Thistledown, Thorny Devil Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia, 2024

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

In 2014, the vineyard the fruit came from performed out of its skin and it was while in the vineyard that they came across a little lizardy fellow called a Thorny Devil. They liked the name and the fruit produced beautiful wine and so decided that it was high enough quality to be bottled on its own. Thorny Devil draws on fruit from a number of sub regions of McLaren Vale, all of which are old, dry grown and bush trained. Picking times and ferments vary but the common thread is of picking on the way up.

Winemaking

All ferments are wild with differing percentages of whole bunch, though every ferment has some. Extraction regimes are very light, with the aim of infusion rather than heavy extraction. Once pressed, the wine is stored in seasoned French oak of 300 & 500 litres for approx. 8 months before bottling.

Oak Ageing

Time: 10 Months
Type: Old oak hogsheads
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 10

Tasting Note

The ‘24 vintage, being the first El Niño season, was expected to be warm and dry but if anything, the early season conditions were the opposite. Unsettled, cool, and sometimes wet weather resulted in erratic fruit set but from the end of January onwards, the weather was settled and very dry. Aside from a few days of heat in March, the season continued, with the moderate temperatures and mild conditions allowing for picking all varieties at the ideal moment. The resulting wine has the characteristic McLaren Vale perfume and spice with a beguiling texture and perfume that unfolds, layer by layer.

Food Matching

A beautiful match for game meats, North African lamb and charcuterie.