Thorn-Clarke, Varietal Collection Shiraz, Barossa, Australia 2022

THE RANGE

We believe that exceptional wines are created in the vineyard and that we are custodians, rather than creators of quality. Six generations of rich viticultural and geological family history has gone into creating these wines, which truly showcase the best of the Barossa & Eden Valley.

WINEMAKER’S NOTE

This Barossa Shiraz has an intense red colour with vivid purple hues. The nose is abundant with vibrant red fruits supported by subtle hints of French Oak. On the palate, well balanced tannins are intertwined with flavours of black cherries, satsuma plums and mulberries. This all leads to a wine which is full bodied in style with a plush mouthfeel and great length of flavour.

WINEMAKING

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 Celsius 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 French oak for maturation for up to 12 months.

AWARDS

The Wine Merchant Top 100 – Highly Commended (2018 vintage)

THORNE-CLARKE

a rich history

The 1870s were a very special decade for our family tree and its roots in the Barossa. One side settled on the fruit farm that would nurture some of the region’s oldest vineyards along with six generations of viticulturists. The other side, meanwhile, discovered a different treasure buried in the bounteous Barossa soil: the region’s first gold mine.

Now, call it luck. Call it mere coincidence, if you wish but 100 years later, the two sides came together in a union that created our family, our winery and, some might say, our destiny: to produce wines worthy of gold.

a leap of faith

In 1987, David and Cheryl Clarke bought their first property, Kabininge, near Tanunda. The family started to plant vines and it could all have ended right there. As the baby vines grew, David and Cheryl’s kids, Sam and Nicole, were conscripted to help water, prune and pick, all by hand. These were the hard yards.

This is when Cheryl took charge and called in her family, the Thorns. Her father, Ron, and her brothers soon had the vineyard in premium condition, and it started to bear fruit – very good fruit, in fact – a tribute to David’s site selection and the Thorns’ vineyard management.

For over 10 years, the vineyards developed a fine reputation and the fruit was sold to neighbouring winemakers, who turned it into award-winning wines. This was pleasing, but hardly fulfilling.

The leap of faith was taken with the 1998 vintage – small batches of Shiraz were made through to wine – and so began the Thorn-Clarke story.