Tempranillo McLaren Vale 2018 Willunga 100

To produce the Tempranillo McLaren Vale Willunga 100, the two separate parcels of Tempranillo were harvested, destemmed, crushed and fermented in stainless steel open-top fermenters. The wine spent approximately ten days on skins with warm fermentation temperatures, regular plunging and gentle pump overs to ensure a balance of tannin extraction while still maintaining the depth of fruit. The wine was then basket pressed before being racked to old French oak puncheons where it spent 10 months.

The Tempranillo grape variety is ideally suited to the Mediterranean climate of McLaren Vale. The grapes come from two different sites – one a cooler vineyard at higher altitude in the subregion of ‘Tatachilla’, the other closer to the coast in ‘Sellicks’ with a more moderate climate. The vines are trellised with a single cordon.

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.