Just to the east and south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is a stunning rolling landscape of hills and dales leading from the outskirts of the city to the ocean on one side and the Mount Lofty ranges on the other. Predating establishment in the Barossa Valley by just a decade, it has some of the oldest vines in the country.
Most will have the ripe, bold taste of Shiraz on their lips when thinking of the name McLaren Vale, but there’s much more to the region than this and the other key red Cabernet Sauvignon. Modern-styled Grenache produced here is cherry-laden and bright, an old new hero of the region. Over recent decades, many of the more traditional varieties are being replaced with Italian varieties like Fiano, Nero d’Avola and Pinot Grigio, which have found a welcome home in this sunny Mediterranean-style climate.
McLaren Vale is one of the most diverse terroirs in Australia, with over 40 separate geological configurations and 19 marked districts over 7,500 hectares. Soil types vary from clays to sands, but a common thread is their free-draining nature. The climate is generally warm, with micro-climate variations dependent on the altitude, aspect and proximity to the Gulf of St Vincent.
McLaren Vale has some of the oldest vines in Australia. The still-running Oxenberry Farm and James Reynell planted Hermitage-inspired varieties like Shiraz and Grenache in the 1830s. Over time and with the whims of the market, the region became a hub of fortified wine production, and in the 1970s Stefano Maglieri emulated Lambrusco with his McLaren Vale Grenache, wowing the world with the ripeness of the region’s fruit and his innovative ‘Amabile’ style. After the decades of blockbuster reds from the late 1980s, growers started exploring the potential for new varieties. Italian migrants from the 50s and 60s who had settled in the region brought Mediterranean varieties, which are now reaching maturity and providing a new direction for the region.
Inky purple in colour, the nose is rich and full with blackberry, plum, licorice and pepper aromas. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, with complex layers and a soft yet structured finish. Designed to pack a punch with flavour but not with weight, this is a very crowd-pleasing wine, and suited to a variety of dishes and occasions, but will be particularly happy at a weekend barbecue.
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