2023 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, Canberra District

The flagship is in fine form from this cool vintage, rendering it elegant and quite exotic. Plus, 22% whole bunches in the ferment make an impact. It’s a touch sappy yet laden with heady aromatics – all florals with a dusting of Middle Eastern spices such as sumac. Super peppery. The mid-weighted palate is tight and a touch lean with red fruit accents, bright acidity and fine if plentiful tannins. It’s a wine you keep coming back to as it reveals more and differently. It's lovely and enticing; it feels light and ethereal, deceptive. Time will reward the patient as this builds more complexity, but it is seriously hard to resist now.

95 points Jane Faulkner winecompanion.com.au

Clonakilla is an iconic producer in Australia, from a region that is a little off the beaten track. Murrumbateman, in the Canberra District, is a special place that is known for powerful, detailed Shiraz wines, perhaps off the back of the success of Clonakilla. The Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier wines on release are pretty, detailed, fine and persistent, with a structural clarity in the mouth that pins them to the mast and says, "I am Clonakilla." Their legend has been built on the shoulders of the old wines of the past, and they have proven their ability to repay decades of careful cellaring. Thankfully, the advent of the Stelvin closure will ensure the wines remain pristine for a long time to come. Special wines, collectable wines.