Sandpiper Merlot
$1499each
$179DOZEN
WineryThorn Clarke
Fruit Merlot
Regions Barossa
  South Australia
Each $14.99
$179.00
Currently out of stock
The award winning Thorn Clark winemaking team are always excited to see the freshly picked harvests of Merlot brought to their wineworks. Barossa makes outstanding Merlot wines and Thorn Clark retain the finest vineyards. Sandpiper is named after the migratory bird which visits the Thorn-Clarke's property every year from the northern hemisphere. A succession of inspiring vintage releases have claimed impressive accolades on the national wine show circuit.
Thorn-Clarke are one of the largest Barossa growers with over twenty hectares of Merlot vines. Most of the crop is destined for other wineries, but the best fruit is retained for the estate's own label, an indication of the quality of their wines. Merlot grapes are crushed and destemmed into fermenters. Yeast is added immediately and the ferments are pumped over twice daily to maximise colour, tannin and flavour extraction. Fermentations are maintained at controlled temperatures of 22C to 25C thereby maximising fruit expression. Pressing occurs about a week after the crush, components are then filled into a mix of tight grain French and American oak to mature for a year.
TASTING NOTES
Medium red in colour. Lifted nose of clean ripe blackcurrant fruit with nuances of liquorice and spice, chocolates and mint. Medium weight but full bodied palate with an abundance of rich, sweet fruit. Blueberry, raspberry and chocolate pudding fill the mouth with complexity and depth. Balanced and integrated, the mid weight tannins providing length.
Wines by Thorn Clarke
About Thorn Clarke Winery
The Thorn-Clarke family has a long history in the Barossa, six generations of involvement in the region's world famous wine industry
The Barossa Valley was settled in the early 1840s by small farmers and artisans seeking religious freedom from their native Silesia. The warm, fertile valley was ideal for ripening winegrapes and Australia's largest wineries made their headquarters amongst the vineyards. In the cooler ranges above the Barossa, known as Eden Valley, English settlers created large pastoral runs for sheep and cattle, but also planted vineyards to ensure a supply of table wine. Thorn Clarke»