I went to a tasting of Australian wines yesterday, and while several were decent, one was outstanding: the 2008 Terra Barossa Cuvee by Thorn Clarke.
Thorn Clarke is better known for their Shotfire Ridge and William Randall Shiraz, wines that are commonly seen in Wine Spectator Highly Rated lists. Terra Barossa is their sub $20 offering, and the cuvee has a new blend for the 2008 vintage; Shiraz (55%), Cabernet Sauvignon (28%), and Petit Verdot (17%). This is the first time I've seen Petit Verdot in a Shiraz blend, or for that matter, anything from Australia.
The downside to the tasting is that I had to sample the wine from a small plastic cup, instead of a proper glass. Despite this, the nose was huge, with notes of cherry, blackberry, and a little tobacco. On the palate, it was very full bodied, with a little more brambly dark fruit, a little spice, and the tobacco still coming through on the finish. And speaking of finish, this one lasted for several minutes.
A great wine to drink on it's own, or with a hearty beef dish or a steak. At $15, this is by far the best valued wine I've had since starting this blog. I hesitate to give a rating when tasting at a tasting, but I feel sure that when I have this at home (and trust me, I'll have it again), it will easily score in the 90s on a 100 point scale.
Very highly recommended. In fact, buy two.
I recently had a bottle of this with some friends. I didn't take enough notes to give it a formal score, but I'm thinking that a 90-92 is reasonable. A really nice wine, that everybody enjoyed. If I can find more, I'll probably buy it up.
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