Thistledown is among the "new guard" of Australian wine, out to show that they can deliver the country's delicious signature ripeness without sacrificing balance and clarity of aromas. These wines are bold and expressive, like the labels that adorn them! We've got a couple new arrivals that show off some deliciously distinctive sides to Grenache, reinforcing Southern Australia's McLaren Vale as a modern classic region for the variety!
Founders Giles Cooke, MWand Fergal Tynan, MW started Thistledown in 2010, having met years earlier in their Master of Wine (MW) program. With their deep understanding of wines from around the world, and being fans of the expressive old-vine Garnachas of Spain, they looked to make "pure and precise" Grenache from the old, sandy-soiled vineyards of McLaren Vale. Here, you find a relative vibrancy and firmness countering the variety's typical mouth-filling, weighty ripe fruit, making these dangerously drinkable. Australian wine great, James Halliday, wrote that "Grenache is McLaren Vale's secret weapon - not merely Australia's best, but every bit as good as that of the Rhône Valley." Enveloping and supple, citrusy & savory, fragrantly peppery, mineral & wild, with the mandatory core of bright, sweet-smelling red fruits...but these are no Chateauneuf wannabes, but distinctively McLaren Vale Grenache!
Following classic Grenache farming, Thistledown sources from old, unirrigated vineyards where the vines are trained to grow like bushes. Following classic winemaking tradition, their fermentations occur spontaneously by the ambient yeasts, and they include some whole clusters, which contributes a peppery herbaceous spice as well as that aromatic pop of fruit that gives the wine more life. To preserve the integrity of the wines, they don't undergo fining (so they're also vegan friendly). They are a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.
JAMES SUCKLING 94 POINTS - "The 2022 vintage was a Euro-styled year of poise with plenty of fruit weight and immense freshness... Savory. I'll take that over obvious sweetness any day... A sub-regional blend limited to old, dry-grown bush vines. Varying degrees of whole bunches. A number of picking windows, too, to embellish freshness and enough weight. Ambient fermentation. One would be hard-pressed to find a better wine than this for the price. Kirsch, ume, cranberry, bergamot... pixelated tannin, sandy of feel, directing length. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - Ned Goodwin MW
WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "This is a super little wine. The 2022 Thorny Devil Grenache is spicy, supple and shaped, as all the Thistledown Grenaches are, by ductile, flowing tannins in the mouth. This has shape and form, but it is also a plump, cushioned little number that gives all manner of pleasure. It's a generous, smiling little thing, delicious. There are notes of blood, raspberry, red licorice and ferrous. It is sapid as all get up. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."
Founders Giles Cooke, MWand Fergal Tynan, MW started Thistledown in 2010, having met years earlier in their Master of Wine (MW) program. With their deep understanding of wines from around the world, and being fans of the expressive old-vine Garnachas of Spain, they looked to make "pure and precise" Grenache from the old, sandy-soiled vineyards of McLaren Vale. Here, you find a relative vibrancy and firmness countering the variety's typical mouth-filling, weighty ripe fruit, making these dangerously drinkable. Australian wine great, James Halliday, wrote that "Grenache is McLaren Vale's secret weapon - not merely Australia's best, but every bit as good as that of the Rhône Valley." Enveloping and supple, citrusy & savory, fragrantly peppery, mineral & wild, with the mandatory core of bright, sweet-smelling red fruits...but these are no Chateauneuf wannabes, but distinctively McLaren Vale Grenache!
Following classic Grenache farming, Thistledown sources from old, unirrigated vineyards where the vines are trained to grow like bushes. Following classic winemaking tradition, their fermentations occur spontaneously by the ambient yeasts, and they include some whole clusters, which contributes a peppery herbaceous spice as well as that aromatic pop of fruit that gives the wine more life. To preserve the integrity of the wines, they don't undergo fining (so they're also vegan friendly). They are a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.
JAMES SUCKLING 94 POINTS - "The 2022 vintage was a Euro-styled year of poise with plenty of fruit weight and immense freshness... Savory. I'll take that over obvious sweetness any day... A sub-regional blend limited to old, dry-grown bush vines. Varying degrees of whole bunches. A number of picking windows, too, to embellish freshness and enough weight. Ambient fermentation. One would be hard-pressed to find a better wine than this for the price. Kirsch, ume, cranberry, bergamot... pixelated tannin, sandy of feel, directing length. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - Ned Goodwin MW
WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "This is a super little wine. The 2022 Thorny Devil Grenache is spicy, supple and shaped, as all the Thistledown Grenaches are, by ductile, flowing tannins in the mouth. This has shape and form, but it is also a plump, cushioned little number that gives all manner of pleasure. It's a generous, smiling little thing, delicious. There are notes of blood, raspberry, red licorice and ferrous. It is sapid as all get up. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."