Thistledown She’s Electric Grenache 2022
Some vineyards have a remarkable story to tell and we came upon such a vineyard in late 2016. At the Seaview end of Chapel Hill Rd, its old bush vines contrasted by a planting of much younger Grenache. Apparently, half of the vineyard was burned when a bird caught light on a power line, fell to the ground and set light to the vineyard! We were so glad that some of the amazing old vines are still there for us to use.
Aromatic and lifted on the nose with a beautifully layered, textural palate with wild strawberry and spice.
Varietal: 100% Grenache Alcohol: .14.5% Total Acidity: 5.19 g/l pH: 3.55 Residual Sugar: 2g/l SO2: 69 mg/l
1340 Bottles Produced
96 points – The Real Review
93 points – The Wine Front
Dry grown, old bush vines, grown on red-brown sandy loams with quartz and ironstone. Low intervention viticulture with minimal spray regime, cover crops and promotion of biodiversity.
The fruit was hand-picked early in the morning of 9th March before swift transport to the winery where we retained 50% whole bunches. A gentle foot pressing helped establish the wild ferment. Once fermented, the wine was transferred to 300 litre used French oak hogsheads where it stayed for 6 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
2022 vintage followed in much the same vein as the much-lauded 2021. A little later than normal but 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, lovely energy and silky tannins which give a capacity for both youthful exuberance and ageing.
