In this the first week of Spring we are delighted to offer you the 2019 Syrah. I believe this to be a great Syrah, on par with the majestic 2018.
300 dozen were made. We don’t expect it to hang around long.
Typically on this first Tuesday of September we would be talking to you about the new vintage Shiraz Viognier, but as I’m sure you remember, smoke taint from catastrophic bushfires led to the grapes ending up on the vineyard floor rather than in the fermenters in 2020.
Regular programming will be restored with the release of the wild and wonderful 2021 Shiraz Viognier in September next year.
We are thrilled to be releasing the 2018 Syrah today!
The 2018 Syrah, from a stellar vintage, is at least as good as any Syrah, or indeed any wine, we have ever made.
Here is what Huon Hooke had to say:
“The bouquet is spicy first, floral second, fruit driving it … wonderful complexity. The palate is medium-bodied and very elegant, stylish, polished and fluent…The palate length is extraordinary and seamless all the way…It’s deceptively easy to enjoy now, but a few years on it promises to bring even more to the table. Great now and even greater potential.” 98 points – Huon Hooke, The Real Review
The majestic 2018 Shiraz Viognier is released in magnum today.
The 2018 Ballinderry likewise is available now. The quality of the vintage shines in this wine too.
You’ll notice there is no 2019 Shiraz Viognier offered here. That wine will be released in March next year. (We’re stretching things out to help cover the loss of the 2020 vintage to smoke.)
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
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!)
