Thorn Clarke William Randell Shiraz
VINTAGE CONDITIONS 2008 was a very warm year with harvest being completed in a very short period. The resultant wines from the vintage reflect the growing conditions with loads of upfront fruit and rich mouthfeel, meaning wines from this vintage will have a great deal of aging potential as well.

WINEMAKING The grapes are crushed and de-stemmed into open fermenters. Yeast is added immediately and the grape must pumped over twice daily to maximise color, tannin and flavor extraction. Cooling is used to ensure ferment temperatures remain in the 22-25 degrees Celsius range, which allows the fruit to display maximum fruit expression. Pressing occurs approximately seven days after crushing and the wine is then put into French oak to complete fermentation. All small premium barrels remain separate to ensure the best blend is put together.

BARREL AGING 24 months 100% French oak, 100% new.

COMMENTS The colour is a deep inky purple. The nose is complex with a deep concentration of black fruits, liquorice and spicy chocolate oak. The palate is full bodied with typically intense Barossa Shiraz fruit. The fruit characters are blackberry and plum, with well balanced oak. Additionally the palate is dense and generous making it wonderfully mouth-filling and with some lovely grainy tannins, it suggests the wine will improve for the next 10 to 15 years. This wine has fantastic length of fruit and oak flavors.

CELLARING POTENTIAL 10 � 20 years.

Named in honor of a family descendant who built and captained paddle steamers on the River Murray last century, this wine can rightfully claim super-premium status. Excellent quality selection of Barossa fruit. Aging in American and French oak barrels.

"Dense, deep purple-crimson; an enormously concentrated and powerful Shiraz, with so much depth to its black fruits and accompanying tannins it is hard to visualise how long it will take to open up and mature, but the balance if there. Drink to 2030"
- James Halliday (Australian Wine Companion), 95 pts

"Ripe and broad, with a purity of spicy, coffee-accented berry and purple plum flavors that ride over a plush texture and linger on the rich but balanced finish. Best from 2012 through 2018. 1,000 cases made. �HS"
- Wine Spectator (October 15th 2011), 90 pts

"Inky ruby. Heady bouquet evokes raspberry and boysenberry preserves, cherry-vanilla and mocha, along with slow-building smokiness and an exotic note of fruitcake. Broad, fleshy and deep, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors that show liqueur-like depth but are given shape by a subtle spine of acidity. Finishes long and sappy, with soft tannins and strong blue fruit flavors. There's nothing shy about this wine, which comes in at 16% alcohol."
-International Wine Cellar, August 2011, 91 Points