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Kirsten Lawson
Kirsten Lawson

Clonakilla winemaker Tim Kirk.
Clonakilla winemaker Tim Kirk.Supplied

Canberra's flagship winery, Clonakilla, celebrated a return to the very top ranks last week, with the release of James Halliday's eagerly awaited 2014 Wine Companion.

Halliday gave Clonakilla's 2012 shiraz-viognier blend 97 points, the highest score in the country for a shiraz viognier and one of a number of successes for Canberra wines.

Two straight shirazes scored higher than the Clonakilla, 2008 Henschke Hill of Grace and 2008 Penfolds Grange, both on 98. Clonakilla also makes a straight shiraz (his ''syrah''), but the 2012 vintage has only just been bottled so it didn't get to Halliday in time for this year's book.

Clonakilla's Tim Kirk describes the syrah and shiraz-viognier as a son and daughter - the former more powerful, ''blacker and more brooding'' and a slightly darker expression of the fruit; the latter more perfumed and complex.

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''Delighted'' to be back at 97 points after difficult vintages in 2010 and 2011, in which the shiraz-viognier scored 95, Kirk is preparing for the wine's release on September 3, and promotional dinners in London and around Australia. He expects strong demand on the back of the Halliday score, still one of the most influential judgments in the annual wine calendar.

He made 1600 cases from the 2012 vintage, down on the 2000 to 2500 cases in a good year, but up on 2011, when only 1000 cases were made, much of the fruit going into lesser wines. Both vintages were wet, but in 2012 the rain came in ''more compact packages'', the biggest dump at the end of February.

''At that point we were very worried because the grapes were ripening and the skins were softening, and when you get that much rain in one dump, botrytis can take hold. But it seemed to us, almost miraculously, botrytis was held off, the grapes held up beautifully, then we went into long cool ripening and ripening was able to proceed majestically.''

The result was thicker skins, riper and more refined tannins, and a more complex fruit character.

The high score notwithstanding, Kirk expects the 2013 wines to be better still, equal or surpassing his greatest yet, the 2009.

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Kirk was not the only local winemaker celebrating last week. Two more were elevated to five-star status: Four Winds, and Ravensworth, owned by Clonakilla winemaker Bryan Martin. Six locals were boosted from five black stars to five red stars, indicating longevity in the top ranks. They were Capital, Eden Road, Helm, Lark Hill, Mount Majura and Nick O'Leary. They join Clonakilla and Collector among the top echelon. Lerida Estate retains five black stars.

Nationally, Halliday's wine of the year is Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir 2010, to which he gave a rare 99 points. ''Over the years, Phillip Jones has toyed with true greatness - here he has achieved it to an awesome degree,'' Halliday writes of the $420 wine made in Victoria.

94 plus: Halliday's top Canberra wines

Riesling

96 points

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2012 Clonakilla

2012 Helm Premium

95 points

2011 Nick O'Leary

2012 Ravensworth

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94 points

2011 Brindabella Hills Wallaroo

2012 Helm Classic Dry

2012 Capital the Whip

2012 Four Winds

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2012 Mount Majura

2011 Yarrh

Chardonnay

95 points

2012 Clonakilla Tumbarumba

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2011 Eden Road Maragle

94 points

2012 Eden Road Tumbarumba

2011 Eden Road Courabyra Tumbarumba

Other whites

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96 points

2012 Clonakilla Viognier

94 points

2012 Lark Hill Gruner Veltliner

2012 Wily Trout Sauvignon Blanc

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Shiraz and shiraz viognier

97 points

2012 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier

96 points

2011 Collector Reserve

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95 points

2012 Clonakilla Hilltops

2012 Clonakilla O'Riada

94 points

2011 Collector Marked Tree

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2011 Eden Road

2011 Mount Majura

2011 Nick O'Leary

2012 Ravensworth Shiraz Viognier

Other reds

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94 points

2011 Capital the Ambassador Tempranillo

2009 Capital the Black Rod Sparkling Red (mainly shiraz)

2012 Eden Road Tumbarumba Pinot Noir

2011 Eden Road Courabyra Pinot Noir

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2012 Lark Hill Pinot Noir

2009 Mount Majura Dinny's Block (cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon)

2011 Mount Majura Tempranillo

2009 Shaw Vineyard Estate Premium Cabernet Sauvignon

Sweet

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95 points

2012 Lark Hill Auslese Riesling

94 points

2012 Lerida Estate Lake George Botrytis Pinot Gris

Kirsten LawsonKirsten Lawson is news director at The Canberra Times

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