This is Merlot with a little more guts, which is sometimes unusual in Aussie Merlot terms. Driven by dark plum and dark berries, the style here is medium-bodied, savoury and yet generous, with a dash of black olive and dark earth amongst the dark fruit.

In truth, David & Cheryl Clark were never meant to be winemakers. Founder David was a mining geologist, and although Cheryl comes from a multi-generational Barossa grapegrowing family, they didn't set about to make wine when they first bought a plot near Tanunda in 1987. They did plant vines, however, and with the help of Cheryl's family, garnered a reputation for their grapes that were ultimately sold off to neighbouring properties. That is, until 1998, when they decided to take the plunge and start making wine for themselves, tapping into the family knowledge to start Thorn-Clarke wines with a few cases of Shiraz to start with. These days, the property now spans 240 hectares of vines across the length of the Barossa, with most of the grapes sold to other winemakers, making the Clarks one of the larger independent growers in the Barossa.