Thorn-Clarke, Eden Valley, Single Vineyard Selection, Riesling, Australia 2019

THE BRAND

The Single Vineyard Selection range focuses on single site, small batch wines, highlighting the true characteristics of each individual variety. Each block is hand selected by our winemaker and viticulturist each year, choosing the wines that best reflect the strengths of each individual vintage.

WINEMAKERS NOTE

Quartz like in colour with green highlights. Expressive aromatics of lemons and limes with floral and spice notes. The palate shows intense grapefruit and minerality with driving structure, it is clean and crisp with delicate lemon sherbet on the finish. Made from a high elevation Eden Valley vineyard this wine is balanced and highly drinkable now but will age well in the cellar.

WINEMAKING

Harvested during the cool of night at optimal maturity. The grapes were destemmed and pressed off immediately with the free run portion separated for the Single Vineyard Series Riesling. Fermentation was carried out at cool temperatures to retain the vibrancy of the fruit. This was fermented to dryness and has had no malolactic fermentation. This wine has minimal fining and filtration.

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.

AWARDS

95 Points – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, March 2020

It’s fabulously fruited and pristine on the nose showing white flesh

nectarine, blossom and lime peel aromas, leading to a finely textured palate that’s splendidly focused and persistent. The wine offers excellent fruit purity together with bright acidity, finishing impressively long and linear.

94 Points – Halliday Wine Companion 2021

94 Points – Halliday Wine Companion Cellaring Selections 2020

Night-harvested, free-run juice only, minimal finingand filtration. Seriously good wine, with even more to come over the next 5 years.

94 Points – Tony Love, Wine Pilot 2020

The wine drills down to its source within one of the variety’s most revered regions, and because of that site specification the wine has everything boffiny riesling fans look for. Read that as an uncommon purity and drive from the moment you greet the glass, cut lime aromas followed by totally connected yellow-green citrus fruit bite, neatly controlled yet prominent and pithy in feel. That’s the minerality of the variety many tasters refer to, rounding out a delicious, crisp and flavourful wine. Drink with fried crumb fish and chippery – the acidity will balance out any undue fattiness.

90 Points – Bob Campbell MW 2020

Attractively aromatic riesling with bright, lime-citrus and subtle wildflower flavours supported by punchy acidity. An accessible and appealing wine now but should develop well with bottle-age.

This is taut and fresh with a limey edge to the fresh citrus fruit. Lovely focus here with nice purity. Steely, fresh and limey. 92/100. – Jamie Goode, WineAnorak.com (2019 vintage)