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.
2023 is here and it is tip top !
About this vintage from the winemaker: “The 2023 vintage was the third cool growing season in a row and our latest harvest in over a decade. The spring in particular was cool and wet and the vines were slow to get going. Thankfully some genuine warmth arrived towards the end of summer flowing into a gentle and generally sunny autumn, delivering some gorgeous flavours in the grapes. The O’Riada is a quintessential Canberra Shiraz, fully charged with spice, floral notes and ripe red fruits.”
94 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “Every vintage, for a while there, seemed to be the “earliest on record”. 2023 was the third cool Canberra season in a row, and was the latest harvest in over a decade. O’Riada Shiraz is grown on both Clonakilla’s estate vineyard, and on other Murrumbateman/Canberra District sites.
I cannot fault this wine. It’s so well spiced, without being excessively so. It’s rushed with cherry-plum fruit, it’s both refreshing and satiny, it folds, carefully, cedarwood and deli-meat into the fruit, and the tannin is a masterclass of the fine, filigreed kind. After all that, or over-arching it, is the fact that it’s a delightful drink, pretty, floral, solid where it needs to be, bright and balanced. Personally I’d have no hesitation in buying this wine.”
RRP $50 Our Special Price $39.99 when you buy 6 of this wine
