Thistledown, Gorgeous Grenache Rosé, South Australia, 2024

Producer Profile

Thistledown was founded by Master of Wine, Giles Cooke who had a vision for a more elegant, textural interpretation of Australian wine.

Initial explorations resulted in access to many of the best vineyards, many of which were the previously unloved Old Vine Grenache. Incredible, historic fruit sources coupled with Giles’ increasingly adept efforts has quickly resulted in a reputation for being amongst the best in the country. Narrating the stories of these wines to an increasingly attentive global audience is Giles’ heartfelt commitment and mission.

Viticulture

The product of one old vine bush trained vineyard in the Riverland.

Winemaking

Hand-picked and gently de-stemmed before crushing followed by 3.5 hours on skins to extract minimal colour. A cool fermentation followed which retained the aromatic, herbal notes and focused the crisp, textural palate. Maturation on lees for 6 months helped increased texture prior to bottling.

Tasting Note

Deliciously crisp and fragrant with wild strawberry, violets and citrus on the nose. The palate is tangy and broad, yet focussed too.

Food Matching

Ideal as an aperitif or with freshly grilled fish.