Canberra District Riesling

Wish I had another dozen of these in the cellar. So good. Awesome flavour concentration and intensity. Superb! 👌🏽❤️

See previous Delectable notes - white florals with Pyrazines (kerosene/petrol) starting to develop. Also toast and honey starting to develop. Tim Kirk the winemaker said this could go for 15 years in the cellar. Will probably have my last bottle in 2023 when 10 years old.

Pale Lemon yellow in colour. Some toasty, lime and white floral notes. A delicate austere palate yet to reveal its full charms - still bracing acidity - a little tart. Finishes with a touch of salinity. Will be more fulsome in coming years. Tim Kirk, the winemaker, said you could cellar this for up to 15 years.

This wine reinforces how good the ACT (Canberra District) is for Riesling. White flowers, Talc, Lime - paraffin notes developing. Probably a 15 year drinking window and therefore in its early stages at 6 years. Developing honey and toast characters. This wine has a stellar show record. Clonakilla only enters one show which is the Canberra Wine Show where this won Best Canberra Riesling, Best Riesling, Best White and finally Champion Wine of the Show. On the strength of this I just bought 6 bottles of the just released 2021 Riesling. Had another bottle 40 weeks later on 28th April 2022. Improving all the time. A lovely note of talc and white florals. On the palate lush - almost off dry in texture. Great intensity, medium minus acid. Lovely wine with years to go. Another bottle tasted on 28th May 2023. Developing kerosene and honeyed aromas. Ripe grapefruit on the palate. 3 bottles left. Had another bottle on 13th January 2024. So youthful - this could go on to the late 2020s. Little sign of pyrazines in this bottle. Lime juice.

Aromas of Lime and Talcum powder - no kerosene even at 10 years of age. Canberra district Rieslings like this and Helm are often like that in my experience. A soapy lanolin texture on the palate Finishes dry with low acid. Good but not great.

Pale to mid Lemon in colour. Herbal notes with lime and white flowers on the nose. Faint notes of paraffin and stone fruit. A little lean and tart currently which will fill out with time I feel. Still bracing acidity at 7 years. I feel this Canberra District Riesling will cruise past its 10th Birthday and keep going.

I purchase Clonakilla Riesling most years along with their stellar Shiraz Viognier, their Syrah and sometimes their Viognier. Proven to age slowly this Riesling had white florals and Talc on the nose with a herbal note and no Kerosene. Honey and Lime on the palate with reduced acidity compared to its youth. A very good aged Riesling reaching its maturity and good QPR. Wines like this prove the worth of having a good cellar. See many previous notes from older vintages.

Mid Lemon in colour. More Lime juice than the recently tasted Crawford River. A slight paraffin note also. On the palate lime and grapefruit of medium plus intensity with medium minus acidity. The merest hint of stone fruit. Cruising at 10 years of age and could go on for a couple more years. My last one from 2010.

Mid Lemon in colour. Aromas of lime/citrus. The remarkable thing , and I have struck this with old Clonakilla Riesling before, no Kerosene or Petrol aromas even at 10 years. Supports fellow Canberra Riesling producer, Ken Helm’s theory that those aromas are a wine fault in his opinion and the result of sunburnt grapes. Full in the mouth leading one to think it might be off dry but at 12.5% Alcohol it is fully dry. Drink my last later in 2020. At its peak. Acid diminished from its youth.

Lunch with friends at home on Saturday. Canberra district is developing as a top district for Riesling. At nearly 10 years of age developing honey and toast characters. No petrol or kerosene notes at this point. Pretty much at its peak but will sit on the plateau for a couple more years. Another good wine with fresh Tassie oysters.