The Many Faces of McLaren Vale

BY ANGUS HUGHSON | FEBRUARY 02, 2023

A short distance south of Adelaide, the region’s capital, sits McLaren Vale, one of South Australia’s jewels. It is a stunning corner of the state, bordered on one side by waves lapping on the pristine, white sandy beaches of the Gulf St. Vincent, where cooling breezes provide much-needed respite during the height of summer. Unsurprisingly, the attractive landscape and close proximity to Adelaide made McLaren Vale home to some of the first vineyards in the state almost two hundred years ago, 8ha stretching back to before 1900. There are plenty of other mature vineyards, including 45 (83ha) planted before 1950. Today, McLaren Vale totals 7,438 hectares of planted vineyards.

These vineyards have been one of the key engines behind Australian red wines for over a century. Many historic wineries had their start and home in McLaren Vale - Hardy’s, Wirra Wirra, Tatachilla and d’Arenberg, to name a few. At the same time, McLaren Vale was favored by a few Barossans to fill out some of their most famous wines. The first vintage of Penfolds Grange from 1951 included a mix of fruit from Magill in what is now suburban Adelaide and the Honeypot Vineyard of Morphett Vale, which was located just to the north of McLaren Vale. Even then, it was clear that the McLaren Vale mid-palate was a handy addition to wines from further north. Today, several super-premium wines continue to rely on McLaren Vale as a vital component.

The Coastal Vineyards of McLaren Vale backing on to the Gulf St Vincent.

McLaren Vale in Context with South Australia

With its strong focus on Shiraz, McLaren Vale is often compared to the Barossa, home to many of the country’s most famous wines and oldest vineyards. Yet South Australia, a state of almost one million square kilometers, provides a rich tapestry of Shiraz expressions shaped by a continental interior balanced against more temperate regions huddled around the coast, including a mix of cooler climates. South Australia also offers a combination of Northern and Southern Rhône characteristics and elegant Shiraz styles through to the more classic, robust thoroughbreds.

Comparisons of wines from South Australia to the Rhône Valley are particularly pertinent, now more than ever. Shiraz has dominated the landscape and the headlines for decades, but now there is greater respect for the other Rhône varieties. Grenache and Mourvédre (commonly referred to as Mataro), in particular, as well as Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, are gaining in popularity. The leaps and bounds made with Grenache over the last decade are perhaps the most exciting development in the local fine wine scene, with winemakers now scrambling for old vine fruit that was once largely ignored or left to wallow in non-descript regional blends. The tale of great Australian Grenache is only starting to emerge, and, with a warming climate, this will become a nation-defining story in the coming decades.

Kaleidoscopic Diversity

McLaren Vale is characterized by tightly packed vineyards that start close to the coast before spreading over rolling slopes that slowly rise to meet the Adelaide Hills. Vineyards range in altitude from close to sea level up to 350 meters. This varied geography instills a significant diversity in the region, often not widely recognized, and displays a fascinating kaleidoscopic tapestry for winemakers and viticulturists to practice their craft. It also offers a myriad of blending options. But as local winemakers know, altitude makes up only a tiny component of the region’s overall diversity. According to viticulturist and winemaker Dudley Brown, “This is just one layer in a complex story with rainfall patterns, gully winds, the influence of the ocean and geology, all having an impact.”

The soil diversity here is a dream for geologists, with over forty different soil types spread throughout this relatively small region, which is a bit over twice the size of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For millions of years, the lower parts of McLaren Vale were under the sea, with waves crashing against the Adelaide Hills, depositing sand and silt all the way up to the higher vineyards around Kangarilla. Equally, as the water retreated, beach sands were then blown from one side of McLaren Vale to the other, in some places leaving layers of sand up to three meters in depth. A range of geological events has provided an incredible legacy of gravels, clays and loams with outcrops of limestone and Terra Rossa. Only some of these soils have particularly good water-holding capacity, but luckily, there is a plentiful, local supply that is a godsend in hot, dry years.

While there are no official sub-regions in McLaren Vale, many vignerons label their wines as coming from areas such as Willunga, Clarendon or Blewitt Springs, and there certainly are broad differences. Lower-lying areas near the ocean are generally warmer during the day but receive cooling afternoon breezes, slowly permeating up to higher altitudes. Parts of the Seaview Zone and Blewitt Springs offer cooler sites as the altitude winds up to Kangarilla and Clarendon. Arguably, Clarendon makes the most distinctive regional style thanks mainly to its location with some of the highest vineyards, as seen in the wines from Hickinbotham, Clarendon Hills, Bekkers and S.C. Pannell.