2022 Thistledown Thorny Devil Old Vine Grenache McLaren Vale 750 ml

The greatest wines in the world are the product of obsession. And nobody in Australia is more obsessed with ancient-vine Grenache than Masters of Wine Giles Cooke and Fergal Tynan, founders of Thistledown. They’ve made a name for themselves with wines like today’s 2022 Thorny Devil, a red that cranks McLaren Vale’s old-vine power up to 11.

The critical praise for this wine is unequivocal: Halliday Wine Companion said “I'd be hard-pressed to find a better wine than this for the price.” The Wine Advocate called the wine “super,” saying “You can rely on Thistledown for great Grenache. It's their thing."

Thistledown, founded in 2010, has quickly become a leader in Australian Grenache, granted 5 “red” stars from Halliday Wine Companion, their highest honor, reserved for “a winery with a long track record of excellence—truly the best of the best.” Halliday describes "an assemblage of talent, superb old-vine sites and remarkable wines that have established a firmament at the top of the Grenache totem in this country."

Thistledown is a product of the shared passion of Fergal Tynan MW and Giles Cooke MW, two British veterans of the fine wine trade who—much like Morgan Peterson MW has at Bedrock in California—sought out some of the oldest, lowest-yielding vines in McLaren Vale and Barossa. 

Tynan and Cooke have taken this region’s potential even higher, by picking on the early side, conducting gentle, cool, native-yeast ferments, and raising the wines in neutral oak. We love everything about this wine, from its intoxicating raspberry perfume to its notes of Chambord on the palate. It’s a bottle guaranteed to make you smile and reach for another pour.