Shiraz Viognier McLaren Vale 2020 – Willunga 100

To produce the Shiraz Viognier McLaren Vale Willunga 100, the two Shiraz blocks were harvested separately three weeks apart and were vinified individually until the final blending. The grapes started fermentation on skins for seven days before being pressed to stainless steel tanks. Once fermented to dryness, the wine was racked to oak hogsheads to undergo malolactic conversion and age for 18 months. The hoghseads were 80% French and 20% American oak with approximately 20% new and the rest largely under three years old. The Viognier was fermented separately and barrel-aged before being blended with the Shiraz prior to bottling.

The Shiraz for this blend comes from two different blocks on a vineyard in McLaren Flat, an area at the base of the hills towards Kangarilla. The vines are trellised with a single cordon. The soils throughout the vineyard are the ‘Kurrajong Formation’ which consists of clay-sand and silica-cemented conglomerate.

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.