2018 Riesling

Murrumbateman’s cool, continental climate and decomposed granite soils are perfectly suited to Riesling.

We had some challenging moments leading up to the 2018 vintage. A hail storm on January 9th reduced the size of the crop, but the fruit that remained was harvested in excellent condition and full of intense flavours.

Drink now for its fine floral, citrus-edged fruit or cellar for up to 15 years and watch it develop lime and toast characters with age.

“This wine…feels like it is attached to the vast Canberran skyscape, vibrant, airy, weightless and magical. It offers a different take on the many Australian Rieslings in this Report and there is nothing like this shape of wine anywhere else in the world.”– Matthew Jukes – Top 100 Australian Wines

Beautiful wine of poise, assertive flavour and great velocity across the palate. Scents of lime cordial, talc, jasmine floral characters.

It’s another cracker

A pretty, gently sweet start. Flavours coil around lime juice and brisk, grape-fruity acidity.

Chalky-mineral characters chime in. Arrow-thrust to infinity. It’s another cracker.

Mike Bennie - Winefront

To everything there is a season. And for Clonakilla riesling, the warm, dry 2018 season produced a riper, richer wine than in the cooler 2017 vintage. Despite the heat, ‘Grapes held excellent acid’, says winemaker Tim Kirk.

That tangy acidity balances 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.

For example, the 16-year-old, 2003 vintage (the first sealed with screw cap), ‘Looks fantastic’ according to Kirk, combining mellow aged character with freshness.

Kirk says 2018 marks the first year his riesling came predominantly from young vines on a cool south-facing slope near the cellar door building. Previous vintages had been sourced from a combination of estate-grown fruit and grapes from nearby Long Rail Gully.

Chris Shanahan

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. Riesling thrives in the granite soils and cool climate of Murrumbateman, outside Canberra.