Thorn-Clarke, William Randell Shiraz, Barossa

Similar notes from 11/20, decanted one hour, paired with rack of lamb.

2005 vintage

Decanted for sediment which was lite, wow it has been 7 years since I last opened a bottle of 05 Bill Randell, amazing rich and concentrated amounts of dark fruit, blackberry, currants, cherries, hints of boysenberry and blueberry, sudble notes of chocolate, coffee and black pepper, two more bottles left and I feel no urgency to consume.

2005 vintage

The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow.

2005 vintage

Wet leaves oak and black fruit on the nose, front of mouth emphasis with restrained fruit, acid and medium finish served with Chinese pepper steak and stir fried brocoll. Great body and layered to offset bright food flavors. Finished with milk chocolate.

2005 vintage

I shared this with good friends at a dinner in Walla Walla for the celebrate Syrah weekend. So far, this was the best one we've tasted. Absolutely smooth, gentle tannins, solid structure and balance

2005 vintage

Did not age well - fruity but one dimensional and flat

2002 vintage

Rich and balanced but somewhat of a fruit bomb.

2002 vintage

Fruit forward and soft tannins went perfectly with grilled lamb chops.

2005 vintage

Raisiny and smoke aromas after opening for 1/2 hour, mellowed considerably after about an hour.

2005 vintage

This was not a subtle wine. There were obvious notes of tomatoes and reduced, almost syrupy, red fruit. Hints of leather and cola, along with some fine tannins, did provide just a bit of balance.

2002 vintage

Tasted during a Wine Advocat event - A matter of taste. Dark blackish crimson. Nose of scorched earth with some burnt rubber and dark fruit. Full bodied and rather hot on the palate.

2002 vintage

This bottle was hitting on all cylinders. Great aroma (dark fruit and eucalyptus ), mouth full of tannins and structure with a long finish.

2001 vintage

Decanted 2hrs, strong pronounced nose of blackberries, plums and smoke. Excellent balance on the palate, blackberries, blueberries, hints of pepper, vanilla and earth.

2005 vintage

Wonderful wine. Nose is blackberry,vanilla, hint of pepper, hint of cedar. Med body with subtle but nice finish. Went very well with spaghetti with marinara meat sauce. I'm not sure I would hold, drinking great now.

2005 vintage

Nose of wood crated boysenberry. High end lady's hand lotion, pepper, wooden ships, hemp, this stuff just keeps on going. So many subtleties to this wine. Outstanding!

2005 vintage

Scents of blackberries, licorice, and pipe tobacco. Tastes of dark berries, pepper, vanilla, and Chambord. Some hints of chocolate on the finnish. Great wine -- I'm glad we waited to open it until now.

2005 vintage

Good fruit structure with relaxed tannins as a solid back-up. No way one couldn't mistake this for anything but shiraz from oz, especially with the linear blackberry and vanilla components from the still very fresh oak.

2005 vintage

Unbelievably tasty shiraz...perfect in every way...a steal at 31.50...(I got the last bottle in the store)

2005 vintage

Opened and decanted for about 30 minutes. Classic flavours of Australian Shiraz. Nose was a little muted, as was the taste of the wine. I think it needs more time in bottle to come together, or is already starting to fade. I was really hoping this would blow me away - it didn't. 91 points

2005 vintage

Consistent with prior notes, this wine is showing well - fruit in its prime, some peppery spice, some oak to round out the package. A nice pickup if you can get it for about $35; would compete well with a lot of California syrah with the dark fruits/oaky vanilla profile. 92-93.

2005 vintage

After I picked out the cedar sliver from out of my teeth, I began to appreciate the plum, blueberry, cinnamon finish with sweet tannins.

2002 vintage

Decanted 2hrs, served with leg of lamb, blackberry, black licorice nose, very rich on the palate with blackberry, pepper, chocolate and creamy vanilla. Very long smooth finish.

2005 vintage

Consistent with prior notes. Cigar box and cedar chest aromas; cherries, cocoa and ripe berry flavors; ripe and rich, yet integrating well. Too bad this was the last bottle

2005 vintage

From my case, all the positive comments intrigued so much that I finally grabbed one. Decanted 1 hour. First, looking forward to the next 11 over the next decade or so. Very nice, blackberry on the nose, complexity, long lasting after taste, young, strong tannins but not overpowering. Noticable oak but, just enough for me. Had with london broil and made the meal. One of the better Shiraz I have had in a while.

2005 vintage

A big and boisterous shiraz, that's actually settling down nicely for being about three years in bottle. Going through the checklist, a overabundance of new oak (check) rich and lively boysenberry and chocolate blueberry cola fruits (check) a nice velvety tannin undertone (check) and the role-player that is the two dimensional shiraz (check). But it must be noted, and with all due respect, that for a syrah based wine from this appellation (barossa please) it does a good job of …

2005 vintage

Consistent with prior bottles although cigar box aromas and flavors seeme to have worked their way in; kirsh cherries, berry jams still there; full body, tannins have integrated even more nicely; sorry to have only one bottle left

2005 vintage

Impressively integrated plum, cinnamon, (nicely resolved) oak. Still youthful but not cloying fruit. Would never be mistaken for Rhône but it's not an OTT caricature of an Ozzie Shiraz. It's a (non-fatiguing) pleasure to drink

2002 vintage

BBQ'ing with Brian, Karen, Ken and Kelly (The Scotts (Landenberg, PA)) : This really through me for a loop. Lots of coffee, toffee, dark chocolate on the nose. I also thought I smelled corn husk and vanilla. I had no idea what to guess this was and only ventured to say south american. Very interesting and fun.

