Shiraz Viognier 2023

There is no doubt vintage 2023 gave us some anxious moments. 

The spring was so wet and cool that the vines were very reluctant to emerge from their winter sleep. When they did emerge, the shoots grew so slowly that I wondered whether the grapes would ever ripen. 

Thankfully, the summer did finally arrive, and the vines embarked on the long but determined journey of ripening grapes through the warm late summer and mild but generally sunny autumn.

We ended up picking in mid-April, with the fruit exactly ripe and in excellent condition.  

You really have to smell this wine to believe the intensity and purity of fruit we received in the 2023 Shiraz Viognier.

As Clonakilla SV goes, this vintage strikes me as archetypal, style-defining, the essence of cool-climate Shiraz. It is certainly beautiful; aromatically thrilling with a classically luminous, elegant palate.