Old Vine Aussie Grenache is a sleeper stunner

And updates on WineLine Live!

I have some delicious wines to share with you, but first, an announcement. My second WineLine Live! will be this Thursday, April 9, at 1 p.m. Eastern time with Tim Mondavi of Continuum Estate in Napa Valley. Tim recently released his 2023 Continuum Cabernet Sauvignon, which marks his 50th vintage. We will discuss the evolution of Napa Cabernet — and Tim’s own evolution — over the past half century, through the cult wine era and the challenges of climate change and wildfires.

While my first WineLine Live! with Dr. Laura Catena was for paid subscribers only, I’ve decided to make this available to the public to reach a wider audience. I’ve now made that first interview public as well, so if you haven’t seen it, now’s the time.

And later this month I’ll talk live with Jessica Dupuy, author of Direct to Press here on Substack, about her new book, “Italianity.” Watch this space for exact date and time for that don’t-miss interview.

I hope you’ll join us!

And now, to the wines …

Old Vines, Expressive Wines

Writing an article for this month’s issue of The SOMM Journal on old-vine Grenache from Australia, I was able to test several bottlings from Thistledown Wine Co. in McLaren Vale. Thistledown was created in 2010 by Giles Cooke MW, an Englishman working in wine distribution who wanted to restore Australia’s image for fine wines.

“I was frustrated by the misconception that Australian wine is all big, alcoholic, sweet, jammy industrialized production without nuance,” Cooke said. He wanted to present wines with medium weight, balanced and food-friendly. He looked for Shiraz in Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, but was nonplussed by the price. Grenache was out of favor, and therefore cheaper, so he worked with that.

Photo: Thistledownwines.com

Thistledown’s Grenache offerings come from bush-trained, own-rooted and dry-farmed vineyards, most planted in the aftermath of World War II. Making top quality wines from these vineyards “comes down to picking a lot earlier, so the fruit is a lot healthier and you get wines that are vibrant, bright and true to the sites,” Cooke said. Treating it more like Pinot Noir than like Shiraz, in other words.

“People are beginning to wake up to the fact that Australia isn’t just about weight and power. It can be about nuance and site.”

Cooke gives his wines whimsical names, such as Thorny Devil and She’s Electric, referring to a long-ago bird that got fried on a power line and fell among the vines, igniting a fire that destroyed half the vineyard. Thistledown’s This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2024 from McLaren Vale was recently named the 2026 Wine of the Year by the Halliday Wine Companion, Australia’s leading wine guide.

Most of these are small production and you’re most likely to find them in restaurants such as Del Frisco’s and Mastro’s steakhouses. Gorgeous Grenache, an exuberant blend from several regions, is priced for by-the-glass programs and may have some retail availability. My samples were provided by Southern Starz, the importer.

I hadn’t tried Thistledown wines before talking to Cooke, but I was familiar with similar single-vineyard old-vine Grenache from Yangarra, made by Peter Fraser, who tragically passed away last December. Together, these wineries are making distinctive, delicious wines with soul and character. If you see them on a restaurant list or a retail shelf, consider giving them a try.

In the glass …

Here are some other wines I’ve enjoyed recently. Some of these are older and therefore no longer available, but showing how they age.

Clément & Florian Berthier, L’Instant Sauvignon Blanc 2022. Vin de France. 12.5%. Organic. Clément and Florian are 5th generation brothers carrying on the family winemaking tradition in the Loire Valley, around Sancerre and Coteaux du Giennois. This Sauvignon Blanc is a great value at about $15-17 on Wine-Searcher.com (for the 2024). This 2022 is now drinking beautifully, with aromas of white flowers and ginger, flavors of guava and Asian pear, and a rich texture. (Imported by Elite Wines.)

Parr Collective, Scythian Wine Co., Lone Wolf País Munoa Ranch 2021, Temecula Valley. This light, aromatic red is part of Raj Parr’s efforts to save old-vine Mission vineyards in southern California. I opened it for a dinner with friends, and it was over-shadowed by more conventional styled reds. Lucky me, I got to finish the bottle over the next couple of nights, when aromas of cherries and wild scrub transported me in spirit to the Old West. (~$42 on the website)

Drouhin Oregon Rose Rock Pinot Noir 2023, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon. 14.1% From Domaine Drouhin Oregon’s second property, in the Eola-Amity Hills, this is juicy, spicy pinot with great verve and tension. Flavors tend more to dark fruits than the red berry nature of DDO’s main property in the Dundee Hills. This is one of the (many) reasons I love Oregon pinot so much.