Kilikanoon Shiraz Covenant 2005

The best parcels of Clare Valley Shiraz were selected and blended to create our terroir based convenant Shiraz. Along with the finest Rieslings, the Clare Valley has produced some of the most sought after Shiraz wines in the world. Hand picked Shiraz fruit was selected from six vineyards throughout the Leasingham Valley with each being fermented separately, basket pressed and aged for 22 months in a combination of new and older French and American small oak casks. Intensely varietal with lifted aromas of black olives, spicy plumsand charry oak characters predominate. These flavours carry read more...through to the stylish and textured palate producing a seamless and persistent finish. An ageing potential of at least 12 - 15 years with careful cellaring. Appearance: Intense, inky / crimson red with distinct youthful, purple hues. Nose: Lifted sweet plum and berry fruits combine and integrate with the menthol, char and smoky oak characters. Palate: A great example of a full-bodied Clare Valley Shiraz, the palate being richly layered and textured. Chocolate and plum fruits create sweetness with classy French and American oak integrates and supports providing seamless length and flavor.    (hide)

Poured a taste from the bottle and decanted the rest. This is one of the most deep purple wines I've ever seen. Very inky. First sniff from my glass is all sweet blueberry fruit. Makes my mouth water. Some chocolate in there as well. First sip is a fruitbomb. Very smooth, a bit of acid bite to it, but the blueberries are prominent, with very mild tannins. Excited to see how this develops in the decanter over the next several hours. After 2 hours in the decanter, the wine still very fragrant and lush. Sweet fruit and chocolate, with soft tannins. A great wine! Outstanding - 92 points.

July 2008

The Wine Advocate rating: 92

James Halliday rating: 94

No written review

August 2009

Rating: 92/100 - As reviewed by The Wine Advocate