95pts James Halliday | 9-Year-Old Clare Valley Shiraz Approaching Its Peak

The 2016 Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz is one of the Clare Valley's most celebrated Shirazes — estate-grown, full-bodied, and built with the kind of depth and structure that rewards patience. Now 9 years old, the 2016 is entering a beautiful drinking window: the tannins have softened, the fruit has integrated, and the wine is showing the complexity that only comes with time.

My Wine Man on Kilikanoon

Kilikanoon is one of the Clare Valley's benchmark producers, farming their estate vineyards with a focus on expressing the region's distinctive cool-climate character. The Covenant is one of their cornerstones — a wine that has consistently delivered 95pt quality across multiple vintages. Full-bodied for sure, but as James Halliday put it, it "doesn't beat you around the head" — this is power with finesse, not power for its own sake.

Tasting Notes

Dark cherry, plum, liquorice, and chocolate all swirl on the palate with real depth and integration. Full-bodied and full-blooded, with 9 years of bottle age adding complexity and softening the tannins into something seamless and satisfying. Estate-grown fruit, matured for 20 months in French oak — the result is a wine of genuine character and presence. 95pts James Halliday.

Style & Drinking Window

Full-bodied with well-integrated tannins and a rich, complex character. Drinking beautifully now and will continue to develop through 2030. Decant for 1 hour to allow the wine to fully open up.

Why This Is a Smart Buy

At HK$259, the 2016 Covenant delivers 95pt Clare Valley Shiraz with 9 years of bottle age at a price that is hard to match. Kilikanoon's track record for consistency, combined with the depth and structure of this vintage, makes this one of the most compelling aged Australian Shirazes in the store.

Looking for a Different Style?

Explore more from the Kilikanoon range:

• 2017 Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz — the next vintage of the same wine, one year younger
• 2016 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz — same vintage, premium single-vineyard step-up from the same estate
• 2018 Kilikanoon Killerman's Run Shiraz — same producer, more approachable entry-level Clare Valley Shiraz

Life's too short for bad wine.