2005 vintage

One of the better Shiraz's I've had recently. Strong cherry and cocoa flavors without the overpowering white pepper that many have. Would highly recommend.

2005 vintage

decanted for 1 hour, then drank overt next 2 hours; very consistent with last bottle; started out with lush kirsh cherries, with powedered cocoa; evolved into dark berry jam and mulling spices; ended with dark and bittersweet chocolate; full body, tannin smoothed out nicely with the decant; definitely starting to hit it's stride

2005 vintage

Seems to have resolved nicely. Fruit is still very rich, nose and finish slightly "boozy", but excellent QPR for the $16 that I paid.

2001 vintage

kirsch cherries, cocoa, toated spices, slight smokiness; alcohol subsiding nicely; had with lamb burgers

2005 vintage

Dark purple that showed a little puce when poured. Brooding red and blueberry nose underpinned with allspice and, wait for it, a hint of hot summer sidewalk concrete. sweetish blackberry entry, immediately followed by citrus middle, followed by an underpinning of lingering nutmeg and cinnamon spiced blackberry. Fruity but not cloying. Very much in its infancy. Impressive effort.

2002 vintage

Quite appealing nose and very good dark fruit apparent after 1 hr decant.

2005 vintage

Deep garnet, black. Inky, but there is garnet as opposed to purple. Ripe plum, vanilla and cumin on the nose. Big, but fairly balanced, there is some structure lurking in the back ground. Nevertheless, this is a wine of power over finesse. Finish is not the best. (87)

2002 vintage

Deep garnet – opaque at center. Blueberry and wild nettles frame a creamy and substantial nose. There is also a bit of Christmas spice – interesting, almost like walking into a candle shop around the holidays. Full, but not heavy on the palate. Distinct red plum fruit – there is a little bit of pit with the fruit. There isn’t a lot of complexity and I think this should be drunk now to preserve the fruit as there isn’t much …

2002 vintage

Wine had traveled around the sides of the cork but it did not taste spoiled. None the less its nose was muted with hints of orange, berries and spice with a pepper taste and short finish. I would have given it an 83 but given the issue with the cork I will defer untill I can get another sample. I doubt I will as I bought it a few years back

2002 vintage

The fruit is a little too pronounced for me. Maybe a little too much oak as well ? I wonder if a few more years won't turn this into a very good bottle of wine.

2001 vintage

This has gotten better with the cellar time. Smooth, seductive flavors. Not overpowering, but very elegant and smooth. Berries and a touch of mint, it's smooth but still has power and depth.

2001 vintage

An enjoyable shiraz but not a lot of bang for the buck. I will take the shotfire over this anyday and save $25.

2002 vintage

Deep purple/black – dark color. Ripe, yet complex nose that has liquid plum, toasty oak/sawdust, black cherry and earth nuances (the mint mentioned in a previous tasting note is there!). Very new world, but interesting – it is starting to get some secondary depth and complexity. For some reason, this is appealing to me – not my normal zone. The palate is medium to full bodied. There is a wonderful explosion of fruit that hints at the over the top …

2002 vintage

Lots of chocolate, sweet berries and mint on the nose. Same flavors echo on the palate along with a creaminess and smooth tannins.

2001 vintage

Always an enjoyable bottle. Have left a previous note. Color is dark purple to the rim. Nose of dark fruits and mint...a hint of bouillon. Palate again shows dark fruit, mint and a touch of cassis. Finish is nicely structured with acidity and mild tannins. An excellent shiraz and very agreeable.

2002 vintage

Very nice Shiraz. Have had this 3 times now with consistent tasting notes. Blackberry, spice, and eucalyptus/mint on the nose. The palate reveals an attack of fruit, but finishes with a nice structure of acidity and tannin and also, again, a touch of mint. Not a shrinking violet, but not an unstructured fruit bomb either.

2002 vintage

I paid 33$ at the Alberta Super-store, this was available for 50$ here recently I have also enjoyed the '01 at a very similar profile as the 2002. Blackberries, blueberries, black licorice and pepper spice and leaf on the nose. Deep and concentrated with fruit, melted milk chocolate silky tannins, easy drinking but structurally sound with tannin on the finish. Nice lifted cocoa and smoke, almost edible in concentration. A MUST buy for Aussie Shiraz fiends, and anyone traveling to …

2002 vintage

Tasted at the Vintage Wines, Ltd. wine bar. Bright disc. Opaque black/purple robe with purple rim. Clean nose, with moderately intense aromas of blackberries, chocolate, ripe plums, vanilla and American oak. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, big ripe tannins and similar flavors as for the nose, bringing a sense of sweetness which is likely due to the alcohol/glycerin but may be due to some residual sugar. Medium, slightly hot finish. Although pleasant, this is not an Aussie Shiraz …

2001 vintage

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Thorn-Clarke, William Randell Shiraz, Barossa

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