"Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace have become zoo exhibits, only (mostly) to be tasted in the captivity of organised wine dinners and industry events. We’re still in that blessed stage with Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier where it’s still OK to open a bottle at home with friends and enjoy it freely for what it is: an exquisitely crafted wine. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Fair to say that I love this release. It’s a mid-point wine, not too heavy, not too light, full of spice and insistence and powerful through the finish, but light and fruity enough for sheer drinking pleasure to be a key part of its shtick. Meat, pepper, a keen feeling of intricacy, dark cherries, nuts. Every now and then – if I can make this personal – I find myself staring and/or mesmerised by the handwork stitching on the lapel of a suit; this wine reminds of that. I was in a Japanese sword shop last week and the detail and adornment that goes into the handles of the great swords; craft is where the quality is, that consumed level of attention. Total Craft. Total Wine. Whatever you want to call it. This wine sits in that lineage but its beauty is all its own. 96 Points/2015-2030" - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front