Thomas Hardy and John Reynell were the first to plant grape vines in Mclaren Vale. David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company, arrived in the small colony just thirty five kilometers south of Adelaide in 1837, and Hardy and Reynell started planting grape vines in 1838; by 1850 Hardy Winery and Seaview Winery were producing drinkable red and white wines. Some of the original vines are still producing grapes and there’s nothing like the grapes from older vines.
The beauty of McLaren Vale is its climate, its proximity to the Gulf of St. Vincent, and the Sellicks Hill Range. McLaren has a Mediterranean Climate, which means there are four distinct seasons. The summers are warm and dry, and in winter the 600 to 700 mm of average rain fall, but no frost, is just enough to stimulate the diverse soil, so it produces outstanding vines with exceptional grapes. The natural breeze keeps the vines disease free, and the natural spring flowing from the hills to the gulf adds the perfect amount of moisture when it’s needed; if there’s not enough rain in any given year, drip-irrigation is used. The diverse composition of the soil, along with the temperature variations, and wind intensity in different regions of McLaren Vale, make it one of the most award winning wine areas in the world. There are over eighty eight vineyards in the region, and most of them are family owned and operated. The boutique wines from the area are one-of-a kind drinkable pleasures.
There are five sub-regions around McLaren Vale, and each one produces wine that is unique in structure and character. The regions are: McLaren Flat, Sellicks Foothills, Blewitt Springs, Seaview, and Willunga. The signature wine of the region is the red Shiraz, but the white wines from all of the sub-regions have won numerous awards.
McLaren Flat is the strong hold for Chardonnay. The Chardonnay from the region has the pronounced and distinctive essence of ripe peaches; the cooler hilly areas produce a white peachy character. Other Chardonnays from vineyards around the Vale have the rich and generous features of banana, fig, ripe melon, and cashew nut flavors. Most of these elegant Chardonnay’s can be cellared for several years. Riesling and Rhone white varieties like Roussanne and Viognier are also produced in most of the sub-regions. Sauvignon Blanc is another leader and award winner, and a number of the small vineyards produce it.
Excellent White Wines from McLaren Vale
There’s no doubt that McLaren Vale produces incredible award winning red and white wines. Some of the recent favorites are the 2008 Serafino Reserve Chardonnay, the 2009 Dowie Doole Chenin Blanc, the Scarpantoni 2009 Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Chapel Hill’s 2008 Gorge Block Chardonnay, Tatachilla Growers 2009 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Woodstock’s 2009 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Vasarelli Vineyards McLaren Vale 2008 Chardonnay, the 2006 Yangarra Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay, and Gemtree’s 2007 and 2008 Tadpole Chardonnay Viognier. The James Halliday 2009 Slate Quarry Riesling, the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, and the 2009 Almond Grove Chardonnay, along with the 2009 Jette’s Viognier are excellent choices as well.
