2026 Clonakilla Viognier Nouveau 750ml

Overview

Viognier Nouveau captures Clonakilla's Viognier at its most youthful and vibrant. Cool fermentation in stainless steel and early bottling preserve the freshness and aromatic intensity of the fruit, producing a lively, immediately approachable expression with generous flavour but without heaviness.

Vintage

The 2026 season brought early frost, mid-summer hail and a January heatwave. Despite these challenges, the fruit ripened steadily before finishing gently through the late summer.

Winemaking

The wine was fermented cool in stainless steel to maximise its aromatics and bottled early to retain freshness. No oak was used, keeping the focus firmly on pure Viognier fruit.

Producer Tasting Notes

Tim Kirk and the Clonakilla Team: “A rich and complex bouquet singing with musk, ripe pear, juicy stone fruit, and hints of warm spice. The palate is fresh and light, lively and delicious. Heaps of flavour without heaviness. Ready to drink, share, and enjoy now.”

Critic Reviews

Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front: “It tastes of fennel, apricot kernels, tonic water, brine and aromatic citrus, the latter stepping into blossom-like territory. There’s also a smidgen of mandarin. It’s effusive and it’s delicious, though it’s just a bit serious too. I like it very much.”

Ken Gargett, Winepilot: “The colour is that of shimmering straw. The nose is a little more refined than we might usually expect, but there are hints of stonefruits, apricot skins, pink musk, ginger and citrus evident. A bright style which is flavour first, the wine of medium length with a soft and gentle finish. For enjoying over the next year or two.”

Producer

Clonakilla was founded by John Kirk at Murrumbateman in 1971 and has played an important role in establishing the Canberra District as an Australian wine region. Viognier has been planted at Clonakilla since 1986 and is used both as a standalone variety and in the estate's celebrated Shiraz Viognier.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2026
• Grape Variety: Viognier
• Region: Canberra District, New South Wales, Australia
• Alcohol: 12.5%
• TA: 6.1 g/L
• pH: 3.41
• Residual Sugar: 3.5 g/L
• Fermentation: Cool fermentation in stainless steel
• Oak: None
• Cellaring: Best enjoyed young; Ken Gargett suggests enjoying over the next one to two years