Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Clonakilla O’Riada Shiraz 2023
Canberra District, Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A cool-climate Shiraz sourced from Clonakilla’s estate vineyards and selected sites in Murrumbateman and Hall, delivering a layered, elegant, and highly approachable expression of Canberra District Syrah. Rather than power and heat, this wine emphasizes aromatic lift, red-fruit purity, and graceful structure, shaped by the region’s clay-driven soils and precise ripening conditions.

Aromas & Flavors
Highly perfumed aromatics jump from the glass with vibrant red berries, cranberry, fresh plum skin, and subtle floral tones. The palate mirrors the nose beautifully, offering juicy red cherry, gentle spice, and soft earthy undertones with excellent clarity and progression. Everything feels expressive yet controlled, with freshness driving the overall balance.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, silky, and energetic. The texture is smooth and polished with fine tannins and lively acidity, giving the wine a graceful flow across the palate. Approachable and effortless to drink without sacrificing depth or finesse.

Food Pairings
Grilled lamb chops with herbs. Roast chicken with mushroom jus. Charcuterie and soft aged cheeses. Duck breast with cherry reduction. Mediterranean vegetable dishes.

Verdict
A refined, cool-climate Shiraz that feels more about elegance than intensity. Perfumed, vibrant, and beautifully composed, this is a wine that delivers complexity without heaviness, polished, expressive, and quietly impressive.

Did You Know?
Canberra District sits at higher elevation with cooler nights than many Australian regions, preserving acidity and aromatic freshness in Shiraz. Clay-based soils help regulate water stress and promote slow, even ripening, contributing to purity and balance rather than overt ripeness.

🍷 Personal Pick
I love when a wine smells exactly like it tastes — this one delivers pure harmony between nose and palate. Youthful, vibrant, impossible to stop at one glass, and deceptively elegant. A dangerous crowd-pleaser with real finesse. — 7 days ago

Ezza Kimberley

9.1

Beautiful smooth and full bodied Shiraz. This gem is a small batch vino with class and elegance. Notes of raspberry and cherry join with hints of white pepper and the soft tannins make this drop very quaffable indeed. — 7 years ago

with Daniel

Bob McDonald

9.7

Initially oak aromas which blew off. Indian spices - more savoury than fruity. Balanced. More than a nod to the Northern Rhone in its structure and tasting profile. A trace of white pepper. Always the best Shiraz Viognier in Australia from Murrumbateman near Canberra. Understated yet delicious. Superb. Perhaps not as spicy fragrant as the really great Clonakilla Shiraz Viogniers of earlier years but with a very long life ahead, like up to 2040 who knows how good the perfume will be then? — a year ago

Alex Gagnon

8.9

Real great! Especially when chilled.
Super easy drinking, makes a great breakfast wine.
Also pairs well with pizza. — 6 years ago

Jess Chen

9.0

Cranberry + minerals; opens up after oxidization; not super fruity — 7 years ago

Simon Gilligan

9.3

Grenache, Tempranillo, Graciano .. light and juicy with fine but firm tannin .. love it. Spices, red fruited, with watermelon in the mix. — 8 years ago

Alex Tso

9.2

Solid Monte — 4 years ago

Thayer Parker

9.6

Lighter in colour than I expected. Very fruity initial hit. Very pleasant and easy to drink. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Continuing my theme of Australian cool climate Shiraz - this from the Canberra District. Considered by many to be as good as Clonakilla’s flagship Shiraz Viognier. Nose of pepper and spice with red fruits. On the palate cherry and spice with earthy mineral notes finishing with persistent fine Tannins. A very good cool climate Australian Shiraz in the mould of a Saint Joseph or Cote Rotie. NB Delectable this is Clonakilla Syrah. Not offered in your choices. — 7 years ago

October Cleveland

9.3

Like it says on the tin. Didn’t quite make a generation’s cellaring, though. Effortlessly elegant. — 7 years ago