It’s time to head “Down Under” for a truly spectacular old-vine Grenache that might just change everything you think you know about Australian wine. Some of the oldest Grenache vines on the planet thrive in Barossa, Eden Valley, and especially McLaren Vale’s Blewitt Springs, a subregion now hailed for producing some of the purest, most resonant Grenache wines on Earth.
Yes, Grenache is a headliner in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Spain’s Priorat—but you won’t find one with this level of pedigree and purity at this price. Thistledown’s Sands of Time delivers all the brilliance of top old-vine Grenache, without the $100+ price tag you'd expect from a top-tier Châteauneuf or Priorat blend.
Lock in the best price in America on a 3-bottle buy, saving over 20% off the SRP of $75.00.
A past winner of Grenache of the Year, Sands of Time has become a benchmark wine for Blewitt Springs, earning praise from the world’s top critics vintage after vintage.
Sourced from the historic Trott Vineyard, planted in 1952 on deep, free-draining sandy soils, this bush-vine Grenache sees fermentation in concrete, followed by aging in seasoned oak and more concrete for 10 months. Despite its concentration, the alcohol is lower than many Rhône cuvées—and the tannins are so fine, you can drink this with an hour of air or age it for another decade with ease.
This is a dark-saturated stunner, unfurling an exotic mix of spicebox, tobacco, licorice, and leather, riding on waves of dark raspberry and black cherry fruit. The finish? Long, savory, and dusted with powdery tannins.
We’re all in on this one—and after your first sip, you will be too. One bottle won’t cut it.
Press Accolades:
95 Points, Wine Advocate:
“ … one of the loveliest Grenaches that I tasted from McLaren Vale last year, and it again presents with a hedonistic display of sweet ripe fruit, supple blood orange inflections on the tannic structure and layer upon layer of flavor and texture. All of the components are enmeshed and present as one. The tannins are again my favorite part of this picture: sandy (Blewitt Springs), pluming, uber-fine and absolutely ever present. This is a big wine but so detailed.” - Erin Larkin, Sept. 2023
