McLaren Vale : shiraz épicé et grenache de vieilles vignes
9 bouteilles, du shiraz épicé au grenache de vieilles vignesA red from southern Australia that keeps a light touch, that is what people come here for. Between Gulf St Vincent and the first slopes of Mount Lofty, the sea breeze rises every afternoon and stretches ripening out by several weeks. The fruit stays clean, the spice comes ahead of the jam, the palate finishes fresh.
The range follows three houses in the valley. D'Arenberg, settled there since 1912, for the table cuvées. Bondar for the slopes of the Rayner vineyard. MMAD for the sands of Blewitt Springs, where Chenin and Syrah were planted around 1940.
d'Arenberg - The Stump Jump White Blend 2025
A superb blend of 4 white grape varieties which results in an aromatic vintage full of freshness
Bondar - Violet Hour Shiraz 2021
A beautiful interpretation of Syrah that expresses finesse and freshness.
D'Arenberg - The Olive Grove 2021
A beautiful chardonnay with a balanced and intense structure that delights and seduces the taste buds!
MMAD - Chenin Blanc 2023
A Chenin Blanc from an old vineyard from 1939
D'Arenberg - The Stump Jump Red 2018
A blend of 3 grape varieties bringing together power and aromatic intensity!
MMAD - Grenache 2022
This wine embodies the modern elegance of great Australian Grenache, between finesse and depth.
Bondar - Rayner Vineyard Grenache 2022
A precise and perfumed McLaren Vale Grenache, where coastal freshness meets the depth of the old-vine Rayner vineyard.
Ce que la vallée fait de chaque raisin
The same grape changes face as soon as it leaves the neighbouring valley. Here the sea is a few kilometres away, the nights cool down, and the skin of the berry thickens slowly. These are the grape varieties the selection runs through, each with the bottle that represents it.
| Le cépage | Son profil ici | Ce qui le distingue ailleurs | Une bouteille du rayon |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShirazLa syrah sous son nom australien | Mûre fraîche, cassis, poivre et violette, tanin soyeux | Plus souple et plus épicé que celui de la Barossa, la brise lui garde son acidité | Bondar Violet Hour Shiraz24,90 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
| GrenacheVieilles vignes de sable et de calcaire | Framboise, myrtille, garrigue, bouche juteuse et saline | Conduit sur sable plutôt que sur galets roulés, il gagne en parfum ce qu'il perd en puissance | Bondar Rayner Vineyard Grenache31,50 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
| Mourvèdre | Fruits rouges, charpente, tanin ferme | Il sert d'ossature à l'assemblage local, là où le Sud français lui confie le premier rôle | D'Arenberg The Stump Jump Red13,50 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
| Chenin blanc | Kumquat, cédrat, pierre mouillée, bouche ciselée | Élevé sur sable fin et embruns, il finit plus salin que ses cousins de Loire | MMAD Chenin Blanc38 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
| ChardonnayBlended with the Adelaide Hills | Nectarine, pomme verte, noisette grillée, sept mois de fût | Grapes from the neighbouring heights bring it the tension the valley alone would have left broad | D'Arenberg The Olive Grove17,90 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
| L'assemblage blanc Riesling, sauvignon, marsanne, roussanne | Fleurs blanches, poire, pamplemousse, gras et minéralité | Four grape varieties gathered in a single glass, a rare formula outside the French South | D'Arenberg The Stump Jump White Blend12,90 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
Shiraz can also be tasted in its most direct version with D'Arenberg's The Footbolt, an unfiltered wine aged twelve to eighteen months in barrel, at €18.50 a bottle, by the case of 6. To follow the grape variety from one country to the next, the Syrah page gathers it together, and Grenache has one of its own.
