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 Clonakilla wines
Canberra District,
Australia
Winemaker: Tim Kirk
Clonakilla
wines: background...
Tim Kirk runs this 18-acre family
property in the rolling hills north of Canberra. Clonakilla literally means
'meadow of the church' and is the name of the family's farm in County Clare.
Tim's father moved to Canberra as a government scientist in 1968. Shiraz,
Viognier, Riesling and Cabernet were first planted in 1971, since when the
family have acquired an adjoining 5-acre block, which will be planted with
Shiraz but right now also contains a small olive
grove.
Clonakilla is the leading estate in Canberra; the wines
are outstanding. The cooler climate gives gentle spices and red berry flavours
to their Canberra District Shiraz, which is softened by the addition of
6% Viognier to the blend. This is a serious wine and one that has now attained
cult status in Australia. And this year, for the first time, thanks to the
clarification of a bureaucratic misunderstanding, we can call it
Shiraz/Viognier on the label.
The 2002 Clonakilla Viognier
is rich and aromatic, the perfumes of the Viognier meshing perfectly with the
smokiness of the oak.
More
information on Clonakilla wines(Click on
links):
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