AUSTRALIA'S HOMAGE TO THE COTE-ROTIE
I love Shiraz, and I have Mr. Brandon Kerne to thank for turning me onto this iconic and extraordinary example. To be fair, this Shiraz is about as similar to a classic Shiraz as Bordeaux is to Napa Cab. As to what makes it special¦ there are a lot of factors, starting with the Langtons Classification. Langton's Classification of Australian Fine Wine is arguably the most consistent, dependable classification on the planet. There are three tiers: Exceptional, Outstanding, Excellent (with Exceptional being the top tier and representing only 22 wines out of Australia). The following wines have achieved the Langton's Exceptional classification: Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, Leeuwin Estate Artist Series Chardonnay, Torbreck RunRig, Jim Barry Armagh, and last but not least, Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier. Needless to say, this is not an easy wine to get; production is small to begin with and very little of it is ever exported to the United States, and its a wine you expect to read about as opposed to ever drinking. The inventive and original Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier takes Australian Shiraz in a completely unexpected Côte-Rôtie-esque direction. A combination of a mature vineyard site, faith in nature and near-religious winemaking philosophies has resulted in a distinctive wine of extraordinary aromatic complexity, dimension, natural balance and completeness. These are the icons of Australia you never get a chance to see or even read about. Undeniably the benchmark producer in the high altitude Canberra District, the estate was founded after a 1991 visit to Côte Rotie after which the family began co-fermenting their Shiraz with Viognier. The bottling has been co-fermented with Viognier since the 1992 vintage, a tradition common in Côte-Rôtie. In addition, 2021 was a cool vintage in New South Wales, allowing longer hang-time for the grapes and slower ripening with preservation of acidity. Harvest dates were more similar to the 1990s than to the last 10 years.
