High Scoring Excellently Priced Wines from Thistle & Weed!

Good afternoon and Good evening!

Friends of the vine. My grape mates… I’m back from adventures in Portugal and am in between tasting my palate off seeking out new wines both for now and for the run up to Christmas. In the last 2 weeks alone, I think I must have tried in the region of 450-500 wines, most of which are new to me, and all are new vintages of much-loved stalwarts.

I’d love to go on about Portugal, and maybe I will at some point, stick the story in an email, but it already seems so long ago (only 2 weeks!) and I’ve tasted so much new kit as well as had plenty delivered to top up the ailing shelves, dwindled in my absence, that it almost seems wrong to go that far back in time – some of you have had it both barrels in the shop if you’ve come in and asked how my trip was – but for those of you who haven’t, I will just confirm that the trip was magic. Exposure, access and contact with both vine and producer were unparalleled, family like, at times mystical, mostly magical and always fairly robust in terms of tasting. I find myself these days happiest tasting straight from barrel, immersed in soil types and humble precious vines, being spoken to by legendary wine makers with whom it is a pleasure to share one’s time and thoughts. Perfecto, basically… Oh, and the 30C temperatures, wall-to-wall sunshine and exquisite views in valleys and mountain ranges weren’t bad either, neither was the Michelin Guide restaurants, top company and decked out chauffeur driven Merc touring van. I’m aware I’m lucky and I’m mega grateful for my supplier’s kindness in taking me away for such a gorgeous trip. Enough said.

And we move on… Today – South African greatness. A country I wish to champion as much as I can when I can, and you’ll be hearing a good bit about wines form SA in the coming weeks, but let us start with a newish producer to me, who weeks after stocking their wines, scored yet more outrageously consistent points with Tim Atkin.

So, Thistle and Weed, eh? Yep, that is the name of this brilliant, boutique wine maker. Only established in 2015! A duo of Wine Maker Stephanie Wiid (holds a winemaking Masters from Stellenbosch Uni and has made wine for a decade now) and friend, business partner Etienne Treblanche (viticulturist, Masters in Viticulture and Oenology from Montpellier SupAgro and PhD in Viticulture Stellenbosch Uni.) Talented people in terms of Book smarts and proving it in the field. On top of that, the wines have been making waves with rave reviews, regular high scores in the mid to upper 90 points and much adored by specialist South African expert Tim Atkin. I bring before you 3 wines that are currently my favourites, 2 whites and 1 red. One of the whites was my gateway and there was no looking back after that. The red has a bit of a special introductory deal going on as well! So, no excuses not to get involved here.

Thistle & Weed Khakibos White Blend 2023 £30.99

A Verdelho lead blend (45% Verdelho, 19% Chenin Blanc, 15% Alvarinho, 11% Palomino and 10% Fernão Pires) and a blend that is not messing around. There’s a lot going on, but it all merges very finely into an explosion of both electric, exotic, steely and yet plush fruit and structure – a stylistic juxtaposition or maybe better put, balance, that one encounters with all of the wines. Definitely a wine making style with this producer. The Verdelho is grown in hard sedimentary rock named “koffieklip” soil found around the foot slopes of the Helderberg Mountain; the Chenin Blanc is located in an exceptional Paarl vineyard, Duwweltjie planted in the early 1960s; the old vine Palomino is grown in Piekenierskloof sandstone; Alvarinho on gravel in Wellington; and Fernão Pires is from the gravelly soils located along the Breede River. This is a total party in the mouth. A party of soils and fruit, all adding their own voice to the eclectic choir. A true Mashup that works perfectly. Hit the deck DJ and play out that Vine-all. Much of the richness in the whites actually comes from simple diligent lees ageing (9 months on lees) the barrels, which seem as if they are present, are actually 3^rd fill, so really only impart texture with a hint of oaky chewiness, but you could be fooled for thinking there was more oak here, due to the ample richness of the wine in both fruit and texture. The nose fools you into thinking this is just another rich SA blend, but the palate smacks you in the chops for being so presumptuous. On the nose is a load of stone fruit, peach, apricot, creamy lees, dairy, some gentle tropical notes, mango and papaya, creamy vanilla, Jasmine, and blossom come into play. But then on the palate, yes you are taken by yet more creamy stone fruits, as well as quince, apple, pear, and savoury oak but then in comes this racy flash of vivid acidity that just spikes the palate with fresh lime juice and zingy lime zest. A steely core akin to a lightning bolt flash through the very centre of this juice hitting you in the mid-palate lifting the wine into something mouth watering and super refreshing, something you would not have guessed was coming simply off of the nose. And with air, the zesty, striking nature of the wine just grows, with the Verdelho ramping up and up in the mix even showing a bit of herbal stinging nettle on the finish. Is this a fresh white or a rich white? Well, somehow it truly is both. It’s a bit of a mind bender and shows what expert blending can deliver – as this is such a comfortably familiar wine on the one hand, but with so much unique zing and sass to it, that it’s addictive, not to mention an extremely gastronomic offering with pairings galore, from rich meaty fish like Sea Bass, to Pork Loin, Chook, Scallops, Prawns, even Thai Curries. It could look after the Riesling end of the spectrum or the Rich White end. A very well deserved 95 Points awarded by Tim Atkin.

