Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz

Comments

Deep purple red. Aromas of ripe plums, cherries and earth with subtle notes of vanilla and cloves. The aromas follow through onto the palate with a fruit focus, subtle oak notes and soft, rounded tannins. The wine walks the line between medium and full bodied with a plush mouthfeel.

Vinification Notes

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 maximise colour, tannin and flavour extraction. Cooling is used to ensure ferment temperatures remain in the 22-25 degree celcius range which will allow the fruit to display maximum fruit expression. Pressing then occurs approximately seven days after crushing and the  wine is then put into predominately American oak to mature.

Review:

"Estate-grown, crushed and destemmed, twice-daily pumpovers in the fermenter, 12 months in French oak. Deluxe treatment for a $20 wine. It is medium-bodied, and over-delivers on its price. Mouthfilling satsuma plum and blackberry compote. - James Halliday"

- Halliday Wine Companion, 91 pts

Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa Shiraz Winemaker's Selection is made from 100 percent Shiraz.

Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa Shiraz Winemaker's Selection palate is rich and full with spicy plums and creamy oak. The tannins are fine and give the wine great length of flavor and a superb smooth mouthfeel. Pairs well with foods with richness and flavor such as meat based pasta dishes, red meats or hard cheese.

Thorn Clarke William Randell Cabernet is made from 100 percent Cabernet

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

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:

"From the cool Milton Park and St Kitts Vineyards, destemmed, open-fermented, 10 days on skins, matured for 16 months in French hogsheads (35% new). The vintage was made to measure for cabernet in this district, the wine revelling in its full-bodied guise. Blackcurrant, black olive, dark chocolate and cedar sweep you along – relax and enjoy it."
- Halliday Wine Companion (August 2020), 96 pts

COMMENTS
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.

VINIFICATION NOTES
The fruit was harvested at night. Fermentation was carried out in a variety of small capacity fermenters. After pressing the parcels were filled to French oak for maturation. The wine was racked after six months and the parcels were blended to form the final wine.

MATURATION
The wine was matured in a temperature controlled barrel hall for 16 months in French hogsheads (barrels).

VINTAGE NOTES
Average winter rainfall in 2009 resulted in good soil moisture in the 2010 growing season. This combined with moderate weather conditions through most of the growing season allowed for good fruit set and canopy development. 

HARVESTED
March 2010

"Full crimson-purple; while quite soft overall, both in fruit and tannin terms, the wine is full-bodied and fleshy, with dark chocolate and licorice joining the blackcurrant fruit and cedary oak. 14% alc."
- James Halliday's TOP 100 over $20 (November 2012), 97 pts

"This Eden Valley wine displays classic Cabernet structure. It’s full-bodied and powerful, but never jammy or soft, like some Barossa Cabs. Vanilla accents pristine cassis fruit, which shows enormous depth. Drink 2018–2025, and very possibly beyond. -Joe Czerwinski"
- Wine Enthusiast (April 2014), 94 pts + CELLAR SELECTION

GOLD AT 2012 HOBART WINE SHOW

GOLD AT 2012 NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL WINE SHOW
GOLD AT 2012 QUEENSLAND WINE SHOW
SILVER AT 2012 ADELAIDE WINE SHOW
SILVER AT 2012 CHINA WINE AND SPIRIT AWARDS
BRONZE AT 2012 BAROSSA WINE SHOW
BRONZE AT 2012 INTERNATIONAL WINE AND SPIRIT COMPETITION
BRONZE AT 2012 MELBOURNE WINE SHOW
BRONZE AT 2012 SPEIGELAU INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION (NZ)
BRONZE AT 2013 INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE

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.

"From the estate St Kitts and Milton Park Vineyards, night-harvested, each block separately vinified in 4t open fermenters, matured for 18 months in American oak (40% new). A powerful, full-bodied shiraz with blackberry fruit, tannins and oak all driving the long palate. The absorption of the oak into the fabric of the wine is particularly impressive."
- Halliday Wine Companion (August 2020), 95 pts

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