Country: Australia Region: Mc Laren Vale Varietal: Cabernet/Shiraz Vintage: 2016 Colour: Red Style: Dry Producer: Willunga 100 PRODUCERWillunga 100 is in McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide. The grapescome from a range of selected vineyards in McLaren Vale,including some over 80 years old. Head winemaker Skye Salter issupported by Mike Farmilo who has 40 years of experienceworking in McLaren Vale. Together they aim to produce uniqueand distinctive wines which capture the essence of the region.They use modern equipment alongside traditional winemakingtechniques to ferment the small parcels of fruit arriving at thewinery. The term "hundred" originates from late Saxon and NormanEngland and refers to an administrative unit of government,meaning that 100+ households had to live in the area to qualify forits place on the map. Willunga 100 select their fruit from smallparcels just as the district was divided up into '100s', or small lots.VINEYARDSThe fruit for this wine was sourced from multiple sites acrossMcLaren Vale, largely in the Tatachilla and Whites Valleysub regions. The vineyards in Tatachilla are single cordon, trellis trained vines planted on loamy soils over limestone. This areaexperiences cooling sea breezes which moderate the summertemperatures. The Whites Valley vineyards are also trellised singlecordon vines and soil types are generally alluvial clay, sand andgravel.VINIFICATIONEach parcel was fermented separately in open top, stainless steelfermenters. Regular pump overs and plunging ensured optimumextraction while maintaining fruit purity. After 10 to 14 days onskins, wines were basket-pressed to stainless steel tanks tocomplete alcoholic fermentation. The wines were then racked toused French and American oak hogsheads and puncheons, toundergo malolactic conversion and maturation before bottling.TASTING NOTESIntense aromatics of dark cherry and cedar are complementedby tobacco and bay leaf notes. On the palate, there are flavoursof rich blackcurrant and toasty oak. The fine tannin structure givesthis wine a savoury finish.