Meet the family ...

Family Story - Terry

We have a number of vineyards in the Clare Valley and Riverland regions of South Australia, and are well regarded for the care with which we treat our land and our vines.  We simply make the wines we like to drink with our customers, our family and friends.

The story of Thomson Estate dates back to 1838 when Walter and Jane Thomson sailed from Britain to the new colony of South Australia to start a new life as farmers and winegrowers. They are widely seen as having been pioneers of the emergent wine industry, and we still grow fruit in their corner of renowned Riverland region.

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Conservation

Conservation - BrendaPark Baby Cormorants 1
Conservation - BrendaPark Baby Cormorants 2 Conservation - BrendaPark Baby Cormorants 3 Conservation - BrendaPark Nests

The family behind Thomson Estate are heavily involved in caring for the environment, and our work in Wetlands conservation in the Riverland region is highly regarded. We continually strive to work to the best interests of our environment, and our vines. A healthy environment, with minimal intervention leads to happy and healthy vines, and the best quality wines.

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Food & Wine Matching

Contributed by the family.

"These are the foods we match at home to our wines..."

Tuscan minestrone.
Back Blocks Sangiovese 2009

Thomson Estate Back Blocks Sangiovese

Rabbit pithivier with creamy mash.
Lookout Ridge Chardonnay 2010

Thomson Estate Lookout Ridge Chardonnay

Charred venison on pecorino polenta.
Old Pumphouse Shiraz 2010

Thomson Estate Old Pumphouse Shiraz

Rare roast beef salad with beetroot and goat's curd.
Bin Reserve SGM 2011

Thomson Estate Bin Reserve SGM
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Our Wines

Label - Antiquarian
Thomson Estate - Antiquarian

An Antiquarian is a person who deals with or collects rare and ancient books – a name befitting the quality of this rare and exclusive wine. The Antiquarian is our most prized possession in the Thomson Estate range.

Only made in the best years, we annexe a parcel of fruit, and treat it with the utmost care. It goes into the finest barrels for at least two years, before being released. In general we make only 100-200 dozen of this wine.

Tasting Notes
Label - Back Blocks
Thomson Estate - Overland Shiraz Thomson Estate - Back Blocks Riesling Thomson Estate - Back Blocks Sangiovese Thomson Estate - Back Blocks Cabernet Sauvignon Thomson Estate - Back Blocks Shiraz

The Thomson Estate Back Blocks are the vineyard blocks annexed by our viticulturalist once he saw the quality of fruit produced on these particular sites. The fruit was harvested separately, treated with great care, and ultimately destined for our new Back Blocks range.

All wines from our Back Blocks range come from the home properties at the Northern end of the Clare Valley. The area is blessed with an ideal climate and soil structure for the growing of premium grapes, and with vines over forty years of age, we are consistently rewarded with exceptional quality fruit.

Tasting Notes
Label - Bin Reserve SGM
Thomson Estate - Bin Reserve SGM

This Australian version of a Rhone blend is a designed to be a prime example of the quality of our vineyards and our wines. The care on our land and in the winery is reflected in this wine - a premium red blend from Australia’s premier wine producing regions. A homage to the pioneering Thomson family, we are proud to present this wine to our customers.

Tasting Notes
Label - Landmark
Thomson Estate - Lookout Ridge Chardonnay Thomson Estate - Toolunka Flat Cabernet Sauvignon Thomson Estate - Old Pumphouse Shiraz

Our Landmark series are each named for noted sites around our Riverland properties. They are each key sites, and readily identifiable to those in the region.

These wines are the premium expression of the quality for which the Riverland is known. We crop low, and ensure the purity of fruit going into each of the wines. Designed as approachable, smart wines, the Landmark Series reflects the premium sites in our Riverland family vineyards.

Tasting Notes

Feature

Bin Reserve SGM

We are proud to announce the European launch of our Bin Reserve Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2011.

This wine is our Australian interpretation of a Rhone style, with layers of complexity lightened by the exceptionally smooth palate. With a lingering finish, and evoking our older vineyards, we welcome this wine to the European market.

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Our Ethos

Packaging our premium Bin Reserve wines in a cask for Europe – and packaging them in Europe – has allowed us to massively reduce our carbon footprint.

As a family, we spend considerable time working to rehabilitate the Brenda Park Wetlands Conservation facility adjacent to our vineyards. This packaging option has allowed us to continue the sustainable ethos of our company and minimise the impact of shipping glass around the world.

Our casks are lightweight, and require much less water in their manufacture than glass bottles demand. Our Swedish partners also work at reducing their own carbon footprint to minimal levels. Simply? We love to share our wines with the world, and we are continuing to work on innovative production, packaging and shipping options, with no sacrifice to the superb quality of our wines.

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Winemaker's Notes

Winemaker's Notes - Blending trials Phil, Tom and Danny

Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre are natural blending partners as winemakers in many parts of the world have discovered. Utilising some of the best vineyards in South Australia Thomson Estate Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre is truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

Take several parts of deeply coloured, ripe, fruity Shiraz and complement it with rather smaller portions of lusciously smooth Grenache and smoky, spicy Mourvedre. The final wine is bright garnet in colour, rounded and smooth on the palate with damson, black cherry and cracked pepper spice with just a hint of toasty oak.

Phil Reedman MW

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World Class

Thomson Estate Awards

Thomson Estate Clare Valley Shiraz 2009

Huon Hooke, Gourmet Traveller Wine April May 2011

Top 100 New Releases: 90 points, four stars

A big, super-ripe Clare shiraz which narrowly avoids jamminess, but comes down on the side of succulent blackberry fruit and baroque opulence. The structure is provided by an ample supply of firm tannins. Big, gutsy and cellar-worthy. (10 years)

Campbell Mattinson

Wine Front Feb 2011: 91 points

Last year's release of Thomson Estate shiraz was a smashing bargain.

And this release is pretty good too. It's stuffed with blackberried, cranberried fruit flavour and while there's a bit of bottle stink, an hour or more in the decanter brings forward delicious highlights of woodsmoke and mint and walnuts. It feels plush on your tongue and while it's hardly sophisticated, it's rich and satisfying and very easy to like. Once again the value rating is high.

Blue Gold – Sydney International Wine Show

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