Thistledown Wine Company
Thistledown is the vision of Master of Wine, Giles Cooke. Working with Grenache growers in unique sites across Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Riverland, Giles makes elegant, fine, aromatic reds. Choosing to focus on the Grenache grape shows the belief Giles has in this special variety. Thistledown Grenaches are made in small quantities in the Adelaide Hills.
'Sands of Time' Grenache
"Early on in our Grenache journey, we were introduced to Sue Trott’s Home Block in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. It's beautiful aspect, raised elevation and free-draining deep sandy soils are the perfect spot for dry-grown bush-vine Grenache and we were so lucky to be offered the opportunity to purchase a little fruit. 5 years on and we have learned a little about the site and refined our picking decisions and vinification to the extent that from 2017 we were content that we could do the site justice by bottling separately."
Tasting Notes
Sourced from one 75 year old vineyard, the bush trained vines on pure sand yield up a wine of immense purity and power that is both light and intense at the same time. Highly aromatic with notes of sandalwood, dried orange, violets and wood spice on the nose, it follows through to a palate that is paradoxically elegant and vibrant but concentrated and persistent. Silky smooth with a glossy, hightly attractive palate of wild strawberry, violets and the merest hint of cinnamon and woodsmoke. Achingly beautiful but deliciously drinkable all at once.
Winemaking
Hand-picked, on the way up, we vinify naturally in concrete and place whole bunches alternately with de-stemmed fruit to create a layer cake. A very gentle, slow fermentation is followed by maturation in oak and concrete before a careful selection is done, which is then bottled unfined and unfiltered 10 months later. A faithful expression of the site – beautiful, haunting aromatics, fine sandy tannins and wonderful, memorable length on the palate.
Suitable for vegetarians & vegans.
No recommended products at the moment.
