Newsletters

Small Batch release 2019

David Reist,

We love the small batch release. It’s a joy to share with you the rarer parcels we have been working on.

2017 Syrah
100% destemmed Shiraz grapes from the top half of the T&L One block. A month on skins, 22 months in French oak puncheons.

A superb vintage for Clonakilla, set to go down among the greatest in the history of this legendary cuvée, capturing every captivating detail of eloquent grace of this fabled vineyard… Every detail is mastered with the utmost fidelity, preserved in perfect harmony on an epic finish. 98 points – Tyson Stelzer

So silky, so fine, the delicacy and prettiness such a charm. It’s a highly perfumed wine that sings with purity and vitality…Epic length, such finesse and elegance. So very beautiful, so inspiring and delicious to drink. Praise be. 96 points – Mike Bennie, Winefront

2017 Ballinderry
Our Bordeaux blend (Cab Franc, Cab Sauv and Merlot), 100% destemmed and 22 months in 225 Litre barriques.

It should not be possible to craft a Bordeaux blend as refined and glorious as this alongside the cooler climate varieties that flourish at Clonakilla, but the sheer class of this cuvée is testament to the wizardry of the Kirks and their epic site. It is consummately floral, perfectly ripe, super finely structured, magnificently persistent and packed with potential. 94 points – Tyson Stelzer

A lovely rendition of the Claret-style red… It feels cool, warm and refreshing at once, anise and mint characters dancing with currants and cloves. Not a bump in sight. 94 points – Campbell Mattinson, Winefront

2018 Pinot Noir
Lovingly made in tiny volumes. 30% whole bunch. Twelve months in tight grain puncheons. Clones 777, 667, 115, Abel, Pommard and the unidentified clone that dad planted in 1978.

This is a particularly elegant pinot for Clonakilla… Its floral flamboyance makes it enticing from the outset, the perfect partner to cuisines preferring a lighter take on pinot. 92 points – Tyson Stelzer

2018 Ceoltoiri
An ode to the Southern Rhone. Six varieties: Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz, Cinsault, Counoise and Roussanne. 100% destemmed. Twelve months in older oak puncheons.

The thing that lifts this cuvée off the page of southern Rhône style blends is…the harmonious, seamless, masterful manner in which every detail is effortlessly united with super fine tannins, refreshing acidity and fantastic persistence. Best yet.
94 points – Tyson Stelzer

Another very strong release. Light, perfumed and frisky but with enough substance to satisfy…Everything in right and good order. Class producer, class wine. 93 points – Campbell Mattinson, Winefront

2018 Tumbarumba Chardonnay

Tight and bright in a classically restrained Tumba style. Whole bunch pressed. 11 months in French puncheons.

The wine is tight and refined, tense and reserved, with excellent nerve and vitality through the palate…A very young but very promising chardonnay. This should go on to bigger and better things with another year in bottle. A stunning youngster.
93 points – Huon Hooke

We love the small batch release. It’s a joy to share with you the rarer parcels we have been working on.

A reminder that an order of six of the Syrah will come in our beautiful new packaging (vineyard map printed in the lid!)

Warm regards,

Tim Kirk

2018 Riesling now available!

David Reist,

You may have picked up that we are really, really excited about the 2018 vintage.

Perhaps the purest of all the wines we make is the Riesling. The winemaking could not be simpler. We load the whole bunches directly into the press and turn it on. We collect the ‘freshly squeezed’ Riesling juice in a tank and throw in a neutral yeast. We keep the temperature low as it ferments, rack it of the yeast lees, filter it and bottle it. To get a picture of the personality of the vintage, taste the Riesling!

“While Tim Kirk and his team at Clonakilla are best-known for their shiraz-viognier blends and other world-class reds, the Riesling is, for me, the best-value wine in the entire range…This is fine and lean and immediately appealing with lemon, lime and grapefruit notes, spiky acidity and lots of length. Pair this with Thai or Vietnamese dishes. While I was sipping and savouring, my usually restrained wife devoured the rest of the bottle.” – Winsor Dobbin

“…a delicious riesling with rich, citrus-like varietal flavour in the pure, delicate Clonakilla style. It’s impressive now as a vibrant, fruity young wine but it’ll change in pleasing ways over the next decade – best experienced by cellaring a case and enjoying a bottle every year or two, potentially over decades.” – Chris Shanahan

A heads up: Our Rare and Small batch wines will be released on April 30. For Canberra region members, we will be holding our annual Rare and Small batch dinner at Pialligo Estate Restaurant that night. More details soon.

