Clarendon , perched high in the southeastern foothills, is positioned around a quaint 19th-century township that draws both locals and visitors. The subregion has a reputation for powerful, long-lived wines of exceptional quality. Its clay-loam soils, high in iron, benefit from generous sunshine and cool nights, producing wines of depth, concentration, and ageability. McLaren Flat , on the valley floor, is the warmest growing area. Rich alluvial soils retain heat, encouraging ripe, dense, fruit-forward styles with soft tannins and immediate appeal. Micro-sites within the subregion, however, show finesse and strong ageing potential.
Visionaries of the Vale: Tradition, Innovation, and Legacy
McLaren Vale’s success lies not only in the quality of its wines and the careful custodianship of its old vines but in the collective wisdom of those who tend its soils and shape its future. Generations of growers, makers and thinkers have treated this land as both teacher and collaborator — reading its geology, adapting to its shifting climate, and allowing its personality to speak through every glass. From the Kay Brothers, who continue a lineage steeped in tradition, to the inventive Osborn family of d’Arenberg, from Mark Lloyd at Coriole, an early champion of Mediterranean varieties such as sangiovese and picpoul, to Corrina Wright at Oliver’s Taranga, whose fearless work with Falanghina and Mencía redefines what Australian wine can be — McLaren Vale has always drawn strength from its visionaries. Here, heritage and innovation share the same breath. The region hums with creative intent, grounded in a reverence for its ancient earth. Every vineyard, every glass, carries the echo of those early rumblings — the shifting plates, the changing seas, the deep song that first gave this land its voice.
South Australia Wine Guide 2026 | McLaren Vale
257
Powered by FlippingBook