Red Wine from South Australia, Australia

92pts Decanter 92pts Suckling

Floral plummy nose with hints of jammy blueberries and vanilla. Silky tannins layered with saline and hazelnut nuances. Creamy and full.

Striking deep red-purple in color. A rich, voluptuous wine with aromas of blackcurrant and mulberries accompanied by notes of smokey oak and hints of cloves. The palate is filled with dark fruits and chocolate backed up by taut tannins and lingering oak.

Fran Kysela shares his story on how he discovered Thorn-Clarke:
  “It was October 2001 and I was searching for and sourcing for Australian wines, as it was clear that Australia was going to become the “next big thing.” After tasting about 100 assorted wines, I decided I liked the style of Barossa, Shiraz best – chocolate, cherries, mint and eucalyptus – so I started focusing on Barossa growers (years later, Barossa Shiraz would develop its reputation as the Icon Shiraz for Australia).
     Late on a Thursday afternoon, the carrier delivered a beat-up box of 12 bottles from Australia, 10 of which were leaking. The box was from a guy named Steve Machin, who had just left Hardy’s and was beginning work with the Clarke family on setting up a possible new brand. The samples were sticky and messy, but I popped the corks anyway ….. and I was glad that I did. The wine inside tasted like Christmas – mint, eucalyptus, camphor, and evergreen aromas. Great acidity, color, flavor and length of finish – very tasty. These samples were so good and so exciting, especially compared to what I had tasted prior, that I immediately called the number on the card. I didn’t realize that it was a Perth number (Western Australia) and it was actually 3:00 in the morning. It turned out I was calling the residence of David and Cheryl Clarke, where a sleepy Cheryl answered the phone. I told her, you don’t know who I am, but we are going to be doing business together very soon, and lots of it! After a few months of talking, faxing (yes, faxing) and sorting out the details, I began importing their wines.
     That super-star wine from the busted box of samples is the wine we know today as Shotfire Shiraz. It was originally called Stone Jar, but fortunately we came up with a better name. Many years and vintages later, I’m still glad to be importing Shotfire Shiraz and other Thorn-Clarke selections …. and I’m still glad that Cheryl Clarke woke up for that phone call.”

The wine is made from old-vine vineyards in the Barossa Valley, considered to be Australia’s premier appellation for Shiraz. This is the home of Aussie greats like Penfolds and Elderton. Today’s great red is brought to us from Thorn-Clarke, a union of two families with deep roots in the Barossa Valley and six generations of grape growing, dating back to the 1870’s. They own some of the oldest vineyards in Barossa. For many years they sold their grapes to Penfolds before starting their own Winery. We are huge fans of their wines, not only for their quality but their value when compared to other top Barossa Shiraz.