I was more than happy with the state of the world when we headed away from Rockford, following the Scenic Heritage Drive, but the conditions didn’t favour sightseeing so Madam suggested I might like to visit another winery, which provided an opportunity to readmit Thorn-Clarke to the tasting schedule.
The winery, located east of Angaston, is slightly out of the way. As we pulled into the car park, I wondered, surveying the list of mining-related companies beside the door, whether we’d come to the right place, but once we’d been directed to the door on our left, it was obvious that we had.
The Thorn-Clarke core range ($15) comprised wines that were consistently excellent, starting with the 2007 Sandpiper Riesling, a cool-climate style made from Eden Valley fruit. The 2007 Sandpiper Pinot Gris was, predictably, in the French rather than the Italian style with strong pear flavours and the 2006 Sorriso Rose, a blend of Nebbiolo and Cabernet was a dry, easy-drinking style. Another one for a summer afternoon.
Of the core range reds 2007 Sandpiper Shiraz ticked all the right boxes, and 2007 Sandpiper Cabernet Sauvignon was an excellent easy-drinking wine, as was the 2005 Sandpiper The Blend (Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc).
Further up the price range in the premium wines, 2007 Shotfire Chardonnay ($20) was on the buttery side of the spectrum (the style I like), and 2007 Pinot Gris ($20) was surprisingly similar despite the fact it hadn’t had the malolactic fermentation that usually leads to those characters. Interesting.