Deep red in colour. The rich inviting nose is a complex mixture of plummy fruits with sweet spices of nutmeg and cinnamon. The medium to full bodied palate shows mouthfilling rich Satsuma plums, blackberry and liquorice. The firm yet approachable tannins will allow the wine to develop beautifully in the bottle for up to five years.
Winemaking
The grapes are crushed and destemmed 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 ferments remain in the 22-25 degrees Celcius 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 predominantly American oak to mature.
Maturation
12 months in a combination of French and American oak. 20% new oak.
The 2006 vintage had a mild and long ripening season. These conditions favoured the accumulation of intense colour and flavours in the red grapes.
About the winery
The Thorn-Clarke Philosophy
The Thorn-Clarke family already has a long history in the Barossa - six generations of involvement in the region's world famous wine industry.
We take a long-term view of the future and our goal is unashamedly to be still growing grapes and making wine for another six generations.
We recognise and value the role that our suppliers, distributors, retailers and customers play in this goal and we seek to develop sustainable partnerships based on loyalty, trust and quality.
The Quality Objective
Given our plans to be a premium wine producer for a very long time, producing quality and value are critical.
Right from the time when our first vineyards were established we have been extremely thorough in ensuring all elements are right.
Our four vineyards have all been selected to ensure we can provide the ideal growing conditions for each variety.
We haven't rushed the release of our wines. We have waited for an optimum vine age so we can ensure top quality fruit.
The attention to detail carries through to the winemaking side, ensuring that our wines over deliver in quality across a number of different price points.