Clonakilla
Shiraz
Viognier
A vertical tasting of this remarkable wine from Australia's Canberra
District, with Tim Kirk
Clonakilla
is one of Australia’s star wineries, and has built its reputation
for making brilliant Shiraz with a touch of Viognier from the
relatively cool climate region of Canberra District. I visited
a few years ago and came away hugely impressed. Here was a rare
chance to taste a remarkable vertical of the Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier
in London, presented by Tim Kirk – a treat not to be missed.
The
winery was established in the 1970s by CSIRO scientist Dr John Kirk,
and his son Tim took over operations in 1996, after completing a
degree in Theology and teaching religious education for a few years.
Tim Kirk
Tim
cites Côte Rôtie, the northern Rhône appellation, as the
inspiration for the Shiraz Viognier, which was first made in 1992.
In late 1992/early 1992 Tim had toured the Rhône, Burgundy and
Bordeaux to expand his winemaking horizons. He visited Marcel Guigal
and the highlight for him was tasting Guigal’s Syrah/Viognier out
of barrel. ‘Here were Côte Rôties that had an ethereal
dimension,’ he recalls. ‘A soaring, heady perfume that was more
red fruit than black.’ Australian wines had robust tannins, but
these French Syrah/Viognier blends had finer, more succulent
tannins. ‘I was smitten by these wines,’ says Tim, describing it
as a ‘revelatory moment’.
John
Kirk had first planted Viognier in 1986 to give Clonakilla a point
of difference. ‘It was very hard to establish,’ says Tim.
‘These were weedy sticks, and it took years.’ When Tim got back
he suggested putting the Clonakilla Shiraz and Viognier together.
‘Dad said “go ahead”’, he recalls. So the 1992 Clonakilla
Shiraz had ‘1% Viognier’ on the label. ‘I’ll wager that’s
the first time these names ever appeared together on a wine
label,’ reckons Tim. Now Shiraz Viognier is such a popular
category that Australian wine shows have a class for it. [The rules
are that you can only use the two names together when there is at
least 5% Viognier in the blend, which is slightly problematic
because 5% can be too much, resulting in some wines with a big
apricot character on the nose.]
Tim
reckons that the addition of a little Viognier has a subtle,
mesmerising effect on the palate. ‘It extends the thing in every
direction. If it is done well you shouldn’t really notice it.’
Canberra
District is at altitude (600 metres), with chiefly granitic soils.
At most, it makes wines that are medium bodied; that are more about
beauty, elegance and structure than sheer power. ‘I have always
loved great Burgundy,’ says Tim. He has 2.5 rows of Pinot Noir and
makes it every year. ‘It is quite good, but that isn’t good
enough: I’d love to make great Pinot Noir.’ He describes his
Shiraz Viognier as a ‘Shiraz for Pinot lovers.’
His
winemaking is simple. Whole bunches are put into 2 ton fermenters,
only part full. Some Viognier is typically crushed and destemmed and
put on this, and then some Shiraz is destemmed and put on top. The
fermenters are plunged three times a day and a jet of air is given
each day. The whole bunches are really interesting, because some of
the grapes stay attached and don’t burst (perhaps 20%), but
instead begin fermentation from inside. If you take these whole
berries out part way through fermentation, their pulp is coloured
red, so they are extracting colour from the inside. They are also
still a bit sweet; they have fermented about half the sugar from the
inside by time of pressing. On pressing, these berries release
sugar, which acts to prolong fermentation.
THE
WINES
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 1997 Canberra District
A steady, warm summer followed good winter rain. Moderate
yields, picked 11/12 April, 5% Viognier, 30% new oak. Brooding, dark
aromatic nose with notes of herbs, tar and cedar. Quite savoury, but
also with sweet plum and blackberry fruit. The palate shows dark
fruits with a spicy, tarry undercurrent. Quite tannic and drying on
the finish. Wood spice and cedar notes. Showing a bit of evolution
and slightly lacking in charm, but still very good. 91/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 1998 Canberra District
A warm year, harvested early (13–17 March), with high sugars.
5% Viognier, 30% new oak. Slightly shy on the nose, but with a
savoury elegance to the red and black fruits. Smooth, midweight,
elegant palate with well proportioned plum and red berry fruits,
backed up by smooth structure. There’s a lightness and elegance
here. 91/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 1999 Canberra District
Frost in late October, so this is from the second fruit growth.
