Thistledown, Walking With Kings Roussanne-Grenache Blanc, Australia, 2022

Producer Profile

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.

Viticulture

Hand-picked Roussanne from Sellicks Hills, biodynamic Grenache Blanc from Kangarilla.

Winemaking

Both varieties are hand picked and fermented separately. Roussanne is whole bunch pressed, lightly settled and wild fermented in French oak. Grenache is oxidatively handled prior to wild ferment in barrel. The two components are then blended prior to bottling.

Oak Ageing

Time: 6 Months
Type: French Oak
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: None

Tasting Note

A richly textured white wine inspired by the great whites of the Rhône, this is creamy, aromatic and jam packed full of exotic notes from the Roussanne and more vibrant, green apple from Grenache. The end result is a wine so versatile, complex yet so moreish.

Food Matching

Rich seafood, creamy sauces and Asian cuisine

Awards

The Wine Front 94 Points
Lemon zest, honey and almond, green apple and pear, with a little perfume of aniseed and dried herb. It’s waxy and rich, yet fresh and bright with tart white fleshed fruit, a chalky and gently bitter phenolic pucker, a distinctly saline/oyster shell character, with honey gloss and a pithy finish of excellent length. You have to dig these white Rhône styles, maybe, though I like this a lot. 94 Points, GW, February 2023.
Robert Parkers The Wine Advocate 93 Points
The 2022 Walking With Kings Roussanne Grenache Blanc was sourced from McLaren Vale. Both varieties were handpicked and barrel fermented utilizing wild yeasts. The nose is soft and round with honeydew melon, spiced pear and orchard fruits. In the mouth, the wine is both complex and pert; the texture is complex and softened, thanks to the élevage in oak, while the acidity is tense and bright—a handy juxtaposition in a summer wine. Very smart. Drink 2023 - 2029. 93 Points, EL, February 2023.
Decanter 93 Points
A new wine from this exciting label: Roussanne fermented in 25% new French oak and biodynamically farmed Grenache Blanc oxidatively fermented in concrete. Bold yet elegant, waxy quince, apricot blossom and a fresh apple crunch with a chalky texture. 93 Points, TG, June 2023.
James Halliday 95 Points
A blend of 60% roussanne, the remainder grenache blanc. This is excellent. The kind of varieties, despite the young vines, boding so well for a bright future. Tatami straw, lemon drop, quinine, pickled stone fruits and ginger. Long and drawn out across a spindle of tannin chew as much as an intuitive verb of maritime freshness. Soft, mind you, but perfectly positioned. A mid-weighted wine of textural tapestry, poise and verve. 95 Points, NG(MW), August 2023.
Jancis Robinson 16.5/20
60% Roussanne, fermented in French oak (30% new). 40% Grenache Blanc fermented separately, mostly in concrete. The name is a reference to the poem 'If' by Kipling. Lovely pure apricot fruit, very well-integrated high acid (too often these wines taste overacidified, but not this one). There's a bitter herbal finish that really works, giving a savoury twist to the ripe but restrained fruit. 16.5/20, RH, 2023.
James Suckling 95 Points
A blend of 60% roussanne, the remainder grenache blanc. This is superb. The kind of varieties, despite the young vines, auguring well for a bright future. Tatami straw, lemon drop, quinine, pickled stone fruits and ginger. Long and drawn out across a spindle of tannin chew as much as an intuitive verb of maritime freshness. Soft, mind you, but perfectly positioned. A mid-weighted wine of textural tapestry, poise and verve. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 95 Points, JS, Aug 2023.