Thorn Clarke Eden Trail Shiraz 2015

Thorn Clarke Eden Trail Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.

Lifted aromas of spicy dark cherries with a hint of cedary oak. A medium to full bodied wine; the palate is a maze of spice, pepper and dark fruits, the finish is bright and refreshingly clean.

Picked during the cool of night. An intentional minimalistic approach to winemaking to ensure the vineyard character sings. Fermented with a small percentage of stalks and whole berries, in small open fermenters and hand worked twice daily. Warm fermentation is followed by maturation in French oak barrels for 12-16 months (depending on parcel). Minimal fining and filtration prior to bottling.

Asian foods, beef, duck, hard cheese, game, smoked fish, dark chocolate.

Review:

Another very good vintage for this wine, brimming with fresh and bright fruit aromas and flavors. The plum, blackberry and red berry characters are juicy and ripe with no hint of jamminess, and there's a feeling of liveliness and buoyancy on the palate. A dash of pepper and a seasoning of oak add some complexity, and the tannin is gentle but firm enough to do its job. - James Halliday" - Halliday Wine Companion, 95 pts

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Thorn Clarke Shotfire Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is made from 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Shiraz.

14 months in Oak, 40% new combination of French and American – French for Cabernet and American for Shiraz

When the Clarke forebearers discovered gold in 1870 at the Lady Alice mine in the Barossa goldfields, so began a family dynasty intrigued by geology. A fine legacy that is reflected today in the terroir of our vineyards. The Shotfire range immortalizes the Shotfirer's hazardous job of setting and lighting the charges in the mines.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blends are uniquely Australian and goes against the traditional wine-making grain. This wine embodies the Clarke families tendency to swim “against the current”. In the 1980’s when many growers were pulling out vines, David and Cheryl were planting.

Deep red in color with brick hues on release. Leafy Cabernet varietal Cabernet is balanced by ripe plum, licorice and slight eucalyptus characters on the nose. Upfront dark fruits and long grainy tannins dominate the palate. In addition, maturation on French oak adds spice and cedar-like characters. The wine has a distinct acid backbone which gives the wine long persistence.

The grapes are crushed and de-stemmed into fermenters. Yeast is added immediately once in fermenter and the ferments are pumped over twice daily to maximize color, tannin and flavor extraction. Cooling is used to ensure ferments remain in the 22-25°C range which will allow the fruit to display maximum fruit expression.

Pairs well with Australian lamb chops, rack of lamb.

Review:

"The 2015 Shotfire Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is a 76-24 blend. It favours the Cabernet in its aromas and flavour profile as well, with mint and cassis leading the way, the Shiraz serving mainly to help round out the mid-palate and provide some juiciness to offset the dry Cabernet tannins. It should drink well for several more years. - Joe Czerwinski"

- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue # 238, August 31st 2018), 91 pts

Thorn Clarke William Randell Cabernet is made from 100 percent Cabernet

Deep red in colour. The nose is lifted and expressive with lovely Christmas cake and mint characters along with black olives and tobacco leaf adding complexity. The palate is medium to full bodied with blueberry and hints of cassis as the primary fruit flavours. The palate has great poise with the vibrant fruit, spicy French oak and fine tannin structure all wonderfully balanced, and the wine finishes with great length of fruit.

Review:

GOLD MEDAL
- International Wine & Spirits Competition 2017

"The 2015 William Randell Cabernet Sauvignon is a single-vineyard, Eden Valley bottling with plenty of intensity and varietal character. Mint and cassis notes dominate, but there's a healthy portion of new French oak that shows as well, adding lovely notes of baking spices and vanilla. Full-bodied and velvety in texture, it still shows enough delineation and length to please purists. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #238, August 31st 2018), 93 pts

Thorn Clarke Shotfire Shiraz is made from 100% Shiraz. 

On release Thorn Clarke Shotfire Shiraz has a deep purple colour with a red hue. The wine has a lifted nose of clean blackberry fruit accompanied by mocha and spice. The palate displays sweet fruit characters dominated by blackberry and plum, complimented by cinnamon, clove and nutmeg characters. The wine is full bodied with natural tannin and oak maturation adding texture and complexity to the wine.

Spring rainfall was well below average with several days reaching 30°C. The growing season had even temperatures and little rainfall. Ripening was slow and steady leading to the development of good tannin structure and fruit characters.

The grapes were de-stemmed into fermenters. Ferments were pumped over twice daily to maximize color, tannin and flavor extraction. Cooling is used to ensure ferments remain in the 22-25°C range which allows maximum fruit expression in the wine. Pressing occurs approximately seven days after fermentation commences and the wine is then filled to American oak to mature (14 months in 40% new American hogsheads with the balance going into 2nd and 3rd fill barrels).

Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa Shiraz Cabernet Petit Verdot Cuvee is made from 69% Shiraz, 21%, Cabernet Sauvignon, 10%, Petit Verdot

The color is a deep inky purple. The nose is a complex mixture of lifted berry fruit, pencil shavings/chocolate oak and ripe plums, with a floral lift from the Petit Verdot component. The palate is medium to full bodied. Due to the complexity of the blend, the palate starts with sweet plums and spice and then turns to blackcurrants and liquorice with dark chocolate interwoven throughout the mouth. Soft and sweet tannins then follow on with some great sweet fruit.

The fruit was harvested at night when the fruit was deemed to be ripe by our winemakers. Warm fermentation was carried out in a mix of potter and open fermenter. Extended time on skins adds to the texture of the wine. The wine was matured in French oak for ten months prior to blending and bottling.

Pairs well with sun-dried tomatoes and basil pesto ravioli.

Thorn Clarke William Randell Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz

The William Randell range of wines were created in honor of our family ancestor - the esteemed pioneer William Richard Randell (1824 - 1911). The wines are sourced solely from grapes grown on our estate vineyards. Wines in this range are only made in exceptional vintages.

Deep red with inky purple hues. This classic Barossa style shows rich blackberry, licorice, spice plum and smoky oak on the nose. The palate is dense with ripe mulberry and berry compote and generous supporting oak. The tannins are savory and long with spicy refined finish

Following harvest the fruit was crushed into a variety of small fermenters (4 to 6T in capacity). Fermentation was carried out at a warm temperature (25-28 degrees ). The ferments were manually pumped over to provide good control of tannin extraction. Each fermenter was treated as a separate parcel of wine and once dry was filled to American oak (40% new). Following malolactic fermentation the wines were racked and returned to the same oak. Parcels remained in barrel for an average of 18 months prior to blending. Only the best barrels from the multiple parcels were used to make the final blend. Once blended the wine was prepared for bottling.