Description

Sandpiper Riesling comes off the cool, high-altitude vineyard in the Eden Valley. It is elegant, lifted, and citric. Stoney notes, a bit floral. The palate is lean, fleshy mandarin and candied lime. The acid is intense. I’d drink the Sandpiper Riesling young and fresh. It’d be great with a seafood pasta.

[box]Thorn Clarke Sandpiper Riesling Eden Valley 2020 and all wines are eligible for at least 5% off any six bottles. And 10% off any 12 bottles. Some wines will be at a more significant discount and not subject to further discounts.[/box]

You can trace both the Thorn and Clarke family well back into the history of the Barossa. It has only been since 2001 that they have released wine under their united family name. I remember tasting them and was suitably impressed and am happy to see they are still producing lovely wines 18 years late. Thorn Clarke has 270 hectares of vineyard spread across four sites in the Barossa and Eden Valley. This includes the Thorn family’s ‘Clifton’ property just outside of Angaston, which goes back to 1854.

Thorn Clarke Sandpiper Riesling Eden Valley 2020 Wine Review

HUON HOOKE
The Real Review, 10 September 2020
91 Points
“Pale colour. Delicate, restrained and high-toned, jasmine like aromas, fresh and youthful. The wine is delicate yet intense, refined and piercing, with dryness and acid crispness, nicely balanced. A little time in bottle would pay dividends.”

Eden Valley

Perched high above the Barossa, the Eden Valley gives a cooler and longer season compared to the Barossa and therefore makes more elegant and aromatic wines. Blending between the two regions is quite common to get the best of both worlds. Shiraz and Riesling excel in the Eden Valley.

Riesling

One of the world’s most noble varieties and known transmitter of terroir. Riesling is an important variety of quality wine production. Although it only makes up approximately 4% of the planted area. Find superb Riesling in Germany, Austria, Alsace and Australia. They can be as dry as any wine you’ll taste or super sweet and luscious. See more about Riesling here.

Australian Wine

The invasion of “Sunshine in a bottle” put Australian wine on the map.  The fruity, easy-going, somewhat samey wines were endearing for a short time. Then the next big thing knocked them off their perch.

This forced producers to increase quality and emphasise the distinctive terroirs of Australia. Of which, there are many. And many more yet to be discovered.

Wine

Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.

The wine grape is impressive. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.

Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.

The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.

White Wine

It is interesting to know that you can make white wine from almost any grape. The colour comes from the skins, and if there is no contact, there is no colour. White wines tend to be delicate, perfumed, higher in acid and lower in alcohol. It seems for this and many other reasons, it is hard to make an incredibly impressive white wine. But those that have mastered the art are indeed some of the best winemakers in the world.

It is a falsehood to think that white wine does not age as well as red wine. But it is correct that white wine, as a rule, doesn’t age for as long.