Clonakilla O’Riada Shiraz 2019

Description

What a remarkable jouney for Clonakilla. When John Kirk first planted vines in 1971 who would have thought it would be celebrated as one of Australia’s finest vineyards! Their first Shiraz Viognier was made in 1998 – by 2005 it was deemed ‘Outstanding’ in Langton’s Australian Wine Classification … by 2010 it was promoted to “Exceptional” .. up there with Grange and Hill of Grace!  Murrumbateman & Canberra wine region are all about cool climate shiraz … complex layering of raspberry, violets, spice, cracked pepper, roast game with darker blackberry, blackcurrant and aniseed in warmer years. Clonakilla’s shiraz across the board including the Hilltops and O’Riada remind me of syrah at it’s best from famed ‘Cote Rotie’ in France’s Northern Rhone.

Sean O’Riada is one of the heroes of modern Ireland. A talented musician and composer, he is credited with taking traditional Irish music out of the kitchens and pubs of Ireland and putting it on the concert stages of the world. He died, prematurely, in 1971, the year Clonakilla was established by John Kirk. He was John’s cousin and music is alive and well in the family bloodline.

.. .. About this vintage from the winemaker: “We had rain when we needed it then a brilliant ripening season marked by a run of gorgeous weather in the crucial late Summer and early Autumn. The O’Riada is a quintessential Canberra Shiraz, fully charged with spice, floral notes and ripe red fruits.” 14.5% alc.

Reviews of 2018

97 points and included in Best of the Best Shiraz, James Halliday’s 2021 Australian Wine Companion “A wild ride in the vineyard with a hail storm reducing an already small drought-affected crop. From this point through to the harvest the weather was perfect. So is the colour, deep but crystal clear, blind tasting a tiara of spices and cracked pepper, the fruit supple and precisely balanced by oak and tannins.”

Huon Hooke, The Real Review … “Medium to deep red colour with a tint of purple. Fragrant, spicy, lovely aromatics including white pepper. The wine is medium-bodied and elegantly proportioned. Good intensity: a focused, well-disciplined shiraz with some cool-climate fragrance. Fine, understated tannins complete the wine.”

RRP $46

(Also available to buy in 6 pack – click here)