2021 Thistledown This Charming Man Grenache

Highly Rated
An outstanding, graceful Grenache, from a very old vineyard in the Clarendon sub-region of McLaren Vale. Magic stuff for now or later.

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Sale price$90.00
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Description

Simply wonderful medium-bodied red out of McLaren Vale, so pure and precise, with great line, length and acidity.

It's 100% dry grown, bush vine Grenache from a 100+ year-old vineyard in Clarendon that has been maintained for generations by the Smart family - the charming man is one Bernard Smart...

Lightly tannic and lively-flavoured, it bursts with cherry and raspberry aromatics that make you return for sniff after sniff. Sweet red fruits and some spicy, graphitey notes flow on to a palate that is sandy, fine and, in a word... uplifting.

A few years would do it no harm but it wouldn't last that long in our cellar. A must-buy.

On a beautiful hillside in the Clarendon sub-region of McLaren Vale, three generations of the Smart family have devoted their lives to Grenache. Decades have passed where precious few valued their crop and yet they endured. That this remarkable vineyard has sustained is down to one man, Bernard Smart and this wine pays homage to this charming man.

A remarkable site that has vines of 100 years old. The entire site, planted high in the picturesque Clarendon sub-region, is dry grown bush vines and has been farmed by the same family for 3 generations. This wine is sourced from one particular block where the canopy is raised slightly higher above the ground, allowing for better air circulation and increased radiated sunlight.

Region: McLaren Vale, SA
Blend: Grenache (100%)
ABV: 14.50%
Closure: 750ml
Bottle Size:
Production:

95 Points - "Pickled cherry, ume, lavender, rhubarb and poached plum. A waft of menthol, too, but nothing intrusive. The Smart vineyard is high and cool. Characterful, while pushing the svelte tannic line of grit and paradoxical elegance that mark the region's finest wines. All, let's face it, grenache. This is stellar. It grows in stature as it unravels and beams clove, white pepper and violet across a brilliant finish of real pizazz." - Ned Goodwin MW (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 Points - "<span class="cs-reviewBody">Youthful and bright red in the glass. Complex aromas of dark cherry, blueberry, menthol, dried herbs, spice and limestone. Bright, textured, layered and mouthfilling. Complex and driven by fleshy cherry, raspberry, sweet spice and zingy acidity. Lovely weight and presence, long and very satisfying." - Aaron Brasher (The Real Review)</span>

94 Points - "Aromas of crushed red and black cherries, baked strawberries, rosemary stems and violets. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Perfumed and vibrant on the palate, with a solid core of red fruit. Pretty, but sturdy, with very nice depth and length. Vegan. Best after 2025." - JamesSuckling.com

Thistledown

Thistledown wines was founded by UK natives Fergal Tynan, and Giles Cooke, the two MWs met while they began their WSET studies and formed a fast and strong bond.

While they have vineyards and wineries across the globe, Thistledown holds a special place in their hearts, with many of Giles' first forays into MW wine travel happening around Australia.

With renowned local winemaker Peter Leske on hand year-round, Giles is still quite hands-on with Thistledown, ensuring to be downunder throughout the year at key points in the winemaking process.

Giles Cooke MW Thistledown

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