Thistledown Sands Of Time Single Vineyard Grenache 2019

SKU
TWGR201910 UCAU
  • 95+ Points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
  • 95 Points Huon Hook, The Real Review
  • 95 Points Nick Stock 95pts Gourmet Wine Traveller
  • 1 or more bottles
    $69.99
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  • Gary Walsh
    95+ points
  • Huon Hooke
    95 points
  • Nick Stock
    95 points
  • Gourmet Travell
    95 points
  • Jancis Robinson
    17 points

Editors notes

One of the most highly regarded Australian Grenache available today- 95+pts Gary Walsh, TWF; 95pts Huon Hooke; 95pts James Suckling, 95pts Nick Stock.

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. 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.

Details

Tasting Profile

  • Light (Light)
    Full (Full)
  • Low Tannin (Low Tannin)
    Tannic (Tannic)
  • Sweet (Sweet)
    Dry (Dry)
  • Low Acidity (Low Acidity)
    High Acidity (High Acidity)
  • Aroma
    • Black Cherry
    • Savoury
    • Strawberry
  • Palate
    • Earthy
    • Red Cherry
    • Strawberry

Food Pairings

  • Game
  • Pork
  • Red Meat

Critic Scores & reviews

  • Gary Walsh

    95+
    "From 76 year old vines planted in Blewitt Springs, which is perhaps the epicentre for quality Grenache in this country. Bit of a loaded word of late though, is epicentre. A total of 930 bottles produced. Mine is 923. I was hoping for either 930, 007 or 001. Oh well. Medium-bodied, perfume and ripe raspberry, some biscuit spices and wholesome earthiness, almost like wet clay. It’s carrying some puppy fat as a very young wine, succulence of raspberry, but there’s bass and depth, kitten’s tongue tannin, a smattering of dried herb (thyme and the like) and dried flowers on a long and gently, but insistently, tannic finish. Fantastic, and it feels like it will develop beautifully."
  • Huon Hooke

    95
    "#2 of 18 2019 Grenache tasted from McLaren Vale"
  • Nick Stock

    95
    "This is a wine that resonates in the way that old-vine wines sometimes do. Transcending the weight of fruit and the various aromas and flavors, it delivers x-factor presence. The bright red berries are tinged with wild herbs. Stone and forest-wood notes, too. The wine has a succulent, bright entry and then expands in all directions to really claim the palate in full, showing fine yet sinewy tannins, all juicy, defined and persistent. Fresh red-berry flavor holds long. Just needs a year or two to bed it all in. Drink or hold."
  • Gourmet Traveller Wine

    95
    "‘Grown by Sue Trott; wild fermented in concrete eggs using 30% whole bunches, this is a fuller-bodied, well-structured grenache. Dusty earth, pepper, dry-bark aromas; a good solid grip and a long finish. It should age superbly.’"
  • Jancis Robinson MW

    17
    "A nose that is genuinely complex with sweetness, spice, white pepper and herbs. This wine seems to recall the southern Rhône and has really impressive structure. I like those tannins that recall polished leather. And crisp fruit that is still quite embryonic. Serious wine with a layered, lingering finish."

Other vintages

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Locations

Australia

Australia's wine industry is a thriving part of the country's economy, contributing significantly to employment, production, export, and tourism. In fact, the industry is the fourth-largest wine exporter in the world, shipping out 760 million liters of wine to countries including France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. One of the key factors contributing to Australia's success as a "New World" wine producer is the formal export and marketing of its wines through Wine Australia.

Australia's wine regions are scattered across the south and southeast, with almost every state boasting its own vineyards. Victoria, for example, is home to an impressive 21 wine regions. Some of the most famous wine regions in Australia include Margaret River, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley, and local regions to New South Wales such as Cowra, Southern Highlands, and Mudgee.

Australian winemakers are known for producing a diverse range of grape varieties, with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir being among the most popular. They tend to focus on producing wines that are ripe, fruit-forward, and easy to drink, using modern winemaking techniques and equipment such as stainless steel tanks and temperature-controlled fermentation.

With its bold, fruit-driven flavors and reputation for quality and diversity, Australian wine has become a popular choice for wine lovers around the world. And with such a broad range of wine regions and grape varieties, there's something for every palate to enjoy.

South Australia

If you like Australian wine, then you probably like South Australia wine. The rich reds produced there put Australia on the wine-making map of the world. With over 40% of the country's vineyards, South Australia can rightfully call itself the wine state.

Wines are produced in several regions throughout the state, though many are naturally grouped together, like Barossa and Eden Valleys, only 15 minutes apart. They include such regions as Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, The Limestone Coast, McLaren Vale and Wrattonbully to name but a few!

Barossa Valley boasts some of the oldest vines in Australia dating back to 1843 and produces some of the world's finest Shiraz, whilst the 'terra rossa' soils of Coonawarra is most suited to producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons. If you're a fan of Riesling, Clare Valley is a great place to explore and for a Maritime climate not dissimilar to parts of the Italian coastline, seek out the wines from McLaren Vale.

McLaren Vale

The McLaren Vale wine region is located less than an hours drive south of Adelaide, along the coastline.

Shiraz is by far the most widely planted variety, and the most important variety for the region, accounting for about 50% of the total crush. Every winery in the region will likely be producing at least one or more Shiraz wines, and with the wide range of unique terroirs available, each influenced by the maritime climate in unique ways, each Shiraz will have its own regional nuances.

Shiraz produced in McLaren Vale will often exhibit chocolate and coffee notes, with a little less pepper than those from Barossa Valley, and are often blended with Grenache. Other red varieties grown include Cabernet Sauvignon (and Merlot blends) Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Tannat and Zinfandel. The main white variety would be Chardonnay, however Semillon and it's common blending partner Sauvignon Blanc are made, alongside lesser amounts of Riesling, Pronto Bianco, Vermentino and Fiano.

If you plan to visit McLaren Vale there are over 65 cellar doors so you'll be spoiled for choice, ranging from the small-boutique wineries to very large wineries. The drive from McLaren Vale up to the Barossa Valley is very scenic, passing over the rolling Adelaide Hills, and though the quaint German-settled town of Hahndorf.

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Pairs Well With

Whether it's a decadent cheese, mouth-watering red meat, perfectly cooked poultry, succulent seafood, or a vegetarian feast, for every wine or spirit you choose from us, we provide you with a number of helpful suggestions for what will pair deliciously with your purchase.

Frequently Bought With

About the brand Thistledown

From our base in the idyllic Adelaide Hills, we work with pristine fruit sourced from iconic vineyard sites. Giles Cooke MW and Fergal Tynan MW, with the helping hand of Peter Leske, hand-make small-batch wines that illustrate the benefits of great sites and intelligent winemaking.

The unique blend of superb fruit sources and experience in both the New and the Old Worlds helps craft a wine of subtlety, texture and detail – wines perfectly suited to complement rather than overwhelm fine food.

We love hand-making delicious, joyful wines – all sourced from amazing vineyard sites in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. It's no secret that our real love is Grenache! We make small-batch, hand-made wines from sites that we believe are special. We pick fruit on the way up rather than the way down so that we can do as little as possible to make the best wine. We're slowly gathering the very best selection of Grenache sites in Australia.

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