It’s clearly not all politics in the country’s capital, with Canberra also the home of some of Australia’s greatest vinous love affairs.

John Kirk purchased the land for Clonakilla in 1971 and released the Canberra districts first commercial vintage in 1976… they’ve come a long way! Wine writer, Campbell Mattinson, considers Clonakilla’s highly lauded Shiraz Viognier to be one of the three pillars of Australian Shiraz, alongside Grange and Hill of Grace. That’s some hefty company and, at a fraction of the price, it’s not hard to see why this wine is so beloved. Halliday considers it ‘an icon’ and ‘among the very greatest Australian red wines’. The 2009 Shiraz Viognier was even named Jeremy Oliver’s AU Wine of the Year back in 2011. We’re thrilled to be able to offer the 2016 vintage 98 pointer before it all runs out!

When the mercury rises, unwind with the gorgeous new 2017 Clonakilla Riesling. Huon Hooke placed it in his Top 10 2017 Rieslings (ahead of icons like Grosset, Henschke and Mesh), and reviews all round have been glowing. Canberra Riesling is clearly on the rise after a string of exceptional vintages.

Also available to order are two brilliantly balanced 2016 Clonakilla Shiraz – the Hilltops and O’Riada – as well as some rare back vintage stocks from the Wineaway cellar.

**To order any of the below wines, simply email or call us on 07 3852 1891**

OPEN FOR TASTING AT WINEAWAY:
FRIDAY 16TH FEBRUARY, 3PM-5:30PM
SATURDAY 17TH FEBRUARY, 10AM-1PM

2017 CLONAKILLA RIESLING CANBERRA – $32

95 pts, Huon Hooke
Fresh, youthful, restrained aromas of white pepper and other spices over lemon and citrus palate flavours. The wine is crisp and alive in the mouth with freshness and tang, promising to reward even a few months more in the bottle. It’s a baby. Very good potential. Drink to 2030.

95 pts, James Halliday
Reinforces the truth that newly born riesling of high quality can speak as an adult, the grainy acidity of the palate one mode of communication, the depth of the citrus fruit another, filling in the gaps where needed. But none of this is intended to suggest there is any premature ageing – there is none, and the wine has a sure 15-year future etched in stone. Drink to 2032.

2016 CLONAKILLA HILLTOPS SHIRAZ CANBERRA – $29

94 pts, James Halliday
The usual (if that be the right word) Clonakilla signature of perfectly balanced fruit, tannins and oak, always complex yet always with great mouthfeel, black fruits to the fore, with a gentle sprinkle of spice and pepper. Drink to 2031.

93 pts, 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. Screw cap.

2016 CLONAKILLA O’RIADA SHIRAZ CANBERRA – $38

94 pts, James Suckling
The definition here is impressive, smooth and ebulliently ripe red berry and plum fruits with pastry-like nuances and gently spicy waves. Rich. Effortless appeal and flows smoothly along on ripe, detailed tannins. Great balance. Drink now to 2028+. Screw cap.

93+ pts, Wine Front
It’s another beauty. So pretty, so well fruited, so well managed as it ripples through the mouth. It tastes of peanuts and chocolate, black cherries and anise. It has a floral lift. It’s succulent. Tannin is superfine. Oak is high quality and entirely positive. It needs a little time to come together but there’s no question over this wine’s quality. No hesitation in placing a ‘buy’ recommendation. Drink to 2029+.

2016 CLONAKILLA SHIRAZ VIOGNIER CANBERRA – $100 IN A SIX/ $105
(NB. 6 pack can be made up of mixed Clonakilla purchase)

98 pts, James Halliday
The perfumed, spicy bouquet with red flowers and fruits doesn’t prepare you for the intensity and piercing length of its beautifully balanced medium-bodied palate. This is a truly glorious wine that draws you back again and again to explore the wealth of red fruit flavours, and the majesty of its texture and structure.Drink to 2041.

