Willunga 100, McLaren Vale Cabernet Shiraz
Country: Australia Region: Mc Laren Vale
Varietal: Cabernet/Shiraz
Vintage: 2016 Colour: Red Style: Dry
Producer: Willunga 100
PRODUCER
Willunga 100 is in McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide. The grapes
come from a range of selected vineyards in McLaren Vale,
including some over 80 years old. Head winemaker Skye Salter is
supported by Mike Farmilo who has 40 years of experience
working in McLaren Vale. Together they aim to produce unique
and distinctive wines which capture the essence of the region.
They use modern equipment alongside traditional winemaking
techniques to ferment the small parcels of fruit arriving at the
winery. The term "hundred" originates from late Saxon and Norman
England and refers to an administrative unit of government,
meaning that 100+ households had to live in the area to qualify for
its place on the map. Willunga 100 select their fruit from small
parcels just as the district was divided up into '100s', or small lots.
VINEYARDS
The fruit for this wine was sourced from multiple sites across
McLaren Vale, largely in the Tatachilla and Whites Valley
sub regions. The vineyards in Tatachilla are single cordon, trellis trained vines planted on loamy soils over limestone. This area
experiences cooling sea breezes which moderate the summer
temperatures. The Whites Valley vineyards are also trellised single
cordon vines and soil types are generally alluvial clay, sand and
gravel.
VINIFICATION
Each parcel was fermented separately in open top, stainless steel
fermenters. Regular pump overs and plunging ensured optimum
extraction while maintaining fruit purity. After 10 to 14 days on
skins, wines were basket-pressed to stainless steel tanks to
complete alcoholic fermentation. The wines were then racked to
used French and American oak hogsheads and puncheons, to
undergo malolactic conversion and maturation before bottling.
TASTING NOTES
Intense aromatics of dark cherry and cedar are complemented
by tobacco and bay leaf notes. On the palate, there are flavours
of rich blackcurrant and toasty oak. The fine tannin structure gives
this wine a savoury finish.
