Thistledown She's Electric Single Vineyard Old Vine Grenache McLaren Vale 2023  £27.92

Thistledown She's Electric Single Vineyard Old Vine Grenache McLaren Vale 2023

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.

Some vineyards have a remarkable story to tell and Thistledown came upon such a vineyard in late 2016. At the Seaview end of Chapel Hill Rd, it’s old bush vines contrasted by a planting of much younger Grenache. Apparently, half of the vineyard was burned when a bird caught light on a power line, fell to the ground and set light to the vineyard! They were so glad that some of the amazing old vines are still there for them to use. Dry grown, old bush vines, grown on red-brown sandy loams with quartz and ironstone. Low intervention viticulture with minimal spray regime, cover crops and promotion of biodiversity.

The fruit was hand-picked early in the morning before swift transport to the winery where they retained 50% whole bunches. A gentle foot pressing helped establish the wild ferment. Once fermented, the wine was transferred to 300 litre used French oak hogsheads where it stayed for 8 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Aromatic, fragrant and almost pinot-like, this wine has great energy. Cranberry, spice and wild cherry combine with silky texture to create a beautifully elegant red.

North African and Middle Eastern cuisine or robust fish dishes.