Clonakilla Viognier 2022

It has been a remarkable journey for Clonakilla. When John Kirk planted the first vines in 1971 he had no idea that his vineyard would one day be celebrated as one of the best in the country. Along the way there have been trials and tribulations as well as moments of unprecedented success.

2022 was a cool vintage with gentle ripening progressing well into Autumn. The long ripening window has produced gorgeous foral and stone fruit characters while retaining fresh natural acid. Barrel fermented with a year on lees in 600L French demi-muids, Viognier makes a wonderfully aromatic, richly textured wine.

Here’s a benchmark for the variety. I just visited Canberra District this weekend past and things are looking good. The bottle now says Murrumbateman over Canberra District now. Here’s a fragrant and kind of classic-for-Clonakilla example of this wine. A mild mannered viognier, minerally and acid driven but with words like apricot and coconut butter and almond in the mix. Scents are right up there, flavours modestly set in a just-medium weight body with good length and a fresh finish. It feels like an elegant and even white wine, flows well and shows the dynamic of cool climate viognier up in lights. Good buying. - - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, 94 Points

The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Viognier
Country - Australia
Region - Hilltops, NSW
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%