2023 Wines by KT 5452 Shiraz, Clare Valley

Dark, dense colour; reserved aromas of toasty oak, cocoa powder and dark chocolate. The wine is massive in the mouth: full bodied and dense, concentrated and chewy, with plenty of potential for the future but not ready to enjoy just yet unless paired with very hearty protein. Impressive wine of real potential. Drink 2027 to 2041

94 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, October 2025

The 2023 5452 by KT Clare Valley Shiraz leads with licorice and mint, blackberry, mulberry and cherry. The palate is silky and fine, and the tannins are polished. The wine closes with an earthy, gravelly texture. It's very good. Drink to 2033.

92 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, August 2026

Kerri Thompson has lived and made wine in Clare Valley since 1998. Wines by KT is her own label, established after nearly two decades making wine across Australian and European wine regions.

Her wines have become much-loved among sommeliers for the precision, personality and genuine sense of place they consistently deliver. The 5452 is the postcode of Watervale and is a quiet tribute to the township and the growers whose dry-grown, organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards are at the heart of everything Kerri makes.

The Shiraz is sourced from vineyards across the Clare Valley including parcels from vines planted in the 1970s. Fruit is mostly hand-picked and wild fermented on skins with gentle hand plunging, then basket pressed and matured in predominantly well-seasoned French oak barriques. This ensures oak remains a structural and textural component only and allows the fruit to define the wine.

The 2023 is deep and concentrated Clare red. Dark, and a touch reserved on the nose initially, with cocoa powder, dark chocolate and toasty oak slowly giving way to depth and complexity. The palate is full-bodied, dense and structured, with firm tannins and a long finish that speaks of considerable future potential.

This would be nice wine with a slow-cooked Middle Eastern lamb with saffron and dried fruit — aromatic and complex, something to share among friends during the weekend.

Drink over the next ten years.