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McLaren Vale is a wine region
approximately 35 km south of Adelaide in South Australia. It has a population of
about 2,000 and is internationally renowned for the wines it
produces. The region was named after either David McLaren, the
Colonial Manager of the South Australia
Company or John McLaren (unrelated) who surveyed the area in
1839. Although initially the region's main economic activity was
the growing of cereal crops, John Reynell and Thomas Hardy planted grape vines in 1838 and
the present-day Seaview and Hardy wineries
were in operation as early as 1850. Grapes were first planted in
the region in 1838 and some vines more than 100 years old are still
producing. Today there are more than 88 cellar doors in McLaren
Vale. The majority are small family-run operations and boutique
wineries.
Climate
and geography
McLaren Vale has a Mediterranean climate with four clear
seasons. With a dry warm Summer, the area has dry weather from
December through to March or April, giving an easy change between
summer and winter. It is gentle with long warm days and short cool
nights. Winter rains of 580-700 mm per annum flow into a
fresh spring. The region rarely experiences frost or drought due to
its close proximity to the sea. The region is bounded to the south
by the Sellicks Hill Range and to the west by the waters of Gulf Saint
Vincent. It extends east to the historic town of Clarendon and the area
around the Mount Bold Reservoir. To the north
it reaches to Reynella, named after the
first winemaker in the area John Reynell.
Wines
Notable for producing Shiraz, the grape is
by far the most important variety for the region, accounting for
about 50% of the total crush. The area's thin soils, limited water,
and warm summers harness Shiraz’s natural vigor and produce intense
flavored fruit, and wine with a deep purple color that can last
decades in the bottle. McLaren Vale wines are distinguished by
their ripeness, elegance, structure, power and
complexity. McLaren Vale has 3,218 hectares of Shiraz under vine.
Other major varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon with 1,288 ha
planted, Chardonnay with 722 ha planted and Grenache with 402 ha-
much of this dry-grown (non-irrigated) bush vines. (Statistics
taken from the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board’s vineyard
register as of May 2005.)
- Shiraz is harvested from late February to
early April. McLaren Vale Shiraz displays pronounced berry and
spice characters with some dark chocolate and liquorice, while
Shiraz from cooler sub-regions exhibits defined ripe raspberry
characters. McLaren Vale Shiraz is renowned for its great softness
and rolling palate. Many winemakers in McLaren Vale choose to blend
their final Shiraz from a variety of sub-regions to add complexity.
McLaren Vale naturally produces Shiraz that has very small berries.
Smaller berries have a higher skin to pulp ratio. Berry skin
contains flavanols (Anti-sunburn in grapes, 'flavour' in wine),
Anthocyanins (colour) and other complex molecules that add to wine
complexity. Grape pulp contains sugar and water. Therefore the more
skin to less pulp the more complex the finished wine. Small berries
make more intense Shiraz wine. Within McLaren Vale and its
subregions there is a diversity of soil types, clones and winemaking philosophies, which has
led to a huge range of Shiraz wine styles being produced. Most
winemakers produce at least one Shiraz wine
- Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested in
late March. Less famous than McLaren Vale Shiraz, but equally
enchanting, Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale continues to
display the rich ripe characters that typify wines from this
region. Violet and blackcurrant flavours, vibrant plum, mint and
edges of liquorice and a touch of McLaren Vale’s trademark dark
chocolate character are common.
- Grenache is harvested
in late April. It is the ancient type of vine widely planted in
France and Spain. It is the backbone of many of the worlds red and
fortified wines. Grenache vines were
removed from McLaren Vale in the 1980's when demand for fortified
wines fell. Since the late 1990's Grenache has been enjoying a
resurgence of popularity as table wine. The soils of McLaren Vale
are particularly suited to this variety. However in wet years it
can be difficult to grow well as it can produce big bunches of
grapes which make a less concentrated wine. In the best vintages
Grenache displays nuances of plum, mulberry and tobacco leaf, spice
and mint characters with earthy overtones.
- Chardonnay is
harvested in mid March. This is the major white variety of McLaren
Vale. The most pronounced and distinctive feature is ripe peaches,
with the wine from cooler sites displaying white peach. These wines
maintain elegance and generally have long cellaring potential. Some
McLaren Vale Chardonnay also features ripe melon, banana, fig and
cashew nut flavours – rich and generous with pure elegance.
- Sauvignon Blanc is harvested in early
March. Sauvignon Blanc from McLaren Vale has distinctive varietal
characters of tropical fruit, green olives and asparagus, and a
full-flavoured palate with a clean, fresh acid finish. Sauvignon
Blanc grown in McLaren Vale reaches relatively high sugar levels
compared with other wine regions growing this variety. The variety
shows herbaceous, gooseberry, passionfruit and lychee aromas.
- Petit Verdot is one of Bordeaux’s classic
red grape varieties. It is a very thick-skinned grape that produces
a wine of considerable depth, peppery, spicy and fragrant. Geoff
Johnston of Pirramimma planted the first Australian plot at McLaren
Vale in 1983 and it is only now that this wine is being recognised
elsewhere. Demand for cuttings of this variety has expanded rapidly
and more wines will be presented to the market in the future. Petit
Verdot grapes produce wine that has the colour intensity and spice
of Shiraz, but with added fragrance of violets, which makes the
nose very attractive.
- Sangiovese is an
Italian variety that does well in low fertility soils and a warm
dry climate. It is slow to ripen and produces wine high in acid and
tannin. The wine is deep in colour and aroma, and good for long
cellaring. Sangiovese is harvested in McLaren Vale in late March
early April.
- Tempranillo is a
Spanish variety that produces a red wine that matures quickly and
can be ready for drinking in the year of vintage. In Spain
Tempranillo is one of the most popular reds and when blended with
Carignan it makes the best red wine of the Rioja region.