After starting again five weeks late, the fruit ripened during April
rather than March. 5% Viognier, 36% new oak. Very bright white
pepper edge to the nose with fresh red fruits. Elegant and bright.
The palate is supple and elegant with fresh white pepper character
to the fruit. A lovely fresh style. 93/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2000 Canberra District
The most difficult vintage in the line-up – cold, wet weather
during March and April led to botrytis. 6% Viognier, 30% new wood.
Fresh, bright and focused with cherry and red berry fruit. Quite
light with a bright personality. Lovely focus and freshness on the
palate with a hint of pepper and good acidity. An expressive, light
style. 92/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2001 Canberra District
Ideal, warm growing season, harvested 31 March–10 April. 7%
Viognie, one-third new oak. Wonderfully rich, aromatic nose. Sweet
rich and spicy with red fruits and a lovely floral, violet edge.
Complex and beguiling. The palate is rich and sweetly fruited with
fresh red fruit, a lovely herbal edge and a touch of spice. Fresh
and elegant. 95/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2002 Canberra District
A steady, warm year, harvested 22 March–6 April. First vintage
to incorporate fruit from the new, adjoining T&L vineyard. 6%
Viognier, one-third new oak. Fresh, aromatic nose with red fruits
and a floral, herby edge to the sweet fruit. Super-elegant palate
with some lovely sweetness, and also a delicious savoury, tannic,
high-acid counter. Elegantly structured with lovely freshness.
Almost Burgundian. 95/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2003 Canberra District
A drought year resulted in small crops with small berries,
picked March 18–29. 6% Viognier, one-third new oak. Lovely pure,
peppery nose showing elegant red fruits with smooth, sweet dark
cherry notes. The palate is ripe and super-smooth with rich yet
fresh red fruits and good acidity. Beautifully fresh and elegant
with substantial structure. 93/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2004 Canberra District
A warm year, picked 3–15 April. 7% Viognier, 35% new wood.
Sweet, almost exotic nose with some floral notes but also bright,
well defined red and black fruits. Quite complex. The palate is
smooth and almost lush with pure ripe fruit backed up by good
acidity. Fantastic purity here. Lush and elegant. 95/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2005 Canberra District
Close to perfect season; harvest began 6 April. 6% Viognier, 38%
new oak. Brooding dark, spicy nose with black fruits as well as red.
Quite tight with hints of floral aromatics. The palate is dense,
rich and quite elegant with sweet blackberry and raspberry fruit
backed up by firm structure and good acidity. Expressive with real
presence. 95/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2006 Canberra District
Good growing season with larger than average crop, harvested 27
March–April 15. 32% new wood. Such loverl aromatics: sweet, pure
red fruits with violet and herb notes. The palate is smooth and
beautifully textured with elegant red berry fruits and silky
tannins. Very rich, pure fruit is the dominant theme here. Lovely
focus. 94/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2007 Canberra District
Disaster. A frost on November 16 wiped out 92% of the crop. Just
seven barrels were made, with 70% new oak. 1800 bottles were
released, and Tim says that he turned from winemaker to grief
counsellor, as he told people that there were going to be holes in
their vertical collections. ‘I spent three weeks phoning people on
the mailing list up to console them,’ he reports. The wine
received amazing reviews, and has become a serious collector’s
item. None made it to the UK apart from the bottles we were tasting
here. Beguiling aromatics: floral, cherry and raspberry fruit nose
with a fresh herby edge. The palate has wonderful freshness, with
substantial structure and good acidity underpinning the focused plum
and raspberry fruit. Wonderful purity. 96/100
Clonakilla
Shiraz/Viognier 2008 Canberra District
Good crop of ripe fruit with a cool February followed by a warm
March. 6% Viognier, 30% new oak. Tarry, aromatic, violetty, cpisy,
warm nose. Really exotic with amazing aromatic richness. Youthful,
lush palate is beautifully expressive with wonderfully focused pure,
ripe fruit. Elegance and persistence here; quite beautiful. 96/100
See
also:
Visiting
Clonakilla
Landmark
Australia Tutorial (series)
Wines
tasted 09/09
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