94 pts Halliday Australian Wine Connection From several districts, off old, dry-grown bush vines. The ferments are all nuanced, but all are wild, and there is always some whole bunch; maturation for eight months in old French oak. Pale in hue and pretty in fragrance, such is the vintage. Flavours skip through cranberry, wild raspberry, pomegranate and rose, with white pepper and cassia, the elevating quality the absence of easy juiciness with no loss of vibrancy. That theme is carried through on the palate, a smartly woven net of tannins ensnaring the fruit, shaping without constricting.93 pts James Suckling I always enjoy this wine, the entry point to the glories of McLaren Vale grenache, among the world’s finest expressions of this variety. Tamarind, red cherries, mint and sap verging on rhubarb. Almost like a Beaujolais, and yet there is plenty of tannic grit. Cranberry, white pepper, clove and dried thyme notes on a long, gentle finish. Delicious. Screw cap. Drink or hold.92 pts Wine Advocate March 2024 The 2023 Thorny Devil Grenache is routinely a rip-snorting little wine. Raspberry compote, orange peel, black tea, humbug candies and red licorice frame the bouquet, while on the palate, the wine is plush, luxurious and velvety. It’s really good—again! 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. 2024-2032
