2022 Thistledown This Charming Man Grenache, Clarendon McLaren Vale

The 2024 The Charming Man Single Vineyard Grenache hails from Clarendon, on Brooks Road. The "Charming Man" is, of course, Bernard Smart, who sadly passed away in October 2023; his son, Wayne, continues the legacy there. The wine opens with blood orange, fresh lavender, crushed rose petals and frisky acidity. This is ferrous and bloody, layered with dried citrus and north African spices, which are no doubt driven from the iron-rich clays with siltstone and quartz of Clarendon. It is penetrating and intense, spicy and quite firm in its tannin profile, yet it is pliable, agile and exciting. Despite the fine acid, there is no acid adjustment here. The oldest part of the vineyard is 102 years old, while the youngest part is 53 years old. The "young" vines have a higher fruiting zone, approximately six inches higher up than the oldest parts of the vineyard, meaning that it can be picked up to 10 days earlier. This "young" pocket has lower pH and higher total acidity, earlier flavor development and, hence, no added acidity. It's a superb wine, one that will evolve in the glass over the evening. Here's hoping it lasts that long. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

97 points Erin Larkin robertparker.com

The qualitative apogee when it comes to grenache, rivalled by few and equalled only by Yangarra. Even better than the superb 2021. Sourced from the highest, coolest site in the Vale, the venerable Smart vineyard. Ironstone imparts a ferrous bite to pithy sour cherry, cranberry, campfire, pomegranate, tamarind and sandalwood notes with a grind of white pepper across a lattice of pin bone tannins, curtailing sweetness while promoting stunning length. This is excellent. Superb! Transparent and brimming with a sense of pinoté, like a mini Rayas. A great wine of the present as much as the future. Among Australia's very greatest reds. I don't score above 97, but this could be worth a point higher.

97 points Campbell Mattinson winecompanion.com.au Aug 2023

Clarendon. Some vines up to 100 years of age. Black and red fruits, baking spice, floral too, with some thyme and cocoa. It’s lively, quite stony in feel, a lovely crunch and freshness to acidity, quite concentrated but still light on its feet. The finish pulls more to spiced strawberry and raspberry, with flowering herb perfume on a very long finish. Delightful.

95+ points Gary Walsh winefront.com.au

Thistledown’s This Charming Man Grenache has become one of the most celebrated expressions of the variety in Australia, a wine that critics regularly highlight as a benchmark for modern Grenache. It comes from extraordinary old bush vines in Clarendon, many over a century old, rooted in sandy and ironstone soils that naturally restrict yields and concentrate flavour. The altitude of these vineyards gives a long, cool ripening season, preserving vibrancy and perfume while ensuring balanced ripeness. Winemakers Giles Cooke MW and Fergal Tynan MW work with a very gentle hand in the winery, using whole bunches, wild ferments and large neutral oak to protect the purity of fruit and sense of place rather than imposing heavy winemaking influence.

Critics consistently praise the wine’s rare combination of intensity and elegance. Halliday Wine Companion has awarded it near-perfect scores in multiple vintages, noting its perfume and structural poise, while Huon Hooke has described it as “a thrilling Grenache of rare grace and precision.” Matthew Jukes has compared it to the great wines of the Rhône, and Decanter and The Wine Advocate have both placed it among the finest Grenache bottlings in the Southern Hemisphere. What strikes reviewers most is how it manages to be both powerful and ethereal, brimming with flavour but never heavy.

In the glass, it offers a spectrum of bright red cherries, raspberries and cranberries, woven with blood orange zest, crushed herbs, spice and mineral earthiness. The tannins are silken, almost weightless, and the finish lingers with perfume and energy. With age, it gains savoury complexity, echoing game, truffle and dried herbs, rewarding cellaring over 12 to 15 years.

It is remarkably versatile at the table. Roast lamb with rosemary, duck breast glazed with plum, or slow-cooked beef cheeks showcase its richness, while chargrilled eggplant with tahini or a wild mushroom risotto highlight its earthy elegance.