Charles Melton Domaine Sophie Claire Riesling 2023

Making hand-crafted, small-batch wines from the Barossa and Eden Valleys, Domaine Sophie Claire is the tiny cellar-door-only brand of Thorn-Clarke Assistant Winemaker Sophie Melton. The compact range comprises a riesling, rosé and red sourced from estate and longstanding grower suppliers of her father, Barossa identity Charles Melton, in whose winery she makes her wines. ‘They run parallel to Dad’s wines, with the intent to offer a different style perspective and in the case of the riesling, a different colour!’ she explains. ‘The exciting part of the future for me is that it will allow us to build a generational change bridge, respecting the recognisable styles that Dad has developed so painstakingly over the last 35 years, but allowing me to experiment and find my own voice within what we intend (and hope!) will become a multigenerational small fine wine domaine.’ (TS) -JAMES HALLIDAY