Thorn-Clarke, Shotfire Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Unattractive nose of burning rubber and wet garden. There is nothing flawed about this, it's just weird. Ripe and vegetal in nature. Not into it.

2006 vintage

Wonderful after decanting 90 minutes. Smooth tannins, wonderful spices and berries. Wish I had bought 6 more. A surprise from my celler. Paid 15.99 14 years ago and forgot about it.

2006 vintage

Initial aroma was off. However, wine had a full bodied flavor with plenty of jams. Day two aroma was fruit forward and remained elegant.88 or so.

2002 vintage

Opened and poured. Very dark and full bodied. A little tart and puckering, with black cherry and sour cherry notes. On day two, rounded out much nicer showing fuller bodied fruit, blackberry, dense blues and smoother tannins. Still holding and likely at peak in 3-5 years.

2006 vintage

Opened about 45 minutes before tasting. Very dark, almost opaque. HUGE black fruit on the nose and on the palate. Quite viscous. That, combined with the lingering big fruit, gave it a pretty bodacious finish. Not exactly complex or refined, but Cowabunga! Helluva value. Probably has years of useful life left in it.

2006 vintage

A few sips in I though it was OVER the HILL. Then, about 10 minutes later, it all started to come together. What do you expect for a wine that's been cooped up in a tiny bottle for all those years. Once it had stretched it's legs, all was good. Beautiful balance of fruit, earth, wood spice, amazing depth and nuance. Drink now, or within the next couple of years.

2002 vintage

Big and forward but also fresh and vibrant. Sleek blackberry fruit is prominent but this also shows the syrah side of shiraz with perfume and meat notes. For the style, it's well done and is a good value.

2006 vintage

My last bottle of these, and every one was a true pleasure to drink. Tasting notes have been consistent. So sad to see this one go. I don't know if this brand is still available on the market, but I'd have no issue purchasing more. A great value producer.

2002 vintage

Incredibly sweet out of the bottle. After 45 minutes, leveled off a bit. Hot on the nose with a hint of dental wax.

2006 vintage

Nice shiraz, still failrly fruity, tannis thoroughly softened by a decade in the bottle. Still full and rich, but with a fairly short finish. Easy to drink. At $30/btl from a private collection via K&L, a fair deal; hardly a sleeper.

2002 vintage

peppery. A good quaff

2006 vintage

Over-oaked even in Australian measures which took away from the wine.

2006 vintage

In the maldives, given that it is a muslim country, alcohol is taxed heavily. So wine tends to be very expensive and as in many touristy places ridiculously expensive for higher end wines. So I was happy to see this on the wine list especially with a bit of bottle age. Greatt power and classic barossa shiraz notes, great length and nice notes of herbs and red meat. Great value!

2006 vintage

Really very good for what it is, especially if you're an Australian Shiraz aficionado! Terroir and "big fruit" driven with noticeable rubber, smoke, dark berry, plum, and licorice aromas and flavors. Smooth and approachable. Still has plenty of "oomph" left and life left for the foreseeable future. Great QPR. I like it.

2006 vintage

Filtered into decanter. Tons of sediment. Wine is drinking so well right now, and I believe it still has a couple of years left. Mouth coating tannins on first drink. Would have thought there was sediment in the first drink but the filter caught it all. Plums, spice and a bit of brier. Great mid palate, lingering finish. Very, very nice.

2006 vintage

Big menthol and mint nose rises from the deep purple wine. Big fruit with nice spice on the palate. Showing its age but still strong. See more detail at http://maximumsatisfaction.tumblr.com/post/44639369713

2002 vintage

Really well balanced between the fruit, minerals, spice, and tannins. Paired great with a ribeye.

2006 vintage

Opened about an hour before drinking, but it still needed aeration. Big, assertive nose. Plenty of fruit (blueberries), but still very tannic. Big and bold, with a terrific finish. Terrific value with plenty of life left in it.

2006 vintage

Solid 90 points...no more, no less. My last bottle. Drinking this brought me back to 2004 when this wine was all the QPR rage. A bit muted on this night when first popped and poured, but really opened up after the first glass.

2002 vintage

Really enjoying these 'aged' Aussies. This one is so fruity, so smooth (like a baby's bottom). Very enjoyable. Perfect with lamb chops, creamed spinach and roasted red potatoes. Decanted (a bit of sediment). Bottle was gone, before I was ready to stop drinking it. :( Have one more of these. Not sure if I will drink it next summer or see how long these can last. At $25 bones, what a bargain wine!

2002 vintage

Outstanding wine. This has aged perfectly. Nose of charcoal, boysenberries, blueberries, cassis and floral notes. The palate is smooth but full of flavors. Medium finish and a touch of spice. Drink now.

2002 vintage

The last bottle and how we will miss it!

2002 vintage

Drinking beautifully. Enjoy!

2006 vintage

Poured through the Venturi and let breathe in the decanter for about 4 hours. Drank about half a glass with a pan roasted pork chop with which this paired nicely. However, the wine really revealed itself afterwards. Dark, rich black fruits and finely integrated tannins come together to make an interestingly complex wine.

