Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 2019

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! reds!

"This is an attractively spicy wine on the nose with red, blue and black berries all in play, as well as an earthy edge and tarry elements. Some perfume, too. The palate has quite a deep-set, blue and black-fruit core with a long, sturdy palate that holds flavor and focus well."  James Suckling

The fruit for the 2019 Shotfire Shiraz was sourced from the St Kitts vineyard at the northern end of the Barossa Ranges and the Milton Park vineyard in the Eden Valley. The wine was aged for 14 months in American oak.

"Inky red in colour with purple hues at the rim. Dense blackberry and plum fruits dominate the nose with five spice, smoke and dark chocolate showing through. A rich and generous palate showcases all the quintessential traits of Barossa Shiraz. Ripe black plum, black pepper and liquorice in abundance, supported by integrated and complex oak characters. The wine is plush and mouth filling, with long savoury tannins adding structure to the palate. Destined to be a longlived vintage that will reward cellaring but can also be enjoyed now for its vibrant fruit expression."  Thorn-Clarke

Expert reviews

Winestate Worlds Greatest Shiraz/Syrah Wine Show 2021 – 94 points

"This is an attractively spicy wine on the nose with red, blue and black berries all in play, as well as an earthy edge and tarry elements. Some perfume, too. The palate has quite a deep-set, blue and black-fruit core with a long, sturdy palate that holds flavor and focus well. Drink or hold. Screw cap."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 92 points 

"Destemmed; on skins for 7 days; matured in American oak (40% new hogsheads, the balance used barrels) for 14 months. Bright, deep crimson-purple; the bouquet is good, though oaky; this oak floods the palate, but may come back into balance with 5+ years in bottle. Drink by 2035."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion – 90 points

Awards

Gold Medal - 2022 Mundus Vini

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