The soils, sector by sector
Sables blancs, calcaires marins, argiles rouges, schistes anciens : peu de vignobles changent de sous-sol aussi vite. Vingt minutes de voiture suffisent à passer d'une formation à l'autre, et le verre le dit avant la carte.
| Le secteur | Relief et distance à la mer | Le sol dominant | The imprint in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blewitt Springs | North-eastern plateau, 150 to 200 m, away from the direct sea spray | Sables profonds posés sur une couche de galets de pierre de fer | Parfum floral, tanin délié, trame saline sous le fruit |
| Seaview et Tatachilla | Croupes face au golfe, à trois kilomètres du rivage | Sables éoliens sur argiles rouges | Fruit mûr et souple, acidité tenue par la brise de l'après-midi |
| McLaren Flat | Terrasses alluviales au centre de la vallée | Graviers et limons profonds | Rouges charnus, fruit noir généreux, bouche large |
| Willunga et le piémont de Sellicks | Foot of the Willunga Fault, backed against the hills | Argiles rouges sur calcaire ancien | Structure ferme, tanin droit, finale minérale |
| Clarendon and the foothills of Mount Lofty | Eastern slope, 250 to 350 m, the latest-ripening sector | Schistes et grès altérés | Poivre noir, tension, maturité lente et degré contenu |
| Le cœur historique, autour du bourg | Coteaux doux le long du ruisseau, au centre | Calcaires affleurants et argiles sableuses | Fruit net, bouche pleine qui garde la fraîcheur |
| Aldinga et la bande littorale | Bord du golfe Saint-Vincent, exposition plein ouest | Sables marins et grès tendres | Blancs vifs et salins, rouges légers de bord de mer |
At Blewitt Springs, MMAD works vines planted in 1939 for Grenache and in 1941 for Syrah: MMAD Grenache and MMAD Syrah share the same sand, at €49.90 a bottle, in packs of 2. For the warm reading of the same grape variety, the Barossa takes over north of Adelaide, and the Australia pillar gives the complete picture.
A bottle for every mood
Ways into the valley, from the everyday white to a bottle from old vines.
Ouvrir la vallée par un blanc
Quatre cépages blancs assemblés : fleurs blanches, poire, pamplemousse et une finale vive. Le blanc d'apéritif et de poisson grillé.
D'Arenberg The Stump Jump White Blend 2025 · 12,90 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6A southern red for the week
Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre in unequal proportions: plum, raspberry and liquorice, round tannin. The red for slow-cooked dishes.
D'Arenberg The Stump Jump Red 2018 · 13,50 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Goûter le shiraz de la région
Cerise noire, prune, cacao et poivre, élevé jusqu'à dix-huit mois en fût et mis en bouteille sans filtration. La typicité locale, plein cadre.
D'Arenberg The Footbolt 2020 · 18,50 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Passer au shiraz de parcelle
Grapes from the Rayner vineyard planted between 1947 and 1950, hand-harvested, twenty per cent whole bunches. Silky, perfumed, remarkably easy to drink.
Bondar Violet Hour Shiraz 2021 · 24,90 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Découvrir le grenache maritime
Coteaux proches du golfe, sols sableux et argilo-calcaires, fermentation en cuves ouvertes. Parfumé, juteux, structuré, il tient cinq à dix ans.
Bondar Rayner Vineyard Grenache 2022 · 31,50 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Un blanc salin à l'unité
Vieilles vignes de 1939 sur sable fin, fermentation en béton et vieux foudres. Kumquat, cédrat et embruns, bouche ciselée et précise.
MMAD Chenin Blanc 2023 · 38 € la bouteille, à l'unitéLa bouteille de garde du rayon
Ceps de 1941 à Blewitt Springs, levures du lieu, douze mois d'élevage, mise sans filtration. Myrtille, graphite, tanin généreux et trame saline.
MMAD Syrah 2022 · 49,90 € la bouteille, par lot de 2Suivre le cépage ailleurs
Grenache in the sand here, garnacha in Spain, grenache on the Rhône pebbles: the same grape from one vineyard to the next.
Page du rayon · Grenache
A soil map drawn plot by plot
In 2010, the valley's growers published what remains the most detailed geological map of any Australian wine region: some thirty formations identified across a territory you can cross in twenty minutes, from Cambrian rocks 550 million years old to marine sands laid down yesterday on a geological scale. Every estate can read the bedrock beneath its plot and put it on the label.
