PRODUCER Dr John Kirk planted the Clonakilla vineyard at Murrumbateman, 40 kilometres north of Canberra, in 1971 after his scientific curiosity led him to question why vines were not being grown in this area. His research showed that the soil and climate seemed suited to certain varieties. Clonakilla means 'meadow of the church' and is the name of Dr Kirk's grandfather's farm in County Clare, Ireland. In 1997 Tim Kirk, the fourth of John's six sons, took over responsibility for winemaking. Today, Clonakilla is recognised as one of the leading estates in Australia. Tim was named Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year in 2013.

VINEYARDS The grapes for this Shiraz were selected from four vineyards in the Hilltops district around Young in New South Wales, the Canberra District’s closest neighbouring wine region. The altitude is marginally lower than Canberra so the grapes tend to be harvested around two weeks before those grown on the estate. Soils are deep red loam over light clay, giving distinctive blackberry and blackcurrant notes to the wine.

VINIFICATION The majority of grapes were destemmed, with a small portion of bunches left intact. Separate batches were fermented in opentop vessels of various sizes, some containing up to 20% whole bunches to add complexity and texture. The wine spent 2-3 weeks on skins before being pressed to barrel. The wine was matured for 11 months in Allier oak barriques and puncheons, 15% of which were new; the remaining barrels varying from 2-5 years old. The wine was racked once during its maturation in oak, blended in November and bottled in late February the following year.

TASTING NOTES The wine has signature 'Hilltops' ripe, dark fruit flavours with a deep, concentrated cherry and blackberry character. It has fine-grained tannins and a racy acidity, which allow it to be enjoyed now but also be aged for up to 10 years.