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 the 2024 vintage from the winemaker: “2024 was a beautiful vintage. Good spring rain, warm summer days, cool nights and a glorious early autumn. The O’Riada is a quintessential Canberra Shiraz, fully charged with spice, floral notes and ripe red fruits.”
95 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “Given the fruit is off the estate and from three other properties, this is an excellent drink, in a finer style. A gorgeous purple-red hue and so fragrant with florals and red fruits (from raspberries to currants) all doused with baking spices and a sprinkle of black pepper. The palate is barely mid-weighted yet finely tuned with silty tannins and acidity that gives life. Up there as one of the best O’Riadas to date.”
95 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “This is top notch. It has flavour and length, but it’s the spread of that flavour and the tannin that comes with it that makes you sit up and take notice. This wine is where the smart money’s going. Cherry-plum, five spice, anise, mint, dark soy and florals, with a talc-like feel to the tannin and a general feeling of etching. Super release of O’Riada.”
94 points, Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot “This has to be a contender for best value wine of the year and is also compelling evidence of just how good the 2024 vintage was for the Canberra region. 20% whole bunch inclusion before twelve months maturation in French oak barriques, 25% of which were new. A vibrant crimson/magenta hue, the wine is very much from the bright and lifted end of the spectrum. The nose gives us notes of cassis, chocolate, blackberries, spice and plums with excellent oak integration throughout. Seamless in structure, this is exquisitely balanced with impressive length, through to silky tannins. A ten year proposition. This is always an exciting wine but this release surely has to sit amongst the very best.”
RRP $50 Our Special Price $43.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
