Absolutely loved this wine when it was first cracked opened. So much so that it could have easily been my wine of the night, but it took a strange turn about an hour in. What started off as a melange of exotic aromas like rose petals, black pepper, brown sugar, cherries, spices, forest floor, and even a touch of petrichor, ended up as a one dimensional nose of mostly sweet black cherries. The palate went from fresh and energetic to somewhat dull and harsh - the juicy strawberry and cherry fruit became almost sweet and syrupy; the spicy finish turned a touch astringent; and finally the acidity starting jutting out like a sore thumb. The only saving grace was the fine powdery tannins which was so satisfying. Honestly, it baffled me given my usually excellent experience with this wine. Having said that, a couple of friends have mentioned that this is typical of the Clonakilla SV after a few years - it just shuts down with air. So strange, but probably a good signal to keep our hands off remaining bottles of the 17’ for now.
Absolutely loved this wine when it was first cracked opened. So much so that it could have easily been my wine of the night, but it took a strange turn about an hour in. What started off as a melange of exotic aromas like rose petals, black pepper, brown sugar, cherries, spices, forest floor, and even a touch of petrichor, ended up as a one dimensional nose of mostly sweet black cherries. The palate went from fresh and energetic to somewhat dull and harsh - the juicy strawberry and cherry fruit became almost sweet and syrupy; the spicy finish turned a touch astringent; and finally the acidity starting jutting out like a sore thumb. The only saving grace was the fine powdery tannins which was so satisfying. Honestly, it baffled me given my usually excellent experience with this wine. Having said that, a couple of friends have mentioned that this is typical of the Clonakilla SV after a few years - it just shuts down with air. So strange, but probably a good signal to keep our hands off remaining bottles of the 17’ for now.
1 person found it helpfulJul 7th, 2023
Canberra District, Southern New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia
