Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 2017 (3000ml)

Thorn-Clarke is one of the largest family-owned estate-based businesses in the Barossa, with a family history in the region dating back to the 1850s. The first vintage of Shotfire Shiraz produced was the 1999 and on the back of rave reviews from Robert Parker, the world's most influential wine critic at the time, it quickly established a reputation as one of the best value full-bodied wines on the market. Made for lovers of rich, voluptuous, flavoursome reds!some reds!

"Gorgeously fruited and fragrant, the bouquet shows dark fruit richness with seductive notes of vanilla, game, spice and cedar, which lead to a succulent palate that is plush and silky. It is gorgeously flavoursome with loads of tasty flavours, wonderfully supported by velvety texture and supple tannins."  Sam Kim

The fruit for the 2017 Shotfire Shiraz was sourced from the St Kitts vineyard at the northern end of the Barossa Ranges, the Kabininge vineyard on the Valley floor in Southern Barossa and the Milton Park vineyard in the Eden Valley. The wine was aged for 14 months in American hogsheads (40% new).

"Striking deep red purple in colour. This is 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."  Thorn-Clarke

Expert reviews

"Good colour; an immaculately balanced and elegant medium-bodied shiraz, benefiting from the cool vintage that has blown freshness into so many wines. Blackberry and red cherry both in the ring. Drink by 2032."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion – 95 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"Dark, deep, near impenetrable, black-hued purple-red colour, a little lighter on the rim, youthful in appearance. The nose is softly full and voluminous with moderately deep aromas of blackberry fruit with nuances of black plums, and hints of dark raspberries. Soft, integrated notes of spices, liquorice and pepper add to the richness, and the nose reveals nuances of dark herbs. Full-bodied, the palate has vibrant flavours of ripe blackberries with dark raspberries, black plums and black pepper, with liquorice, spice and floral elements. The fruit is rich, sweet and mouth filling and underlined by fine-grained tannin extraction and grip lending structure and mouthfeel, with fresh acidity enhancing the vitality. The flavours show aromatic lift as they carry to a lingering finish. This is a rich and sweetly ripe Shiraz with vibrant blackberry and plum fruit along with raspberries, spices and liquorice on a finely extracted palate."  Raymond Chan - 18.5/20 points  ★★★★★ 

"Gorgeously fruited and fragrant, the bouquet shows dark fruit richness with seductive notes of vanilla, game, spice and cedar, which lead to a succulent palate that is plush and silky. It is gorgeously flavoursome with loads of tasty flavours, wonderfully supported by velvety texture and supple tannins."  Sam Kim, Wine Orbit – 94 points

"Ever-reliable shiraz out of the Barossa. It’s as much red-berried as black and that’s not a bad thing. It feels well-settled and sure-footed, its creamy texture helping the flavours swing impressively through the palate. Coffee-cream, a trace of fragrant dry herbs, and just enough firm/chocolatey tannin to keep it all neat. But with confidence. Drink : 2019 - 2029."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 93 points

Awards

Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 
Gold medal - Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2019
Gold medal - Perth Royal Wine Show 2018

The vineyards

Kabininge Vineyard, Barossa Valley

Located in Southern Barossa just south of the town of Tanunda, the 33ha Kabininge vineyard is true Barossa Valley floor terroir. At just 270 metres above sea level and located on dark grey to dark brown carbonaceous soils (known as Bay of Biscay), red winegrapes ripen easily here.

The vineyard is predominantly Shiraz – the variety for which the Barossa Valley is best known – supported by smaller plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

St Kitts Vineyard, Barossa Valley

The St Kitts Vineyard is located on the Northern Barossa Slopes at an elevation of 390 metres above sea level. The 103ha vineyard is cooler and has lower rainfall than the Kabininge Vineyard.

The micro-climate restricts yields and the thin, moderately well developed residual soils overlying marble, schist, Truro Volcanics and Heatherdale Shale, necessitated a careful vineyard layout matching variety to soil type. These tough conditions make vines work hard and as a result, the flavour profile is intense and acid levels high, providing the resources for long-living red wines and full flavoured whites. Shiraz is particularly well suited to this environment.

Shiraz again is the predominant variety supported by a diverse red planting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Graciano and a white planting of Viognier.

Mount Crawford Vineyard, Eden Valley 

The 37ha Mount Crawford vineyard lies at the southern end of the Eden Valley. At an elevation of 475 metres above sea level, it is one of the coolest vineyard sites in South Australia. Its north facing aspect provides much needed warmth in spring and autumn and the tough mountain soil makes the vines work hard to achieve excellent flavour and acid.

The high elevation, high rainfall and subsequent late ripening are ideal for growing grape varieties which respond to cold climates. The vineyard is planted to Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Merlot. 

Milton Park Vineyard, Eden Valley 

The Milton Park vineyard is located further north in the Eden Valley, between Angaston and Keyneton. The 100ha vineyard lies at an elevation of between 330 and 400 metres above sea level. 

Positioned amongst world-renowned cool climate Shiraz producers, this vineyard is ideal for producing outstanding red varietals. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were sited to maximize fruit exposure to autumn sunshine, while Petit Verdot blocks were chosen for their lower levels of direct sunlight. 

About the winery

 Mount Crawford Vineyard, Eden Valley

Thorn-Clarke is one of the largest family-owned estate-based businesses in the Barossa. With a family history in the Barossa region dating back to the 1850s and estate grown vineyards now totalling over 270 hectares, Thorn-Clarke produces a range of award winning Barossa Valley red and Eden Valley white wines.

In the late 1980s, governments were sponsoring growers to pull vines to overcome an oversupply in the industry. Against the trend, David Clarke, a geologist by training, set about testing soils and buying land with the intention of establishing his own vineyards in the Barossa. In 1987, David and Cheryl Clarke (née Thorne) bought their first property, Kabininge, near Tanunda on the Southern Barossa Valley floor. They planted vines and Cheryl enlisted the help of her family, the Thorns, to manage the vineyard. The vines started to bear fruit - very good fruit, in fact.

Developing a great understanding of the diversity of the Barossa, David purchased land in two sections of the Eden Valley and another in the Barossa Valley: the Mt Crawford Vineyard at the southern end of the Eden Valley, the Milton Park vineyard further north in the Eden Valley and the St Kitts vineyard at the northern end of the Barossa Ranges. In all 4 vineyards, careful soil mapping allowed matching of variety and site, with all the major grape varieties represented.

For the first ten years, the fruit from the vineyards 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 when small batches of Shiraz were vinified and bottled - and so began the Thorn-Clarke story. 

"When we started out 20 years ago I knew from my geological research that the varied Barossa geology and soil types offered us a broad palate to work with. Then when we started making trial blends in the 1990s it became clear that the vineyards complemented each other brilliantly and provided us with a new level of flavour complexity. We have blended to take advantage of these sub-regional and microclimatic characteristics.

Our philosophy is to over-deliver in terms of the quality we offer at each price level.  Wine lovers remember wines which are stunning value and we work hard to ensure that whether people buy the Sandpiper range or the Shotfire range they are drinking wines that are excellent value for money."  David Clarke