Shotfire Ridge 2002 Quartage July 2003

Thorn Clark Shotfire Ridge 2002 Quartage July 2003

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot. The wine being so young is still very tight and will need a few years to show its best. Chocolate, smoky oak, hints of tomato leaf, black fruit and floral notes make up the bouquet.

Like all the labels form this winery, it’s well built and the balance has been judged perfectly. Tannins are drying and currently slightly dominate the fruit but there is more than enough fruit flavours stuffed into the bottle to ensure it will emerge with time and there is already a harmonious element to the wine, even at this youthful stage. This muscular weight wine has a sweet oak attack followed by black fruit with very savoury chocolate, almost to the point of being bitter but that just bodes well for the future. The gentle tobacco flavour lingers in the mouth for ages. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, all this wine needs is time and I would like to try it again in a few years.