At a time when the government was paying growers to pull vines in an attempt to curtail the oversupply of grapes, David Clarke was working against trend, testing soils and buying land, under car headlights to avoid local farmer suspicion, with the intention of establishing the finest Barossa vineyards. Thorn-Clarke Quartage is a complex yet seamless cepage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc provide wonderful upfront berry fruit characters, Malbec contributes suppleness, an eighth of Petit Verdot adds depth of flavour and intensity.

Thorn-Clarke are one of South Australia's great winegrowing dynasties, the best parcels of fruit are retained for their own label. A mostly Cabernet Sauvignon/ Franc wine, with smaller components of Malbec and Petit Verdot, grapes are crushed and destemmed into small fermenters. Yeast is added and the juices are pumped over twice daily to maximise colour, tannin and flavour extraction. Temperatures are controlled to ensure ferments remain at a cool 22C to 25C, encouraging maximum expression of fruit. Pressing occurs seven days after the crush, the wine is transferred into a selection of French oak hogsheads for racking and a year's maturation, before being assembled into the finished Quartage.