McLaren Vale tour January 2010

So the next thing I knew I was planning another trip over the long weekend. Dog sitters could not be found so the mascots were part of the planning. Careful planning was required as the Tour Down Under was on again in the region, and we were turning up on day two of the event.

We decided to split our time three ways: time with Thomas Vineyard Estate, time with Hastwell & Lightfoot and time to explore McLaren Vale ourselves. Needless to say we quite easily could have stayed in the region for a week. Despite visiting the region a number of times this was the first occasion we had time to simply wander around and take in the beauty of the area. Prior to heading on our trip a friend commented on his passion for the region and how it was his favorite wine region in Australia. A ‘’big comment’’ I thought at the time, but I can now see why. Vintage was about to begin and there was opulent foliage and grapes everywhere. The sub-regions became apparent for the first time to me.

To visit Thomas Vineyard again was quite special as disappointingly they lost their whole 2009 vintage literally weeks after our last visit. Things were looking much better this time around for their Shiraz. Dawne & Merv Thomas have added to their range and sourced a Verdelho from neighbors and good friends, Anne and Bill Binns who own Willanbi Vineyards, located just down the road from Thomas Vineyard Estate, 3km from the Gulf of St Vincent.

We were fortunate to meet Anne & Bill, and wander through their vineyards and sample their Verdelho (only 10 days from picking at the time). Country hospitality extended to a bottle or two of their 2009 Verdelho on their back patio, before we headed into the township to watch the end of day two of the Tour Down Under.

Before heading out in the evening for a delightful meal at The Salopian Inn, we had the opportunity to sample the 2006 and 2007 Thomas Vineyard Shiraz against the current vintage 2005. I have to say that I am very excited about the pending 2006 release, as the wine has all the hallmarks of a very good McLaren Vale Shiraz.

Sunday morning found us heading to Hastwell & Lightfoot for the day. We were fortunate to meet both families and spend a relaxed day wandering amongst the vines, touring the winery, sampling current and yet to be released wine and enjoying wonderful country hospitality yet again.

It was a treat to take part in a Chardonnay bench-mark tasting that had been organized by Martin Lightfoot prior to lunch. The aim was to blind taste eight Chardonnay and rate them in terms of quality and style. What most of us did not realize was that there were three different vintages of Hastwell & Lightfoot Chardonnay in the line-up. I was relieved to find out that my top wine was a previous vintage Hastwell & Lightfoot and the wine I guessed to belong to Hastwell & Lightfoot was their current release.

Mindful of the long drive to Melbourne the following day we departed at a reasonable hour. The return trip gave us ample time to reflect on our few days in McLaren Vale and come to the conclusion that Selador Wines is very fortunate to have met three great families and two great wine labels to represent in the Victorian market. No doubt the next catch up with the wineries will be in Melbourne so we will keep you posted as there will definitely be a wine tasting, lunch, dinner or all of the above on the agenda!

Cheers Sarah & Kathryn

P.S. Photos will be added soon . . .