Thistledown’s This Charming Man Old Vine Grenache 2024 is one of the wines of the year

Thistledown This Charming Man Old Vine Grenache 2024
$95, 13.5% alcohol, screwcap, McLaren Vale.

Thistledown’s This Charming Man Grenache 2024 is one of the best Australian red wines of 2025.

Grown on the Smart vineyard at Clarendon in McLaren Vale. The finesse of this wine, the inherent balance, the array, the interest. And the length. This is a superb wine. Light but insistent, powerful where it needs to be, awash with spice and cherried fruit, and so gorgeously long, sinewy and fine through the finish, the mark of excellence. This is a grenache for the true believers. You don’t just drink this, you come home to it. 96 points.

I have no problem in marking this as one of the best Australian red wines of 2025.