- Verdelho is a
Portuguese white wine variety that likes low vigour soils and a
warm dry climate, Verdelho has been around for some time and is
enjoying an increase in popularity. It produces wines that are
vivacious, fruit salad-like, dry, and best when drunk young and
fresh.
- Viognier is an exotic
variety introduced from France where the best wines are produced in
the Condrieu region. This variety exhibits exotic aromas of apricot
and musk, and light oak and malolactic character; with rose,
nectarine and white peach, McLaren Vale Viognier is spicy and
complex with a huge spectrum of flavours.
- Zinfandel is a
thin-skinned grape that needs dry conditions to avoid rotting.
Bunches ripen unevenly, requiring careful picking to ensure the
true character is available to be further developed by the
winemaker. Zinfandel is spicy in character without being
particularly heavy.
Soil
characteristics
The McLaren district has many different soil types and this
contributes to the wines from the area having different terroir. The vineyards are
planted on soils including fertile red-brown earths, terra rossa,
rendzina, soft sands and dark cracking clays.
Each of these soil types contributes to the rich diversity of
wine produced by the winemakers of the region. Overall our soils
have one common trait; they are free draining which means they hold
very little water. This is, in fact, an advantage, as it allows the
accurate control of moisture to the vines through the use of
state-of-the-art drip irrigation. Because of reliable winter rain,
irrigation can be kept to low levels and manipulated to achieve the
production of superior fruit.
Some soil types allow grapes to be dry-grown. Approximately 20%
of the total crop is dry-grown. These dry-grown vines are renowned
for small fruit size, which is sought after for the intensity of
its flavour.
Most vineyards are found on gently undulating land at about 100
m above sea level. In the foothills of the Mt Lofty Ranges to the
east, where there is a scattering of vineyards, elevation rises to
320 m. In the north around Blewitt Springs elevation is around 200
m. These variations in elevation have a significant impact on the
terroir and fruit produced in the vineyards.
Subregions
- Blewitt Springs-Named after the township of Blewitt Springs this
sub-region is the furthest from the sea and has the highest
altitude, most rain and coolest winters. Blewitt Springs is
characterised by deep sandy soils which, in average years, result
in even, gradual ripening producing wines that are fleshy, lifted
and fruity, with good colour and rich soft tannins. In wet years
the vines are more highly cropped and result in slightly lighter
style wines.
- McLaren Vale-The township of McLaren Vale is the traditional
home of grapegrowing and winemaking in the district. Many of the
vineyards of the early pioneers were situated where the town itself
now stands. Several historic wineries are located in the main
street itself including Tatachilla and Thomas Hardy's Tintara. Many
of the roads in the town are named after the original winemaking
families. The town is nestled between two rows of low hills
consisting of ironstone and chalky rock with a thin covering of
clay loam, This provides good drainage. The soil is rich in calcium
and is slightly alkaline where the soil meets the parent rock.
Vineyards on the hill tops are world famous for Shiraz, which
produce a very concentrated flavour and colour. The low hills catch
the afternoon summer sunshine, ripening the fruit without fail. The
thin soil has the ideal balance for the normally vigorous Shiraz,
taming it and pushing every last drop of energy into the
fruit.
- Seaview-Heading north from the main street of McLaren Vale are
roads travelled by generations of farmers. They lead to a line of
steep hills. This sub-region is known as Seaview . The soils in
this region are highly variable from red earth clay on limestone to
sand on marly limestone to grey loam on clay. The common factor is
the thin layer of topsoil, which is among the poorest in the region
resulting frequently in low yields and low vigour. Hill tops in the
Seaview sub-region experience warm nights and cool afternoon sea
breezes while valleys experience cold air drainage off the range as
it flows towards the sea at night. Vines on the hilltops generally
ripen early and produce peppery spicy bold wines, while vines in
the valleys ripen considerably later producing wines with bold ripe
dark plum characters. Shiraz and Grenache are excellent with many
of the top producers basing their wines around exclusive parcels of
Seaview fruit.
- McLaren Flat-As the name suggests, McLaren Flat is the
sprawling flat land to the east of the town of McLaren Vale. The
area has more clay above the subsoil than McLaren Vale, however
there are some patches of sand similar to that found in Blewitt
Springs. McLaren Flat is home to the best white wine Chardonnay in
the area. The ‘gully wind’ flows down from the high hills further
to the east even on the hottest nights helping to cool the fruit.
This suits delicate Chardonnay to a tee, holding acid in the fruit
while the region’s abundant sunshine gives the fruit its full
favour. The night breezes also cool Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
grown in McLaren Flat giving them a specific character.
- Willunga-South from the township of McLaren Vale is the
historic township of Willunga. The ancient hills of the Willunga
escarpment flatten to a gentle rolling landscape heading toward the
sea. This area is known as the Willunga Plains. The soils in this
area are Gilgai or grey clay
over limestone with pockets of red earth on limestone. The cold air
drains across the flats to the sea, resulting in wines that are
consistently good with herbaceous characters and Cabernet like
tannins in Shiraz. Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc are
also made.
- Sellicks Foothills-Sellicks is farthest point south of the
region directly overlooking the ocean beaches. The foothills extend
the length of the base of the Southern Mount Lofty
Ranges. The strip of soil here, mostly red loam, has been
eroded from the ranges. It is thin soil and conducive to small
grape crops. The higher the vineyard on the hills the thinner the
soil and the harder the vines have to work to produce their crop.
During summer strong gully breezes blast the vines at night. These
high winds cause the fruit that remains to produce very intense
wines. The vineyards further north do not experience the warming
effect from the sea and because of this tend to have a later
ripening period with many vineyards producing wine similar to
Willunga which the area borders.
See also
References
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