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This evening we were privileged to enjoy
wines with Mr. Sam Clarke from the Thorn-Clarke winery.  Sam
gave us some background into the history of the winery, and insider
info on the different wines we were tasting, and other anecdotes
through the evening. The first wine, our only white wine of the
evening, was the 2003 Terra Barossa Eden
Valley Pinot Gris. This wine was light lemon in colour.
The aromas were of green fruits and citrus. This wine spent 3-4
months on it's lees to add complexity to the wine. It had low
acidity and a medium finish. An enjoyable Pinot Gris.
Our first red wine this evening was the 2003
Terra Barossa Shiraz. This wine was deep red in colour.
It had aromas of vanilla and ecalyptus. There were strong tannins.
There was nice spice and black cherry flavours. This wine went
well with the lamb chops. Our next wine was the 2003
Terra Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a deep purple
colour. It had a very intense aromas of sausage, smokiness, menthol
and cherries. The wine had good tannins with some sweetness. This
wine went well with the lamb chops also. The last of the "Terra
Barossa" entry level wines was the 2003 Terra Barossa
Cuvee, a blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, and mourvedre.
This wine was black-purple coloured. There was some swee candy,
oak, and dark fruit aromas. The wine was very intense on the palate.
There was some sweetness, a round mouth feel, and not overpowering
tannins. It had a nice long finish.
 One
step up in the portfolio is the Shotfire Ridge line. The labels
of these bottles show geologist's field tools. Sam's father was
a geologist at one time and shotfire is the name of the person
that sets charges, I believe... The first wine was the 2003
Shotfire Ridge Shiraz. This wine was deeply coloured, purple.
It had caramel, vanilla, chocolate and cherry aromas. There was
a big mouthfeel to this wine. The tannins were not overpowering.
There was some sweetness. This wine went very well with the beef
satay. The next wine was the 2003 Shotfire Ridge Quratage.
It was a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet
Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. This wine was red in colour. There
wee many aromas, such as cedar, coffee, dark fruit and violet
(which I think is from the Petit Verdot). This wine was spicy
and had flavours of blackberries and cherries, with some sweetness.
The tannins were not too strong. it was a well integrated wine.
The Quartage went well with the lamb chops and the beef satay.
Our last wine of the evening was a top level wine in their portfolio,
the 2002 William Randall Shiraz.
This wine was dark purple in colour. It had dusty, cedar, chocolate
and dark fruit aromas. The wine was very smooth with a good mouth
feel and long length. There were flavours of cherries and blackberries.
After the wine stayed in the glass for a while, one could also
taste chocolate. Overall a top quality wine.
 Tasting
Selection
Our
favourite red wines were:
1) 2002 William Randall Shiraz
2) 2003
Shotfire Ridge Shiraz
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