Clonakilla: latest releases & an interview with Tim Kirk about the 2011 vintage

By all accounts, big picture, 2011 was a challenging vintage for Australia’s winemakers in the eastern states (South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland), which experienced unprecedented wet weather over summer and through autumn, resulting in some heavy crop losses.

There were high hopes that these losses might at least help redress the country’s overall surplus yet the national crush was slightly up on 2010, prompting the Winemakers Federation of Australia’s Chief Exucutive Stephen Strachan’s lament “a harvest in excess of 1.6 million tonnes (despite the rejections) is out of step with the realities of sustainable production and the market opportunity for premium Australian wine.”  Still, as Strachan also observed “[m]any winemakers are reporting that this season provided fruit that allowed them to create wines with real regional flair.  Vintage 2011 should allow Australia’s diversity to shine through.”  (Click here for the Winemakers Federation of Australia’s 2011 vintage report).

With a dozen top winemakers present from a spread of Australian regions (see map), Liberty Wines Premium Australia tasting last week provided a great opportunity to find out how individual producers, varieties, regions and sites fared in 2011.  As you’ll see from the series of interviews I recorded at the tasting, 2011 was by no means a washout.  For starters, Western Australian fans can breathe easy because it ducked the wet weather.  And in the eastern states, high natural acidity, great aromatic intensity and low alcohol levels made for exciting Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc in particular.

View my first interview with cool climate Shiraz guru and Pinot Noir wannabee Tim Kirk of Clonakilla, Canberra District at this link Tim Kirk of Clonakilla on 2011 & celebrating great sites  and check out my tasting notes on his latest releases below.

Clonakilla Viognier 2009 (Canberra District)

In this warm year, Kirk’s yellow/gold Viognier is powerful and deep fruited with rich ripe apricot and exotic stem ginger spice, which brings an expansive warmth to the round but textured palate.  It lacks some of the lift and finesse of cooler years but then it’s satisfyingly forward and flavoursome.

Clonakilla Shiraz 2010 (Hilltops)

A cooler year and this is a fabulous celebration of spice.  Lovely life, lift and texture to its cinnamon-edged succulent black cherry and berry fruit with liquorice.  A cool clay tang lends texture and bottom to the long finish.  Terrific.

Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier 2009 (Canberra District)

Back to the warmer 2009 vintage and wow, this is relatively dense, surly even, compared to the Hilltops – a concentrated, youthful wine.  I was glad also to taste it at a seminar which gave it time to unbutton a little, revealing orange peel and  black pepper on the nose.   Tafetta layers of pepper, clove and oak spice and ripe but present tannins bring great complexity and structure to its sour plum and bright cherry fruit.  Needs time to unfurl – potentially glorious.

Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier 2002 (Canberra District)

A relatively cool, cusp of ripeness vintage and what a beauty – Shiraz meets Pinot Noir territory.  A garnet rim gives away its age and, in the mouth, there’s a wonderfully Burgundian gamey undertow and a cool tang of clay.  But it’s still possessed of a very bright and juicy girlishly playful core of red berry fruit with liquorice and pepper spice.  With its fine smudgy ripe tannins, this is a sensual wine with a long, resonant finish.  Á point and quite gorgeous.