This single fermenter and 150 dozen bottles is a tiny yet loud proclamation that there’s more to Clonakilla than shiraz viognier. Intense white pepper is a character that earmarks some of the finest cool climate shiraz regions on earth, and it leaps in ethereal, exotic proportions from this Clonakilla. A glorious nose of pepper, fennel, greengage plum and blackberries throws to an impeccably structured palate of fine-grained, mineral tannins that somehow draw their structure from the granitic soils of this cool site. Impeccable persistence of understated black plum and dark cherry fruit lingers amidst lively acid structure and layers of ethereal, exotic spice. A cool, edgy, almost stalky demeanour opens into an impeccably ripe finish of graceful harmony. Don’t miss an incredible Clonakilla Syrah with a long future before it. $90 at WineStar (2008).