Clonakilla Pinot Noir 2024
Clonakilla’s 2024 Pinot Noir is a masterclass in cool-climate elegance, crafted in minuscule quantities from the granite soils of Murrumbateman. This wine is a testament to the Kirk family's dedication to precision and restraint, offering a vivid snapshot of the Canberra District's potential for Pinot Noir.
The 2024 vintage was kissed by a near perfect growing season: ample spring rain, warm but not scorching summer days, and cool, lengthened evenings drifting into a gentle early autumn. That combination yielded fruit of rare precision and vitality. What’s in the bottle is a blend of Dijon clones 777, 115, 667, the fabled Abel (smuggled out of Burgundy into New Zealand decades ago), Pommard, and one peculiar, unnamed clone planted by John Kirk back in 1978. More than just a grape, it’s part of the estate’s DNA.
In the glass, it opens with a limpid, pale crimson hue, feathering out at the rim, already whispering its delicacy. The nose is forest floor meets fine silk: red cherry and wild strawberry mingle with soft spice, dried herbs, subtle smokiness and the alluring whisper of truffle. It’s not trying to shout; it’s speaking with intent.
On the palate, this wine dances. There’s juicy red fruit, cranberries and cherries soaked in minerality, woven into a savoury thread of crushed thyme, old rose petals and a lick of earth. The acidity is fresh, gliding through the wine like a cool stream, while the tannins are fine, powdery, almost invisible in their polish. This is a Pinot that understands space and silence as much as it understands fruit and structure.
Technically, it sits at 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.67 and total acidity around 6.44 g/L. That’s textbook for a wine with the bones to age but the soul to be charming now.
Critical voices have already begun humming its praises, noting the precision, restraint, and almost Burgundian composure. But make no mistake, this isn’t trying to be Beaune or Chambolle. It is resolutely Australian in its clarity and light. It is a wine that knows where it is from.
Clonakilla only produces this Pinot in painfully small quantities, often referred to as little more than a dribble. But that is part of the magic. There is no marketing gloss, no inflated hype, just a quiet devotion to site, clone, and craft.
If you're lucky enough to snag a bottle, treat it with the same care it was made with. Serve it cool, in a large Burgundy glass, and give it room to unfold. It is not a wine for the impatient, but it is absolutely a wine for the romantics, the thinkers, the ones who know that greatness sometimes whispers.
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Description
Clonakilla’s 2024 Pinot Noir is a masterclass in cool-climate elegance, crafted in minuscule quantities from the granite soils of Murrumbateman. This wine is a testament to the Kirk family's dedication to precision and restraint, offering a vivid snapshot of the Canberra District's potential for Pinot Noir.
The 2024 vintage was kissed by a near perfect growing season: ample spring rain, warm but not scorching summer days, and cool, lengthened evenings drifting into a gentle early autumn. That combination yielded fruit of rare precision and vitality. What’s in the bottle is a blend of Dijon clones 777, 115, 667, the fabled Abel (smuggled out of Burgundy into New Zealand decades ago), Pommard, and one peculiar, unnamed clone planted by John Kirk back in 1978. More than just a grape, it’s part of the estate’s DNA.
In the glass, it opens with a limpid, pale crimson hue, feathering out at the rim, already whispering its delicacy. The nose is forest floor meets fine silk: red cherry and wild strawberry mingle with soft spice, dried herbs, subtle smokiness and the alluring whisper of truffle. It’s not trying to shout; it’s speaking with intent.
On the palate, this wine dances. There’s juicy red fruit, cranberries and cherries soaked in minerality, woven into a savoury thread of crushed thyme, old rose petals and a lick of earth. The acidity is fresh, gliding through the wine like a cool stream, while the tannins are fine, powdery, almost invisible in their polish. This is a Pinot that understands space and silence as much as it understands fruit and structure.
Technically, it sits at 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.67 and total acidity around 6.44 g/L. That’s textbook for a wine with the bones to age but the soul to be charming now.
Critical voices have already begun humming its praises, noting the precision, restraint, and almost Burgundian composure. But make no mistake, this isn’t trying to be Beaune or Chambolle. It is resolutely Australian in its clarity and light. It is a wine that knows where it is from.
Clonakilla only produces this Pinot in painfully small quantities, often referred to as little more than a dribble. But that is part of the magic. There is no marketing gloss, no inflated hype, just a quiet devotion to site, clone, and craft.
If you're lucky enough to snag a bottle, treat it with the same care it was made with. Serve it cool, in a large Burgundy glass, and give it room to unfold. It is not a wine for the impatient, but it is absolutely a wine for the romantics, the thinkers, the ones who know that greatness sometimes whispers.
