Willunga 100 Grenache

Willunga 100 Grenache from Mclaren Vale

Willunga 100 Grenache – A bright aromatic wine showing red cherry fruit, earthy spice and liquorice notes. The palate is generous and laden with red fruits, complemented with cardamom spice and woody herbs, over a supportive frame of fine grained tannins. A juicy and vibrant wine.

Vineyard Details

The Grenache grapes are sourced from the estate-owned ‘Blind Spot’ vineyard in the sub-region of Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale. The 100% dry-grown, bush vine Grenache comes from three different sections of the vineyard, each with a slightly different aspect and elevation. The average vine age is approximately 50 years old, and the soils of the vineyard are deep Maslin sand over a base of ironstone and clay, resulting in grapes that have great depth of flavour.

Winemaking

The three selected parcels were hand harvested and vinified separately. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, open-top fermenters. Two parcels were fermented with 20% whole bunch (equating to approximately 14% whole bunch across the wine). Gentle basket pressing took place after 10 days on the skins. Following primary fermentation, 60% of the wine was transferred to seasoned French oak puncheons to undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine remained on fine lees for 10 months prior to racking and bottling, unfined.

Producer Profile

Willunga 100 has focused on old-vine Grenache in McLaren Vale since its first vintage in 2005. They made their first single-vineyard wine in 2009 and have since helped pioneer a fresher, more lifted style that highlights the sensitivity of Grenache to site in the Blewitt Springs and Clarendon sub-regions.

You can see more information on the Willunga 100 winery by going to their website.

To see our full range of Willunga 100 product go to our dedicated web page

The soils in McLaren Vale are among the oldest in the world, estimated at over 500 million years. The resulting low vigour and old vines combine to produce low yields in the vineyard and stunning, concentrated fruit.

The name is taken from the historic ‘Hundred’ (administrative area of 100 square miles) of Willunga that was established in 1839 – only three years after the settlement of South Australia – and today marks the land from which much of our fruit is sourced. The tree featured on our bottle label is an old River Red Gum, which stands tall over the vineyards and was already over one hundred years of age when the first vines were planted in McLaren Vale in the 1840s.

Before the first vintage in 2005, the team explored the McLaren Vale vineyards and came across plots of 50-year-old Grenache vines. At this time, most of the wine produced from this fruit was destined for blending as there was little demand for top quality Grenache. We decided this had to change, so they made these vines their focus and gave them the attention they deserved. They haven’t looked back since.

Willunga 100 Grenache – Great McLaren Vale Grenache