Thistledown Gorgeous Shiraz 2022

90 points James Halliday
Excited by the response we got with our Gorgeous Grenache, we’ve taken a similarly left-field approach to Shiraz by taking old vines and co-fermenting with a little Zibibbo to make a delicious, but very different Shiraz.
A small proportion of Zibibbo, otherwise known as Muscat, was cofermented 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.
The Shiraz was all picked from one old vineyard in the Riverland, a property that had been growing grapes since the early soldier settlements.
2022 vintage followed in much the same vein as the much lauded 2021, though for the Riverland, yields were down because of a massive hail event in November 2021. Once past that hurdle, the season was characterised by regular moderate rainfall, friendly temperatures and an elongated ripening period which allowed for an even spread of fruit over the harvesting period. The wines are characterised by balanced, aromatic fruit profiles, crisp acids and a capacity for both youthful exuberance and ageing.