That map changed the way people plant. Old-vine Grenache, long sold by weight to feed blends, has come back to the front by finding its sands again. Mediterranean grape varieties, Fiano, Vermentino and Nero d'Avola, have followed on the warm sectors, and trial cuvées keep multiplying.
Comment on choisit
We taste every cuvée before it joins the catalogue, and two things matter on this range. Freshness first: a red from the valley has to finish straight despite the alcohol, otherwise it does not make the cut. Clarity second: we follow the houses that harvest by hand, age in barrels already broken in and keep the fruit up front.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur McLaren Vale
Pourquoi ces bouteilles partent-elles souvent par caisse ou par lot ?
The valley's estates ship in full cases from the other side of the world, and keeping that packaging holds the price per bottle down. The price shown is always the bottle price, with the format right beside it. The MMAD Chenin Blanc can be bought singly, at €38 a bottle, or at €37 in a pack of 3.
Are Shiraz and Syrah the same grape variety?
Yes, one grape under two names. Australia kept the spelling shiraz it received in the 19th century, while France and most other countries write syrah. Both words live side by side in the valley, MMAD even choosing the French spelling for its sand-grown cuvée. The whole grape variety can be explored on the Syrah page.
En quoi ce shiraz diffère-t-il de celui de la Barossa ?
Through freshness, and it comes from the sea. Gulf St Vincent sends its breeze in every afternoon, the temperature drops and ripening stretches out. The wine then keeps fresh blackberry, pepper and violet where the neighbouring valley, warmer and more continental, gives candied fruit and a broader palate. Compare with the Barossa.
Qu'est-ce que le secteur de Blewitt Springs ?
A sandy plateau in the north-east of the valley, famous for its old Grenache and Shiraz vines. Beneath the fine sand runs a layer of ironstone pebbles that brings the structure, while the sand gives the perfume. The wines come out floral, supple and saline, with a tannin of lace rather than of framework.
Pourquoi parle-t-on ici de géologie plus qu'ailleurs ?
Because the valley funded the survey of its own bedrock and published the most precise map in the country. Across a tiny territory, Cambrian sandstones, marine limestones, red clays, schists and recent sands follow one another. A grower can say which formation each vat comes from, and that information appears more and more often on the labels.
Le grenache local mérite-t-il le détour ?
It has been the valley's great story for the past fifteen years. Old plots planted on sand, long destined for inexpensive blends, are now vinified on their own, with partial whole bunches and in open vats. The result has more of Pinot about it than of a sun-baked red: raspberry, garrigue, fine tannin and a saline finish. The Rayner Vineyard Grenache gives the measure of it at €31.50 a bottle.
Which whites will you find in this range?
Three readings. Old-vine Chenin Blanc, saline and chiselled, from MMAD. Chardonnay blended with the Adelaide Hills and aged seven months in barrique, with The Olive Grove at €17.90 a bottle. And the four-variety white blend, Riesling, Sauvignon, Marsanne and Roussanne, which opens the list at €12.90.
Combien de temps se gardent ces vins ?
The white blend is for drinking within its first five years, on its vivacity. The Grenache from the Rayner vineyard holds five to ten years and gains garrigue and sweet spice. The single-plot Shiraz, aged in barrels already broken in and bottled without filtration, will happily pass the decade and then develop leather and cocoa.
À quelle température servir ces bouteilles ?
Count on 16 °C for the reds, a little less than for a warm-climate Shiraz: any higher and the alcohol takes over and masks the spice. Sand-grown Grenache even takes 15 °C, which heightens its perfume. For the whites, 10 to 12 °C in a fairly wide glass, so the citrus can breathe.
Par quelle bouteille commencer ?
Start with the Stump Jump Red at €13.50 a bottle: it sets the southern accent, Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre together. Then add The Footbolt at €18.50 a bottle for Shiraz on its own, and you have the valley's two faces on the same table.