JTO Kirk 2024

To mark Clonakilla founder John Kirk’s 90th birthday in 2025, we are delighted to release a new edition of an ultra-rare wine from our Murrumbateman vineyard.

From the excellent 2024 vintage we present the JTO KIRK; a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Shiraz Viognier.

It’s built to last and needs a few years in the cellar to show its best

Born 90 years ago this year, Irish scientist Dr. John Thomas Osmond Kirk came to Australia in 1968, settling in Canberra with his wife Julia and their young family.

A life-long love of wine led him to wonder what flavours Canberra’s distinctive natural environment might produce.

In 1971 John bought a 44 acre block near the village of Murrumbateman, 40 kilometres to Canberra’s North. He planted a vineyard that year and went on to produce the first commercial wines in the district since the 19th century.

The first red wine released was a 1976 Cabernet Shiraz blend. The JTO KIRK 2024 harks back to John’s brave leap into winemaking all those years ago. 

The wine is intriguing and immediately impressive. Ripe dark berries, blackcurrant and cedar from the Bordeaux varieties and a tantalising line of pure spice, red fruits and subtle florals from the Shiraz Viognier.

It’s built to last and needs a few years in the cellar to show its best.

Tim Kirk