I am loving the Grenache's from Thistledown.
Dry grown, old bush vines, grown on red-brown sandy loams with quartz and ironstone. Low intervention viticulture with minimal spray regime, cover crops and promotion of biodiversity.
The fruit was hand-picked early in the morning before swift transport to the winery where we retained 50% whole bunches. A gentle foot pressing helped establish the wild ferment. Once fermented, the wine was transferred to 500l puncheons & 300 litre used French oak hogsheads where it stayed for 8 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered
"From old bush vines planted to red-brown sandy loam soils studded with quartz and ironstone. Natural yeast, 50% whole bunches, eight months' élevage in old oak. Those bunches are seamlessly integrated across what is a medium-weighted and serenely elegant release. It’s got structure, though, the tannins quietly commanding, pithy, crunchy, drawing long. Wild cherries, pomegranate, damson plum, Campari, white peppery spice. There’s real charm to this right now, but there’s also a lot wound within, with layers of spice and earthy detail emerging with air. It’s the most finessed, elegant release of this I can recall, and that’s from a year that was both warm and extremely dry. Old vines, hey." 95+pts Marcus Ellis Halliday Wine Companion March 2026
