Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2023 97WA / 96JS

Grapes: 95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier - Viognier is always co-fermented and makes up between 4-7% of the total blend.
ABV: 13.5%
*ABV's are very conservative, especially by Australian red wine standards between 13 and 13.5%
Winemaking:
Each parcel was fermented separately. 20-35% whole bunches in this vintage. Clonakilla was one of the early adopters of whole clusters in the ferment with stems, starting in 1993.
Fruit is given a short cold soak before fermenting with skins plunged three times daily for around 18 days.
The wine is then run off into French barriques, 1/3 new, generally for 12 months.

The Shiraz Viognier is Clonakilla’s flagship wine, a careful selection of the best of the Shiraz Viognier parcels they craft from our Murrumbateman vineyard. 2022 was a cool vintage with gentle ripening progressing well into autumn. A more European vintage perhaps (even better for Rhone fans!). The cool season and longer ripening period have given them a beautifully fragrant wine with serious spice and soaring floral aromas along with classically fine, supple tannins.

97 pts WA

Clonakilla is an iconic producer in Australia, from a region that is a little off the beaten track. Murrumbateman, in the Canberra District, is a special place that is known for powerful, detailed Shiraz wines, perhaps off the back of the success of Clonakilla. The Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier wines on release are pretty, detailed, fine and persistent, with a structural clarity in the mouth that pins them to the mast and says, "I am Clonakilla." Their legend has been built on the shoulders of the old wines of the past, and they have proven their ability to repay decades of careful cellaring. Thankfully, the advent of the Stelvin closure will ensure the wines remain pristine for a long time to come. Special wines, collectable wines.

96 pts James Suckling
#75 in Top 100 Wines of Australia, 2024. Lifted, perfumed and complex aromas of damson plums, sandalwood, cocoa, rose hips and dark cherries. The 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. Screw cap.


“This is an Australian classic, a Rhone style developed and perfected by the Kirk family, who last year celebrated 50 years of winemaking at Murrumbateman, outside Canberra. This is a wonderfully supple and stylish red with 5% of viognier aiding and abetting the 95% cool-climate shiraz in one of the finest Clonakilla shiraz viogniers I have seen. The vinous equivalent of a Phil Spector song. Aromatic, floral, elegant, and layered, this is still seriously under-priced for the quality.” Winsor Dobbin