Thistle & Weed Brandnetel OVP Chenin Blanc 2024 £37.99

Coming from an experimental rootstock vineyard at the foot of Simonsberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, planted in 1980, this beautiful chenin comes from old vines of 45 years old and produces a wine that speaks, nay screams of the Granitic soils from which it comes, loud and clear. Its bell-like clarity, its near painful cut and tension, the heightened acidity, just balanced by the huge fleshy voluptuousness of the fruit that hangs form the razor like spine of the wine. It’s Schwarzenegger in a tight white dress. It’s a body builder dancing ballet. It’s the animated Statue of Liberty elegantly crashing down the streets of New York at the end of Ghostbusters 2… Well, maybe that’s an analogy too far – What I’m saying is, this wine is pretty massive, but once again, it’s impressively balanced and super fresh at the same time. It has precision and a line of acidity many wines could only wish for. I could bathe in this. Similar wine making to the above, 9 months lees, aged in 3^rd fill French Oak – this also presents creamy and rich on the nose, but with intense stone fruit and herb aromas. This strikes out on the palate with it’s citrus ferocity, grapefruit, blood orange, lime juice, kiwi fruit, quince, pear skin, the buzz of granite heightening the electricity of the wine, the mineral quality and the salinity are marked, then around this is white peach and apricot, riper lush and soft tropical fruits, vanilla, cream, almost a honeyed character – without being actually sweet though. I really enjoy the thrill of this wine as it is right now – though I accept it is young and that time may tame the acidity a bit, but in some ways, I think you’d be missing part of what makes this wine so engaging and captivating and down right exciting. This wine will happily age very gracefully for the next 5 years and no doubt will be highly entertaining at every stage of its development. Once again, scored a resounding 95 Points from Tim Atkin.

Thistle & Weed Nastergal Red Blend 2022 £30.99 *SPECIAL PRICE: Normally £36*

Mega red blend here (36% Tempranillo, 24% Alicante Bouschet, 18% Touriga Nacional, 8% Pontac, 7% Souzao, 7% Touriga Franca) All these beautiful Iberian varietals are vinified separately and go through natural fermentation in open top fermenters, some of which are kept whole bunch, after slow and gentle pressing the wine is aged in a combo of 2yo and 3yo French Oak barrels for around 11 months. The result is a dark, brooding, Cassis, and Black cherry lead wine, with a fantastically savoury complexity and almost waxy, tar-like resinous quality that runs along under the polished, velvety dark fruits. This is indeed a wine of the night. Though, it can’t be called moody in my opinion. It also retains a real hum of energy under the weight of what could be in other hands, heavy fruit, but here there is still lightness of touch in all the dark. Zippy red currant, Boysenberry, Blueberry. There is crunch, a smoky charcoal note wafts, incense, bitterness that balances the ripe fruit and a juiciness that keeps the narrative going, with an almost tart blackberry jam finish. Herbs and tobacco play their part, no doubt imparted by any stems during fermentation. I found this wine blossomed with a good amount of air. In fact, the second half of the bottle, consumed on day 2 was even better than the first night, suggesting that no doubt this could do with a little more time in bottle if you were being picky, but that’s not to say that it is not already gratifying to consume now, just give it a good 2-4 hours of air before doing so, the you’ll get that beautiful velvety texture, softened tannins and more. This was scored a very solid 93 Points from Tim Atkin. Can’t wait for the next vintage to land, as it has been scored 95 Points and rated one of Tim’s Top Wines of 2025 from SA. More on that when it arrives.

So, please do drop me an email, give me txt a call or just pop in old school-like and holla at me for some of the above. The value is just off the charts. The scores say it all and those who have already had a sneak peek and bought some already in the shop have had nothing but endless positive things to say -so this is no brainer blind buy territory. Get. Stuck. In.

Speak soon.

Cheers

Jim