Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Made from a single plot of organically farmed old vines, this wine offers lively tones of red berry, rose, violet and herbal tonic, backed by cinnamon and clove spice. It's light, bright and easy to knock back, which belies just how well structured and complex it really is. This is a beautiful example of the variety McLaren's Vale does best. Editors' Choice.
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Wine & Spirits
Giles Cooke and Fergal Tynan, two Scottish MWs, focused on grenache when they teamed up with Peter Leske to launch Thistledown. This bottling is named for the bird that lost a battle with a power line, burst into flames and fell into a vineyard on Chapel Hill Road in Seaview. Half the old vines burned, but enough were left to provide fruit for this 2017. It’s a savory red, with scents of roses and seedy red raspberries. Clean and fresh, with Bing cherry brightness in the end, as rich as this is, the flavors feel unfettered.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.