"Full-bodied and rich, this is a traditional style of Barossa Shiraz, aged in American oak hogsheads. Faint menthol or dill notes and plenty of vanilla frame plum and mulberry fruit, while hints of green peppercorn and maple syrup add interest to the long finish. Drink now–2030. - Joe Czewinski"
- Wine Enthusiast (April 2017), 93 pts
"Yes, the 100% new oak shows on this bad boy, but the fruit is so massively concentrated that I don't see it being a problem. The 2015 Ron Thorn Single Vineyard Shiraz is a full-bodied, plush wine, with loads of baking spices, vanilla, boysenberry and cola. Long and dusty on the finish, this should be a long-lived wine. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #238, August 31st 2018), 95 pts
"This big-boned Barossa Shiraz lets its premium nature be known inside and out, from the heavy bottle to the lashings of polished oak billowing over masses of dark-berry fruit. Mint, chocolate and vanilla are there too and while there's plenty of flash here, there's also a good deal to like. The palate gets even more serious when plush silky fruit is gripped by vice-like tannins. This rich wine is made for the long haul so don't touch it yet. Drink 2021–2034. CHRISTINA PICKARD"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 1st 2019), 91 pts & Cellar Selection
"The best of the 40 batches of grapes vinified in the vintage, from Block 7 of the St Kitts Vineyard. Matured for 20 months in 100% new American oak, which combines with the tannins to thickly coat the mouth. Needs many years to soften the overall impact of the wine."
- Halliday Wine Companion (August 2020), 94 pts
"From a cooler vintage with powerful blue and purple-fruit focus, forest wood and dark-toned earthy notes. Some plum, iodine and rust-like notes, too. There’s a fleshy feel to the palate with nicely contained blueberries and plums on offer. Plush and smooth tannins abound. Drink over the next decade. Screw cap."
- James Suckling (November 2021), 93 pts
"This bold Shiraz Ron Thorn Single Vineyard from the excellent 2018 vintage delivers an impressive density of youthful fruit - blackberry and blackcurrant with cumin and coriander seed complexity plus a solid dose of new oak. A robust tannic palate follows, displaying dense ripe fruit with layers of roasted meats and soy sauce complexity. Oak flavors and tannins frame the wine nicely, but it needs time to peak. - Angus Hughson"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2023), 93 pts
"A parcel selection treated to new French oak, this lives up to the wood with pure fruit and pitch-black Barossa tannins. Those tannins are mellow, with bitter rootvegetable savor, earthy against the blackcherry-skin and strawberry notes. There’s a meaty, spice-rub flavor in the tannins, a merging of the oak with fruit-skin phenolics and orange zest esters, all of which will emerge from the blackness with bottle age. - Joshua GREENE"
- Wine & Spirits Magazine (Spring 2024), 93 pts
