McLaren Vale - Subregions

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.