97 pts, Huon Hooke
Medium to deep red colour with a good rim of purple, the bouquet is fresh and pepper/spicy with a decidedly foresty whole-bunch nuance. A lovely complex bouquet, which will only get moreso with time. The palate fllows on from the nose precisely, with intense spice and berry flavours, a hint of violets and some floral nuances. A perfumed, high-toned, supremely elegant red wine. Drink to 2038.

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE WINEAWAY CELLAR:
(Quantities are limited)

2008 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier Canberra – $149 (97 pts, Jeremy Oliver)
2009 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier Canberra – $169 (98 pts, Jeremy Oliver)
2010 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier Canberra – $139 (97 pts, Jeremy Oliver)
2013 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier Canberra – $139 (98 pts, James Halliday)

2008 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz Canberra – $45 (94 pts, James Halliday)
2009 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz Canberra – $48 (95 pts, James Halliday)
2010 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz Canberra – $45 (95 pts, Jeremy Oliver)

The strength of the 2015 vintage in Burgundy is indisputable, producing reds of a rich and distinctive style coupled with wonderful structure and excellent cellaring potential. These two carefully selected 2015 Faiveley Premier Cru’s represent some of the very best of the best – both wines having earned a coveted ‘sweet spot outstanding’ label from the master of Burgundy himself, the Burghound Allen Meadows.

Meadows points out that internal changes and new equipment at Faiveley have markedly improved the quality of the wines in recent years (that’s a massive nod to a producer who already possessed an outstanding reputation): ‘The very fine quality of the Faiveley 2015s is of course partially due to the excellence of the vintage but I credit their commitment to raising the standard of their game as well.’

With stocks extremely limited, it is first in best dressed although, as always, we do our best to share the love. This is a rare opportunity to partake in a parcel of exceptional value Premier Cru’s from an established producer in a legendary vintage.

**To order any of the below wines, simply email or call us on 07 3852 1891**

2015 DOMAINE FAIVELEY LES CAZETIERS GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN PREMIER CRU – $219

92-95 pts, Burghound – Allen Meadows
Deeply pitched aromas of newly turned earth and animale notes characterize the brooding but notably ripe spiced plum and red berry fruit nose. The rich, full-bodied and tautly muscled flavors exhibit buckets of sappy dry extract that all but disguises the firm tannic spine on the immensely long and explosive finish. Cazetiers doesn’t get a whole lot better than this. Drink to 2032+

94 pts, James Suckling
This is very stretched and compressed in texture with polished tannins that pull the pretty fruit character through the wine with blueberry, cedar and light tobacco undertones. Long and pretty. Drink in 2020.

92-95 pts, Vinous – Stephen Tanzer
Bright red-ruby. Ripe, wonderfully complex scents of redcurrant, plum, dark cherry, animal fur, minerals and sexy oak, plus suggestions of darker berries. Round, silky and sweet, with its full ripeness leavened by saline, soil-driven minerality. A crunchy raspberry element is nicely shaped on the finish by suave tannins. The longest of these 2015s to this point in my tasting, this wine boasts grand cru volume. Its impression of rising length reminded me a bit of the superb Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées.

2015 DOMAINE FAIVELEY LES ST-GEORGES NUITS-ST-GOERGES PREMIER CRU – $249

92-94 pts, Burghound – Allen Meadows
This is more aromatically elegant with its spicy aromas of plum, rose petal, herbal tea, red cherry and earth. The tautly muscular, dense and mineral-driven flavors possess excellent size, weight and power while delivering strikingly good length on the beautifully balanced if very firm finish. Again, patience, and plenty of it, will be necessary. Drink to 2032+. 

92-95 pts, Vinous – Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby-red. A step up in complexity and depth on the nose from the foregoing Nuits-Saint-Georges samples, offering sexy soil tones to the aromas of raspberry, minerals, smoke and dried flowers. Rich, pliant, soil-inflected wine with terrific breadth, depth and herbal lift. This fleshy yet brisk wine finishes with noble tannins and superb lingering fruit.