2006 vintage

Showing its age with great earthy notes. Very tasty.

2002 vintage

30-45 minutes of air. Lots of black fruit and some heat.

2006 vintage

Integrated, smooth, flavorful, in check and reasonably complex. Blackberry and plum fruit with hints of chocolate and coffee. The oak is just about right. Great wine for Saturday night football.

2006 vintage

Brought to a 4th of July party...consumed with hamburgers, slaw, beans, potato salad. Enjoyed by all. Still in it's prime drinking window. A big wine, but very smooth, lots of plum and blueberry, hints of wood, still some tannins. No heat, good finish. Drink now and over next 2-3 years.

2002 vintage

Very impressive for $22! Thick, dark and full bodied. Typical Barossa style with initial nose of smoke and rubber which after a short time in the glass yields to dark berries, chocolate, plum, and licorice. Nicely balanced with very mild tannins and a great deal of balance and dark fruit. I'm not a big fan of Australian Shiraz as they are over the top fruit bombs...this could pass for a high quality California Sonoma or Central Coast Syrah. Very nicely …

2006 vintage

Better than ever before

2006 vintage

I was very impressed with this deep dakr, medium body Shiraz. Big nose, great fruit on the palate with well iintegrated tannins, complexity and depth. Best QPR in my cellar.

2006 vintage

Absolutely Exceelent. Sole regret is that I opened it on a casual tuesday night. It's a keeper for a special occassion.

2006 vintage

Drink now...before its too late

2002 vintage

Patience has paid off on this one. Two years of laying on the cellar shelf has allowed it to really balance out and show a little more complexity and finesse than it did when young. Previous comments about medium body and integrated tannins are right on. Still has plenty of red and blue fruit aromas and flavors. Drink within the next six months to a year. Paired nicely with hickory smoked pork tenderloin and maharaja curried brown rice.

2006 vintage

Light tannins, nice nose and flaver, went well with pizza.

2006 vintage

PnP - consistent with previous notes.

2006 vintage

Dense, but too jammy, needs bit more acid to balance the fruit. Light tannin consider 16 months in oak.

2006 vintage

Well, I took this out of the cellar in a hurry this morning at 6am as I had to get a flight to London... I wanted to get an easy drinking wine tonight and took out a Auzzie Shiraz and I realized only now as I'm online and checked the rating that this is rated 94 points by Parker.

2002 vintage

Still a dark red purple, this smells of a veritable syrup of black olives. Thick and low acid with moderate to high extraction. This low budget number keeps ticking along in the cellar.

2002 vintage

Heavy aromas of eucalyptus and mint, with black fruits. Very soft palate with almost no tannins left. This one is past it's prime. Not by much, but drink now.

2002 vintage

i last had this 3 and half years ago- and now it seems all grown up. It really has turned somewhat elegant (by Aussie standards), full bodied, great balance, spicy blackberry liqueur with alot going on. i believe this was $13.99 from the market and probably one of the best sub $15 wines i've had. delicious. kind of a jelly doughnut with structure and balance.

2002 vintage

Decanted and poured immediately. Drank over 3 hours. The nose on this baby filled the whole room....sweet and smokey plum aromas. Full bodied, yet very elegant for a Barossa shiraz. Good balance and structure. Blackberry, plum and earth on the palate - finishing with some spice and vanilla. Addictive. Drink now - 2012.

2002 vintage

Great PQR. This has matured nicely, fruit toned down, more complexity, still blueberries, but now new leather, smoke and lots of pepper. Tannins present, but soft and integrated. Decently long finish. This tasting surprised me...very different from previous bottle of a few years ago.

2002 vintage

This was one of those bottles when it was empty I wanted to hold up to the light to shake upside down to see if there was perhaps even a drop left, it was that good. Rich, blackberry, earth, vanilla, eucalyptus. I am learning that aging a good Shiraz helps defuse the fruit/alcohol bomb and turn it into something of elegance.

2002 vintage

similar to last tasting.

2002 vintage

better than last bottle with more dark smoky fruit on the palate with chocolate and loads of blueberry. Nice mineral finish on the back end. Really shining tonight.

2002 vintage

Wood dominates the palate; dense, green wood where I was expecting sweet fruit. Perhaps an off bottle? In any case, not very impressive.

2002 vintage

Plump, jammy blueberries! Black as ink. Bottle really opened up after 2 hours. Very impressed!

2002 vintage

Showing nicely on the second day-no tasting note the first day. Violets, pepper, and blackberry on the nose--and the palate is nicely balanced with coffee and blackberry dominating.

2002 vintage

Dark purple - vibrant, fruity nose of blueberries, chocolate and tar. Initial attack of fruit - followed by nice spice and minerality on the midpalate. Oak is noticable on the finish. Very nice mouthfeel. A fine wine that could go a few more years. Disclaimer: This isn't my typical style of wine - but it is well made - and went well with football and tailgate food.

2002 vintage

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Thorn-Clarke, Shotfire Shiraz, Barossa Valley

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