2024 Thistledown ‘Walking With Kings’ Roussanne / Grenache Blanc McLaren Vale
What happens when you treat two ‘alternative’ varieties with the same amount of reverence other makers would reserve for the noble chardonnay? If you’re Thistledown’s Giles Cooke, you get a serious – and seriously delicious – textural white.

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Australian wine drinkers are an adventurous bunch – thanks to the pioneering work of figures such as Max Allen, the Chalmers family, and the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, we’re very happy to try emerging ‘alternative’ varieties. (This is a very good thing, too, as these varieties are likely be far better suited to many Australian wine-growing regions than the more familiar chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz, et cetera.) Indeed, some of the ‘alternative’ varieties of yesteryear, such as pinot gris/grigio, are now mainstays in Australia – while relative newcomers fiano and tempranillo look set to storm the mainstream shortly. But one barrier persists – price. As a general rule, Australian wine drinkers aren’t willing to pay serious money for wines made from these varieties, instead preferring to hew to tried-and-true mainstream (or ‘noble’) varieties when looking for a statement bottle. Enter ‘Walking With Kings’, a blend of handpicked roussanne and grenache blanc from two separate McLaren Vale vineyards, each of which have been given the kind of luxe winemaking treatment normally reserved for chardonnay. It’s not a cheap wine, but neither is it expensive, given the effort involved and quality produced – instead, it’s the kind of wine that can quietly reframe our expectations for ‘alternative’ varieties, and prove them every bit as ‘noble’ as their better-known counterparts.

Tasting Note

An intriguing nose – initially somewhat closed, but as it comes up in temperature and sees some oxygen it becomes redolent of lemon zest, almond meal, candied orange rind, orange blossom, honeysuckle, and tinned peaches and pears in their syrup. Fresh and lithe on the palate, brightened by zesty acidity, despite a syrupy texture that plays nicely with the tinned-fruit aromatic notes and a slightly waxy feel on the finish. The flavours on the palate skew a little more savoury than the nose would suggest, with some Parmesan rind–like lees influence showing in the middle palate and a sprinkling of sea salt–like minerality on the finish. It’s a wine of intriguing contrasts – rich yet light, fruity yet savoury, bright but not overtly acid-driven. Most importantly, it’s a wine that deftly straddles the line between ‘eminently drinkable’ and ‘thought-provoking’.

Themes of this wine

McLaren Vale

While it couldn’t feel any more removed from city life, the McLaren Vale wine region is actually inside Adelaide’s metropolitan area. And although the township itself is only forty minutes by car from central Adelaide and vineyards brush up against ever-encroaching housing, McLaren Vale remains unaffected by the urban sprawl. With deeply etched history, the Vale has a slow-paced sense of calm and an extraordinary wealth of untrammelled beauty. It is home to some of this country’s most beautifully pristine beaches, as well as some of the world’s most forward-thinking grape-growers and winemakers. And with over eighty cellar doors, it is an essential destination for wine lovers – and anyone else, for that matter.

Roussanne

A white variety grown primarily in France’s Rhône Valley, roussanne partners with marsanne in the north for Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage and Saint-Joseph, while it slips into Southern Rhône blends in lower concentrations, with grenache blanc taking more of a lead. Australia has very little of the variety planted, but the small amount that is grown has shown to make compelling wine, either as a varietal wine or blended with its familiar foils, marsanne and viognier.

Grenache blanc

As its name suggests, grenache blanc is a colour mutation of grenache – the raspberry-scented red variety from Spain that is more famous in its Southern French guise. As with the dark-skinned original, grenache blanc likely originated in Spain, with the colour mutation probably occurring in the Terra Alta region of Catalunya, not far from Barcelona. While there isn’t much grenache blanc currently in the ground in Australia, it’s a variety that has attracted some attention as a climate-apt variety for warmer regions, particularly in South Australia, given its natural tolerance to both drought and heat. It produces rich, unctuous white wines that, while not overly high in acid, can age well if carefully made.

Tasting Note

Themes of this wine

McLaren Vale

Roussanne

Grenache blanc

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