Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2007

It’s especially satisfying to follow a label over time and observe how it varies with each vintage. Sometimes an especially good vintage will show extra depth, or unusual complexity, or a particularly intense perfume, all the while retaining an essential consistency with its siblings. There’s no doubt this is an excellent Hilltops, and it shows the trademark fruit density and character that I look forward to every year. But there’s a powerful something “extra” in this release — an almost flamboyant spiciness that is present both on the nose and palate — that has me smiling tonight.

Smelling this wine is like inhaling the potpourri jar on the coffee table in front of your grandmother’s overstuffed, slightly faded floral lounge. I trust that experience isn’t unique to me.

3 thoughts on “Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2007

  1. Even better than the 06. Nothing to add from me. Could quibble over “powdery tannins”, found them a little firmer but will save that for another time 🙂

    • I get such a pleasant surprise when an experienced taster like yourself sees a wine in one of my notes, because the imprecision of language in this context is tangible. Powdery tannins, for example. You read this description as meaning “less than firm,” yet for me it’s a textural thing, independent of volume or assertiveness. “Powdery,” for example, is finer than “grainy,” but perhaps less fine than “chalky.”

      Anyway, I’m reliably informed that my palate might be screwed so what you, and other enthusiasts, taste is very interesting to me.

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