87% Shiraz & 13% Zibibbo (AKA Muscat of Alexandria)

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. The Shiraz was all picked from one old vineyard in the Riverland, a property that has been growing grapes since the early soldier settlements.

Fermented using wild yeasts. A short ageing in old French oak followed by bottling young to preserve the hugely aromatic, textural deliciousness that we sought from the outset.

Excited by the response they got from the Gorgeous Grenache, they have taken a similarly left-field take on Shiraz by taking old vines and co-fermenting with a little Zibibbo to make a delicious, but very different Shiraz. On the nose there are peaches, ripe nectarine, wild raspberry and a little spice. The palate is soft and slurpy, the texture silky and any tannins just add a little seasoning – like macerated strawberries and black pepper. Turning a previously undervalued resource into something that is hugely enjoyable and ultimately gorgeous.

16 Points Jancis Robinson / 90 Points James Halliday / 92 Points Robert Parker

Vegetarian / Vegan