Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The Clarke family farms 670 acres of vines in the Barossa and Eden valleys, which provide most of the fruit for its wines, including this blend from three vineyards. Shotfire isn’t particularly complex, but it’s satisfying and it hews to a classical profile of Barossa shiraz: With scents of baking spices against earthy red fruit, this feels markedly cool and brisk. Decant it for flank steak or sautéed calf’s liver with onions.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
The Barossa Zone encompasses the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. Some of the oldest vines in Australia can be found here.
Barossa Valley of course is the most important and famous wine growing region in all of Australia where 140+ year-old, dry-farmed Shiraz vines still produce inky, purple and dense juice for some of Australia's best wines.
In the cooler, wetter Eden Valley sub-region, the Hill of Grace vineyard is home to famous Shiraz vines from the 1800s but the region produces also some of Australia’s very best and age-worthy Rieslings.