Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2016
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James
Suckling - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz is made from grapes selected from five vineyards in the Hilltops District around Young on the South Western slopes of New South Wales.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of ripe dark plum and blackberry fruits on the nose. Chocolate and mocha too. The palate has bright, mid-weight red plum and cherry fruits wrapped in lithe, supple tannins. Nice balance. Really approachable. Drink now.
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Decanter
This Aussie classic is all about the vivid, peppery aromatics and the refreshing, lifted yet complex palate profile. You do wonder what founder Dr John Kirk’s Irish heritage and/or his love of music contributed to this pioneering operation. But one thing is irrefutable: this Shiraz is a great value fine wine.
Drinking Window 2018 - 2027
Other Vintages
2015-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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Wine &
Spirits
Clonakilla was established in 1971 by John Kirk, a Canberra based research scientist. Of Irish descent, John came to Australia with his young family in 1968 to work with the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry. To his surprise despite the suitability of the environment their was no wine industry in there cool southern table lands of NSW around Canberra. To remedy this situation, in 1971 he bought a 44 acre farm near the village of Murrumbateman in New South Wales, 40 kilometres north of Canberra. The soil consisted of sandy clay loams over a friable clay subsoil and, with a climate not dissimilar to the Bordeaux region and Northern Rhone valley in France, he held high hopes for its wine producing potential. He proceeded to plant 1.2 acres each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling. He named the property Clonakilla (‘meadow of the church’) after his grandfather’s farm in County Clare.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Scattered among the yellow hills, orchards and olive groves of the Hilltops region are some of Australia’s most friendly, down-to-earth wineries. While it’s a bit warmer than its northeastern neighbor, Orange, the cool summer nights and dry fall season in Hilltops allow relatively late harvest dates and thus the production of a wide range of wines. Hilltops produces powerful reds from Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz as well as charming Chardonnay and food-friendly Semillon.