Description
A collection of 3 beautiful and highly acclaimed South Australian Grenaches from masters of the variety, Thistledown.
- 2024 Thistledown This Charming Man Grenache
- 2024 Thistledown Sands of Time Grenache
- 2024 Thistledown Fool On The Hill Grenache
2024 Thistledown This Charming Man Grenache
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.
97 points
"Despite the fine acid, there is no acid adjustment here… 'Young' vines with lower pH, higher acidity, and earlier flavor development… A superb wine that will evolve beautifully in the glass."
- Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)
97 points
"From a 53-year-old block in the Smart Vineyard… Dark raspberry, warm spices, blood oranges, pomegranate and dried roses… Fine satin texture over lithe acidity and fine-grained tannins."
- Nick Ryan (The Australian)
96+ points
"Souk spices, cherry, raspberry, ginger, rosehip… Pumice-like tannins and pure cranberry-crunch acidity… Long, perfumed, and beautifully expressive Grenache."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
96 points
"Raspberry jam, rose and moss aromas… Lovely flesh on the bones and cellar-worthy structure. Needs time, but built for a long life."
- Gabrielle Poy (The Real Review)
2024 Thistledown Sands of Time Grenache
From a single 75 year-old vineyard in Blewitt Springs, this wine perfectly encapsulates why this sub-region of McLaren Vale is producing some of the best Grenache wines in Australia today.
There is real purity and power here. Highly aromatic with florals, spice, and dried citrus, it follows through to a palate that is both elegant and vibrant yet intensely concentrated. So smooth, with sweet berries, alongside more spice, and a hint of smoke.
This is the big-gun, and without a doubt, the showcase wine for Thistledown; so eminently drinkable, and beautiful. Really, this is a love letter to Grenache.
98 points
"It's beautifully tactile and transparent. This is among the most exciting Aussie wines I've had in a long time - and it's only one year old. It's full-bodied with incredible grace and poise. Wow! I'd love to have this for the cellar."
- Gabrielle Poy (The Real Review)
97+ points - "Everything here is in such lithe balance, and it truly is a pleasure to drink. McLaren Vale Grenache, at the height of its powers, can be all things in one glass: supple and fine, powerful and statuesque, silky and structured, long and deep. This is a superstar, make no mistake..."
- Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)
95 points
"Super wine. It’s maybe a little warmer and more breathy than the Charming Man, but gee, it has impact and power."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
2024 Thistledown Fool On The Hill Grenache
The Fool on the Hill Grenache really shows that Thistledown aren't afraid to do things the hard way, if the ends justify the means of course.
The fruit from this wine comes from a beautiful contoured vineyard in the Eden Valley. The vines here struggle to thrive, but that just means the small amount of fruit they produce is absolutely stellar stuff, filled with concentrated, intense flavour. Thistledown themselves say, "Isolated and challenging, those pioneers who originally had the foresight to plant, must have sometimes questioned their sanity." It's a move that has clearly paid off.
Expect the signature bright Thistledown aromatics, but with a bit of extra texture, spice and warmth than its McLaren Vale counterparts.
97 points
"This is glorious grenache providing off-the-charts enjoyment. It's so complete in its youth and will only gain greater complexity with age."
- Gabrielle Poy (The Real Review)
97+ points
"The 2024 Fool on the Hill Grenache is from Eden Valley, and the wine is abundantly aromatic and eloquent of its place... When I think of the three Grenache wines, I, perhaps controversially, given the others are from McLaren Vale, admire the tannin structure of this one the most. They all are magnificent wines."
- Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)
Thistledown
Giles Cooke MW Thistledown
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Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more!
For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.
We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.
Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.
Sydney (Our Vans): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions our driver will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so if not, they will return the item to us and hold your order until further instruction from you.
Melbourne (Anonymous Wine Freight): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions, the courier will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so. if not, they will return the item to their dispatch centre and hold until further instruction from you.
Australia Post: Australia Post will leave the parcel if they have been given authority to leave and it is deemed safe to do so. To give your Authority to Leave, please enter this in the 'SPECIAL REQUEST' box at checkout.
Ordering
We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. If you see a lower price elsewhere, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you. We handle all our price-matching on a case by case basis.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Retrospective price-matching is available for 30 days after you have purchased from us.
- The price match cannot be used in conjunction with a coupon or one-off deal we are offering. The idea is for you to get the best price in the market so if that is already achieved through a coupon then we won't price match on top of that.
- We don't price match clearance or fire sales.
- We’ll match the listed price as long as it is a legitimate offer and the competing store is actually able to fulfil the order (they have stock or more stock is en route). Essentially we won't price match cheeky vendors listing wines they have no hope of actually getting for you...
- It must be a publicly listed price. We won't match a price that has been achieved through a coupon/cash-back arrangement, or through a non-advertised offer over the phone or otherwise.
- It is limited to a reasonable retail quantity.
We'll treat each price match request on its merit and reserve the right to refuse where we deem fit. For example, particularly rare wines, from non-trust-worthy vendors, in circumstances we deem illegitimate or if we feel our policy is being unfairly taken advantage of.
At the end of the day, we'll look after you and use common sense to ensure you're getting the best price, please just don't take the p%$$!
No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.
We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.
To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you.
If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.
If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.
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