Willunga 100 Grenache Masterclass Pack

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.

• 2024 Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard Grenache
• 2024 Willunga 100 Blind Spot Vineyard Grenache
• 2024 Willunga 100 Smart Vineyard Grenache

2024 Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard Grenache

Sue Trott’s dry-grown bush vines, planted in 1952 on the sandy rises of Blewitt Springs, remain some of the most revered Grenache in McLaren Vale. Perched at 210 metres on deep Maslin Sands, the site naturally gives wines of perfume, finesse and length - qualities that have made this vineyard a cornerstone of the Willunga 100 story.

The 2024 season played out gently: a cool start slowed ripening and preserved freshness, while the warmth of January and February filled out the fruit without excess. The resulting wine hums with brightness and detail. Expect lifted aromatics of violets, lavender and wild herbs, layered over red cherry and cranberry fruit. A subtle whole-bunch component adds a whisper of spice and savoury depth, while fine, sandy tannins glide into a long, graceful finish.

Made with a light touch - open fermentation, basket pressing, and mostly stainless-steel maturation – this wine captures the essence of the Trott site without adornment. Already recognised with the George Mackey Memorial Trophy for Best Grenache at the 2025 Sydney Royal Wine Show, this release underlines why Trott Vineyard is a benchmark for Australian Grenache. Elegant, expressive and deeply rooted in place.

The George Mackey Memorial Perpetual Trophy for Best Grenache
- 2025 Sydney Royal Wine Show

97 points
"Just wonderful and, for the quality, obscenely good value."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

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2024 Willunga 100 Blind Spot Vineyard Grenache

The Blind Spot Vineyard is Willunga 100’s home turf - a 15-acre block of dry-grown bush vines planted more than 50 years ago in the deep sands of Blewitt Springs. These soils, flecked with ironstone and underpinned by clay, are Grenache’s sweet spot, producing wines that hum with brightness yet carry a savoury, earthy undertow.

The 2024 season gave the vines exactly what they needed: a cool start that slowed ripening and built freshness, followed by the warmth of summer to fill out the fruit. The result is a beautifully balanced Grenache that feels both vibrant and grounded. Raspberry, cherry and redcurrant leap from the glass, lifted by gentle spice, pepper and a touch of dried herb. The palate is supple and flowing, with fine sandy tannins and a lick of earth and ironstone through the finish.

Fermented in open vats and matured almost entirely in stainless steel, with just a whisper of old oak for texture, this is Grenache at its most expressive and honest – bright, elegant and full of character. A textbook Blewitt Springs release and a standout for value.

97 points
"It’s another beautiful wine from the exceptional 2024 suite. Stunning."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

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2024 Willunga 100 Smart Vineyard Grenache

Perched high in Clarendon, the century-old bush vines of Bernard Smart are the stuff of legend. Planted in 1922, these gnarled old trunks yield tiny crops of Grenache that always speak more of finesse than power - lifted, detailed wines that stand apart from their fleshier Blewitt Springs cousins.

The 2024 vintage has played beautifully into the site’s strengths. A cool start to the season slowed ripening, preserving brightness and natural acidity before the summer warmth arrived. The result is a wine of striking clarity: savoury and perfumed up front – bay leaf, rose petal, mint and a flicker of spice – before the palate unfurls in waves of cranberry, cherry and wild herbs. A mineral snap of wet stone runs through the finish, framed by fine, stony tannins.

Made gently in open fermenters and matured entirely in stainless steel, this is Grenache in its most pure, chiselled form – bright, savoury and incredibly drinkable, but with the pedigree to reward time in the cellar. A benchmark look at Clarendon’s cooler, more refined face of McLaren Vale Grenache.

96 points
"Renae Hirsch’s quietly thoughtful winemaking will assuredly shepherd this into something special, and likely the score could tick up."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

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