Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2022 - Canberra, Australia

97100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
96/100 Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
96/100 James Suckling
95/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
94/100 CellarTracker
18/20 Vinum Wine Magazine

97/100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (2021 vintage)
96/100 James Suckling (2021 vintage)
95/100 Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion (2021 vintage)
93/100 The Wine Front (2021 vintage)
92/100 CellarTracker (2021 vintage)

Ranked 4th - James Suckling Top 100 Aussie Wines 2019

James Halliday Best Varietal Awards: 2021 Best Shiraz Viognier Wines

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "The 2022 Shiraz Viognier is sensational, but that assessment isn't breaking any ground. It includes 5% Viognier co-fermented and had 20% to 35% whole bunches in the ferment. Lacy, ethereal and structural, this is equal part Boscobel rose (which, to me, smells of raspberry leaf tea and rose essence) and roasted meat juices. It is sweet and savory, spicy and svelte and peppered by layers of pastrami and roast beetroot. There are notes of earth, licorice, black tea, jasmine flowers in summer and lashings of dried exotic spices. This is affirming and good, so good. Drink it now for Pinot-esque pleasure or in 15-20 years for elegant, meaty, ethereal, fresh, complex, layered excitement. All good either way. This is one of my favorite Australian Shirazes."

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion "A cooler year has produced a pared-back, elegant and finer style that’s as exciting as any vintage. It’s peppery, spicy, a little sappy, laden with cranberries, pomegranate tartness, amaro and rosehips – quite exotic really. Accents on red cherries and red plums with oak spices and woodsy inputs bolstering the flavour profile and structure. It’s medium bodied, with the filagree tannins etched in as the acidity takes the lead to finish long and pure. Lovely now, and in good time, it will blossom further."

James Suckling "A cool, attenuated vintage that seems to possess the prerequisites for prodigious grace and long-term aging: extract, freshness and guile. All of this without an ounce of heaviness, such is the gentle mid-weighted timbre of this beautiful expression. For those seeking Barossa or Brunello, look elsewhere! But for those who seek poise, detail and mellifluous drinkability with a balletic gait, this gorgeous wine's patina of Sichuan pepper, clove, red fruits, violet, iodine and dried porcini delivers on all fronts. A supremely sophisticated wine that takes patience to unravel."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Seamless, harmonious wine with a lingering farewell. A wine of purity and unalloyed beauty."

Mike Bennie, The Wiine Front "Beauty in quiet spaces...gossamer threads drawn in a complex tapestry."

Vinum Wine Magazine "From the Murrumbateman vineyard, located 700 metres above sea level near Canberra. A blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, with one-third of the stems co-fermented. A lively, spirited Shiraz with fresh wild berries, mint, meadow herbs, and earthy notes. On the palate, it is firm, displaying remarkable finesse and vibrant energy."

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "...a very interesting and impressive trend has emerged.It has notes of rose petals, raspberry leaf tea, brine, licorice root, redcurrant, tobacco leaf and even a hint of orange rind/bergamot. The palate is shaped by very fine tannins that cascade across the mouth, leaving a trail of cocoa nib, clove bud and again with the orange zest/bergamot suggestion." (2021 vintage)

James Suckling "Fantastic aromas of dark berry, thyme, white pepper, and lavender. Medium-bodied with firm and silky tannins that are fine textured, long and persistent that run the length of the wine. Energetic and focused." (2021 vintage)

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion "There are red and blue fruits in the mix and wafts of warm earth and oak spice. Plus, plenty of fresh herbs and menthol, the latter imparting a cooling sensation. It’s tightly coiled, stony and firm, yet the palate is more medium bodied with supple, fine tannins. An intriguing rendition that’s enjoyable, nonetheless." (2021 vintage)

Clonakilla is an Australian winery based in the Canberra wine region of Murrumbateman, New South Wales. Clonakilla was the first commercial winery to open in the region and founder John Kirk is often referred to as the "father" of the wine industry in the area. Clonakilla, which translates as "meadow of the church", are most famous for their Shiraz-Viognier. Wine critic, James Halliday describes Clonakilla as "paving the way for numerous others to follow" and yet that it "remains the icon".

Canberra is a sleeping giant of Australian wine. The ability of this region to produce world-class wines in only a relatively short history is almost second to none in the whole country. With the ability to produce everything from perfumed and tightly wound Syrah, to razor-sharp Riesling and a wide array of emerging varieties and techniques, Canberra will be one of the ‘must-watch’ wine-producing regions in Australia for many years to come.

Shiraz is the name given to the dark-skinned Syrah grape when grown in Australia and selected pockets of the New World. Though genetically identical, the stylistic differences between Shiraz and Syrah are usually pronounced.

Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of Australian vineyards and has become virtually synonymous with the country's wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.