medium to full bodied and finely textured with plentiful tannins that are fine-grained and supple, the finish long and refreshing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEffortless intensity and charm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHuon Hooke, The Real Review\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe flagship is in fine form from this cool vintage, rendering it elegant and quite exotic. Plus, 22% whole bunches in the ferment make an impact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“lovely and enticing; it feels light and ethereal, deceptive”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s a touch sappy yet laden with heady aromatics – all florals with a dusting of Middle Eastern spices such as sumac. Super peppery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mid-weighted palate is tight and a touch lean with red fruit accents, bright acidity and fine if plentiful tannins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“time will reward the patient”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s a wine you keep coming back to as it reveals more and differently. It's lovely and enticing; it feels light and ethereal, deceptive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime will reward the patient as this builds more complexity, but it is seriously hard to resist now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJane Faulkner, Halliday's Wine Companion\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLifted, perfumed and complex aromas of damson plums, sandalwood, cocoa, rose hips and dark cherries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Exceptional balance of finesse and power”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe palate is lush with a full-bodied mouthfeel, finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of wild blackberries, baking spices, wet stones and orange rind. Exceptional balance of finesse and power. Drink or hold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJames Suckling\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2023 Shiraz Viognier leads with wet garden rose, sage, apricot, raspberry, pomegranate and blueberry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“takes svelte to a whole new level”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is bloody, mineral, very fine and with a honed, wet stone feeling to the tannins. I've tasted Pinot today with bigger, more loose-weave tannins than this superb beauty of a thing. This takes svelte to a whole new level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce again, this is highly recommended. It's one of my favorite Shirazes from this great country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eErin Larkin, Wine Advocate\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clonakilla","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43644988358880,"sku":"113560","price":119.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0649\/9713\/0464\/products\/clonakilla-shiraz-viognier-canberra-canberra-district_1.jpg?v=1667923193","url":"https:\/\/www.mywineconnection.com\/products\/clonakilla-shiraz-viognier-2021-750ml","provider":"My Wine Connection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}