Warm regards,

Tim Kirk

Christmas Greetings

David Reist,

Isn’t it amazing how quickly Christmas comes around?

We send our greetings for the season and thank you for your interest and support over the last twelve months.

We have had a number of highlights for the wines this year. The 98 point reviews from James Halliday and Nick Stock for the gorgeous 2017 Shiraz Viognier were a thrill.

And I have to admit hearing that the 2016 O’Riada Shiraz just beat the 2017 Hilltops Shiraz for the trophy for the best Shiraz of the 2018 Canberra regional Wine Show was a buzz. (It went on to win the trophies for Best Red and Champion Wine of the show too. Not bad!)

As wonderful as our 2017 reds are, here’s an insiders tip: Keep a watchful eye out for the 2018s next year. (That’s all our General Manager Dave allows me to say…)

It’s been a great year.

Christmas blessings to you and yours,

Tim Kirk

*If you are wanting to purchase wines online you will need to do so by Monday the 17th of December – that is our last shipping day of the year. 

**The cellar door will be closed on Dec 24, 25, 26, 31 and Jan 1st.  We will be open all other days between 11-4 on the weekdays and 10-5 on the weekends.

Halliday’s Top 100 – 98 points – 2017 Shiraz Viognier

David Reist,

We were delighted to see our 2017 Shiraz Viognier named in James Halliday’s Top 100 a few weeks ago. What made it even better was that it was the second Top 100 list in which the wine has appeared. On Monday last week the 2017 Shiraz Viognier secured a place in James Suckling’s Top 100 – this time up against international benchmarks. On both occasions the wine scored 98 points. James Halliday’s review: “…Tim Kirk nails it when he writes of a line of pure spice running through the bouquet and palate – I would simply add “and the aftertaste” because this has superb length and texture, replete with red berry flavours.” Nick Stock for James Suckling:
“One of the greatest vintages of this wine. It has a super complex array of white and black peppers, hard brown spices, leaves, flowers and fresh wet earth, as well as graphite-like dark stony notes… The palate is delivered with steady elegance and power, showing unwavering build and a seemingly never-ending trail of fresh and spicy fruit flavors. With the most immaculate tannins, too. The real soul of this wine shines through in this perfectly simpatico vintage. Fascinating to drink now, but it is best to give it some time. Try around 2025.”

What a year!

David Reist,

2015 has been quite a year at Clonakilla.

We were pretty excited when our 2015 Riesling won four trophies at the Canberra Regional Wine Show, including White Wine of the Show and Wine of the Show. Even more exciting for us was the fact that the wine the Riesling pipped at the post to win White Wine of the Show was the 2015 Viognier Nouveau which had already won the trophy for Best Dry White – Other Varieties and/or Blends.

2015 was generous in yield as well as fantastic quality, so it was just as well we got our winery extensions finished in time for vintage (only just!)

We will be releasing a swag of 2015s through the course of next year. You will have to come and taste them at our new cellar door when it opens. We’re shooting for March at this stage. Fingers crossed… For now however, check out the Clonakilla wall (photo below) that will be the first thing you see as you drive up to the winery.

In international news, Clonakilla seems to be making quite an impact in the UK. Decanter magazine included a five page spread on Clonakilla in their August edition, written by the brilliant Huon Hooke. Jancis Robinson was so kind as to nominate the Hilltops Shiraz as her wine of the week back in early October. She loved the SV as well of course. Read all about it.

Then in the Christmas edition of Decanter we made it on to the front cover as one of the ‘50 Star Buys of 2015’. For the record, the Shiraz Viognier came in at number 2.

A new release for you just in time for Christmas. The 2014 O’Riada Shiraz.
We like to think of the O’Riada as classic Canberra District Shiraz. It is a perfect wine to introduce people to this exciting new style Aus Shiraz.

The critics have given it a big thumbs up:

“This has class stamped all over it…a sparkling river of dark fruits that run from the tip of the tongue through to the elegant, but oh so complex, finish and aftertaste. Exhilarating.” – James Halliday

“Canberra region magic. Black pepper, dark fruit, lavender, exotic spice… with superfine texture and superb tannin balance.” – Ralph Kyte-Powell

“The bouquet is complex and spicy… supple and savoury, gentle in mouth-feel and finely balanced, with a long and satisfying aftertaste.” – Huon Hooke

Please note that we will cease shipping on Thursday the 17th of December and will resume on the 4th of January. Also, the cellar door will be closed December 24-27, 31 & January 1.

With kind regards to you and your family in this Christmas season,

Tim Kirk

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