Thistledown Cunning Plan Shiraz McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia BIN NO 3484
With the characteristic McLaren Vale perfume and spice, this delicately hued red is an elegant offering with vibrant wild strawberry and spice notes, complemented by silky texture.
This elegant Grenache is a perfect match for game meats, North African lamb and charcuterie.
Vegetarian and vegan.
Blend: Grenache 94% Mataro 6%
ABV 14.5%
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.
Learn more about McLaren Vale's journey to sustainability:
Viticulture
In 2014, the vineyard the fruit came from performed out of its skin, and it was while in the vineyard that they came across a little lizardy fellow called a Thorny Devil. They liked the name, and the fruit produced beautiful wine and so decided that it was high enough quality to be bottled on its own. Thorny Devil comes from a variety of sites, all of which have in common that they are old, bush trained and dry grown. With Grenache, they are always looking to maximise fruit purity, texture and finesse and do so through earlier picking, selection of blocks within the vineyard and a detailed understanding of each site and how it reacts to the season.
Winemaking
The fruit was handpicked from a variety of sites, all of which were vinified separately, with up to 30% whole bunches retained in the ferment. Fermentation began naturally, and hand plunging twice a day was carried out through to dryness. Gently pressed off skins before ten months in old oak hogsheads.
Oak Ageing
Time: 10 Months
Type: Old oak hogsheads
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 10
Tasting Notes
The wine has the characteristic McLaren Vale perfume and spice with a beguiling texture and perfume that unfolds layer by layer. This delicately hued red is otherwise very elegant with vibrant wild strawberry, spice and silky texture.