Thistledown, Sands of Time Single Vineyard Old Vine Grenache, Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, Australia, 2023

Producer Profile

Masters of Wine, Giles Cooke & Fergal Tynan, founded Thistledown Wines in 2010 after discovering iconic vineyard sites in the McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills.

They make hand-made, small batch wines that perfectly illustrate the benefits of great sites and intelligent, minimalist winemaking.

Viticulture

Early on in their Grenache journey, the Thistledown team were introduced to Sue Trott’s Home Block in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. Its beautiful aspect, raised elevation and free-draining deep sandy soils are the perfect spot for old dry-grown bush-vine Grenache and they feel so lucky to be offered the opportunity to purchase a little fruit. Some years on and they have learned a little about the site and refined their picking decisions and vinification to the extent that from 2017 they were content that they could do the site justice by bottling separately.

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.

Oak Ageing

Time: 10 Months
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: None

Tasting Note

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.

Food Matching

A great match for many Asian-style dishes as long as they aren’t too spicy.

Awards

The real review- 96 points
'Medium to deep ruby core, vibrant purple shining at the rim. Fragrant with raspberry, mulberry, rose petal and clove spiced aromatics. Details and precise on the palate, fruits fill the core but it’s the spices and dark minerality that keep you captivated as it flows across the tongue. Medium in weight, but serious in its intensity, a central lift of acidity adds air and drive whilst fine gravelly tannins carry and focus it to the almost never-ending finish. Will build even further with cellar time, or at the very least, a long decant. 96 Points, SK, 2024.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate 97 Points
The 2023 Sands of Time Old Vine Single Vineyard Grenache leads with a floral, fragrant bouquet of Boscobel rose, crushed green (and salted) pistachios, licorice, clove, star anise and cracked fennel seeds. The wine is structurally fine and ductile; the tannins present us with an attractive framework of support and texture. It is gently chewy, layered with tobacco, iron and a hint of boudin noir, or black pudding. (I was recently pulled away from my Northern English roots while in France. We had boudin noir, and it was significantly silkier, fattier, softer and more lustrous than the English version; and to my palate at least, it was far more aligned with wine and nuance.) Suffice to say, this is a super wine, fragrant and detailed, long and complex. Yes! 97 Points, EL, 2024.
James Suckling 95 Points
There are very few wines that I look forward to more than the top duo of grenache from Thistledown, be it on Australian or international shores. This, from an octogenarian spread of vines, higher up on meager sands flecked with ironstone, peering toward the vast Pacific horizon. The final vintage of a La Nina troika, splaying red-fruit allusions, dried thyme, rose petal, pomegranate and lilac, with a mandala of gritty nigh-on nebbiolo-esque tannins, directing and driving long. The tannins are just a little emaciated, to be churlish. Later ripening varieties, such as grenache, had their challenges in this vintage, yet this gorgeous rendition virtually transcends them. 95 Points, NG(MW), 95 Points, 2024.
Halliday Wine Companion 2025 Special Value 97 Points
'From the Trott vineyard in Blewitt Springs, planted in 1952 to deep sand. Fermented in alternating layers of whole bunches and crushed fruit in concrete; maturation in oak and concrete for 10 months. This is coiled but given air; the potential is evident, if not fully revealed. Blue and red floral notes, dark red cherries, orange oil and a humus-like earthiness. This is presently the most reticent member of the ’23 grenache suite, with acidity feeling vigorous against the tensile complement of tannins, both cinching in the fruit presently. Based on the track record and the impeccable framing of fruit and site that’s already evident, this will grow amply in stature, and what an exciting prospect that is. 97 Points, ME, August 2024.