JM 1ST APPROACH

The 2010 O'Riada is made from fruit selected from four vineyards around Murrumbateman. 5% Viognier was co-fermented with the Shiraz. 2010 was the year the drought broke. The rain started on Christmas day 2009 and fell on a number of occasions through summer and early autumn. It was cooler too, producing fruit with classic cool-climate Shiraz notes.

The aroma is a festival of spice: pepper, clove, nutmeg and fresh garden herbs flowing on to a medium bodied palate with supple, fine tannins. Drink over five to ten years.

'Strong, bright red-purple; an altogether elegant wine, elegance due in part to the 5% co-fermented viognier, and partly to the balance between juicy fruit on the one hand, savoury tannins and oak on the other. The skilled hand of Tim Kirk at work.' Rating: 95 James Halliday's Wine Companion 2012

'O'Riada, a blend from four vineyards, and containing 5 per cent viognier, thrilled with its high-toned floral, spice and musk aroma. A stalky note, presumably from including whole bunches in the ferment, threaded through the aroma and beautifully silky, smooth palate.' Five stars -Chris Shanahan, The Canberra Times, August 10, 2011

'A fantastic cool climate shiraz. I suspect that I like it more than the releases from the warmer/drier/easier years. It's gorgeously perfumed, all sweet boysenberry and violet. Though of course spice abounds - peppery, clovey, an assortment of spice boxes delights. Dark, foresty cherries flesh it out. And twiggy, tannic notes provide the bones. Highly defined and detailed. Some meatiness too. Balanced and tight. Oh, I could go on. It's a wine for cool climate enthusiasts - but if you're one, you'll love it.' Rated : 93+ Points Drink : 2015 - 2021 -Campbell Mattinson, Winefront, July 29, 2011

I love the angular elegance Tim Kirk brings to Shiraz. The Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier has priced itself out of my range but this O’Riada makes that fact a whole lot more bearable. There’s 5% Viognier in the mix here and it’s masterfully integrated into the whole. The clarity of colour is echoed in the definition of flavours and aromas. A svelte palate where black cherries and berries, violets, bacon hock and spice wrap around each other without losing their individual identity. It moves nimbly and with purpose through its line finishing with slightly stalky tannin and altogether agreeable cool climate herbaceousness. Peppery and unafraid of its origins, this is simply gorgeous drinking. ... Excellent - Jeremy Pringle

'Clonakilla genius for the masses, this year cooler and more pepper-edged than ever. It's chiselled, angular and honed, with mineral granite nuances, generous layers of edgy pepper and crunchy blackberries. Given time, it will unravel into something profound.' Drink 2016-2020 94 points -Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste, August 19, 2011