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Description
Willunga 100 have been banging the drum for this variety long before it was trendy, and these three single-vineyard wines show exactly why they’re still at the front of the pack. Each one comes from a dry-grown, old-vine site - Trott, Blind Spot and Smart - with decades of history and a whole lot of character.
There’s real magic in seeing how these sites express themselves: the lifted spice and floral perfume of Trott, the dark, earthy depth of Blind Spot, and the old-world savouriness and minerality of Smart. It’s a study in terroir, sure, but above all, it’s just delicious wine.
Made by Renae Hirsch with a light touch and a clear vision, this pack is a must-have for anyone who wants to understand why McLaren Vale Grenache is having its moment - and why it’s here to stay.
- 2023 Willunga 100 Smart Vineyard Grenache
- 2023 Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard Grenache
- 2023 Willunga 100 Blind Spot Vineyard Grenache\
2023 Willunga 100 Smart Vineyard Grenache
Sourced from 100-year-old bush vines planted by Bernard Smart in 1922, this is a Grenache with some serious pedigree. The Clarendon site sits higher and cooler than Blewitt Springs, and that elevation comes through in the wine’s lifted aromatics and crunchy, mineral-driven palate.
The 2023 vintage has delivered something really special here. It opens with a savoury perfume - bay leaf, rose petal, mint and a flicker of peppery spice - wrapped around a core of bright cranberry and cherry fruit. The palate is fresh and snappy, all red berries, wild herbs and a splash of wet slate minerality. Tannins are fine and stony, keeping the finish clean and long.
This is a more savoury, structured expression than its Blewitt Springs siblings - made gently in open fermenters, matured mostly in stainless steel to keep all that brightness and purity intact. A brilliant look at the cooler, more refined side of McLaren Vale Grenache.
96 points
"Darker fruit profile, but without density. Assured, poised and intricately structured. Dark cherry, rubbed rosemary, a seam of spice. It’s a beautiful framework, with the temptation to over-decorate through winemaking resisted."
- Nick Ryan (The Australian)
95 points
"This is the palest and prettiest of the single-vineyard trio, with wild raspberry, redcurrant, sour cherry, cranberry, a hint of rose and dried orange peel, the feel engagingly savoury and refined, cinched by fine, skinsy tannins, chewy, sandy and pithy. This expands beautifully with air and promises to be singing on release."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
95 points
"Very good. Expressive and kind of fine-boned in a way, and comes over more than a little like Nebbiolo. Give it a year or two more in bottle, I’d say."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
2023 Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard Grenache
Seventy years on and still kicking goals - Sue Trott’s dry-grown bush vines in Blewitt Springs continue to prove why they’re among McLaren Vale’s finest. Planted in 1952 on deep Maslin Sands and perched 210m above sea level, this single-vineyard Grenache is a pitch-perfect reflection of its site: aromatic, textured, and detailed.
2023 threw some curveballs - wet, windy spring, a cool, late summer - but the Trott vines rose to the occasion. Lower yields meant flavour-packed fruit, and winemaker Renae Hirsch has captured all the nuance and energy of the season with a deft touch. There’s a subtle 10% whole bunch inclusion and a long, gentle ferment before basket pressing and maturation on lees in stainless steel to retain purity and finesse.
It’s all violets, lavender and sage on the nose, with red cherry, citrus peel and earthy spice curling through the palate. The tannins are fine but assertive, drawing out a long, graceful finish.
This is beautiful, thoughtful Grenache that balances perfume and presence - elegance without losing its roots. Perfect for a long lunch (tea-smoked duck, anyone?) or a quiet night in with something vinyl on the turntable.
96 points
"It’s lean and athletic through the palate, crouched like a stalking lion, all rippling muscle and fast-twitch fibres."
- Nick Ryan (The Australian)
96 points
"Even at this early stage, there is a deeply meditative quality to the expression, a wine speaking clearly of fruit, place and a beneficial (if difficult) season."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
96 points
"Full bodied and impressively proportioned, balanced and approachable now although will certainly age brilliantly."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
95 points
"Medium to full-bodied, a more robust style with chewy tannin, lots of impact and presence, dark spices, raspberry and cranberry brightness, in with more emphatic ferrous things, and a firm finish of excellent length. Quite a wine."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
2023 Willunga 100 Blind Spot Vineyard Grenache
From Willunga 100’s own dry-grown bush vines planted over 50 years ago, this is a beautifully expressive Grenache from the sandy soils of Blewitt Springs. The vineyard’s 15-acre block sits on an elevated, southwest-facing slope, where the old vines dig deep into Maslin sand over ironstone and clay - classic Grenache country.
The 2023 vintage brings a little extra finesse to the table. Aromas of bright red berries - raspberry and cherry - are laced with pepper, warm spice, and a hint of dried herbs. On the palate, it’s softly textured with earthy complexity, fresh acidity and a fine dusting of tannin through the finish. There’s a nice balance here between vibrant fruit and savoury detail.
Made gently in open fermenters and matured mostly in stainless steel to retain purity, it’s a wine that speaks clearly of place and vintage. A great example of modern McLaren Vale Grenache - elegant, characterful, and seriously good value.
95 points
"This rounds out the single-site grenache bottlings. The clarity of making is the same, with each speaking of site, and all three pure, lithe and vibrant, but this presents now as the slightly more brooding of the trio... It’s a very nice wine, and the August release is on its side."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
