Thistledown Gorgeous Old Vine Small Batch Handmade Shiraz 2022
90 POINTS: Halliday Wine Companion
90 POINTS: The Real Review
90 POINTS: James Suckling
Sourced from very old vines in South Australia known as “soldier blocks.” These blocks date back to World War I and World War II when the Australian government gifted land to returning soldiers to help them get back on their feet. Shiraz is co-fermented using indigenous yeast with an innovative dash of the white grapes Zibibbo (11%) and Fiano (3%), to create a fragrant, silky smooth, beautifully textured wine aged for a short period in old French oak.
Excited by the response we got from our Gorgeous Grenache, we’ve 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.
"All Riverland fruit, with a heritage property supplying the shiraz. A dollop of old-vine zibibbo and a smidgeon of fiano were co-fermented, serving lift and perfume. This has some throaty warmth to it, yet the extraction regime was clearly whole-berry gentle, so easy is this to drink. Mindless, in the very best way. It avoids the bane of excessive reduction, ploughing cinnamon stick, clove, cardamon, bergamot and bing cherry lines across a drift of gentle tannic grip. Chilling this is imperative."
- JamesSuckling.com
"Bright ruby with a vibrant purple tone into the rim. Ultra fragrant with bright red and blue fruit, violets and liquorice all leaping from the glass. Slippery and gliding as it flows across the tongue with ample plump purple fruits and subtle dark spices along the journey. Tannins are silky and just caress the edges to a good length finish. A delicious drink now style"
- The Real Review
ABV: 13.5%