99 Points

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A thoroughly beautiful expression of Margaret River chardonnay. It’s powerful and super intense. On the nose, the influence of barrel fermentation is evident, with the impact of solids adding to its complexity. The palate is so perfectly woven and integrated. A slightly butterscotch, quince and flinty character merge. That dry, savoury and slightly limestone-struck-match character really completes a very good...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

It’s hard to imagine a more glorious expression of Margaret River red wine than this wonderful wine that draws inspiration from the man who planted those first vines in 1967 and gives it a modern expression based on the great 2023 vintage. It has seductive floral red-fruit notes on the nose, with a lift of violets and cedar. The palate...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A supreme and stunning wine under this Legacy Series from Cullen. After crushing to clay amphora, the fruit was left on skins for 13 days before pressing to biodynamic barrels for four months. There were no additions, so this is a pure and expressive example of vineyard and region. Exquisite perfume combinations of violets and red fruits. And then a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a single pick from a single block. What a marvellous statement of Margaret River chardonnay. Has had nine months in oak, of which 40% was new, including some Burgundian puncheons. It has such a lovely texture and mouthfeel, which comes from the six months on lees. This is all Gingin clone and has had no malolactic fermentation. It...

Swan Valley

Muscat

Wow, it's hard to imagine anything better than this. This is pure luxury. Griffiths has been following his muscat quest for many years and started this blend back in 2003. You can see it in the colour, which has deep browny, khaki, and slightly olive green hues, which indicate the incredible age. The aroma is a layered maze of complexity...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

At the time of release a couple of years ago, I thought this was an exceptional wine. Time has not changed my opinion. It captures the intensity yet delicacy that marked the 2023 vintage in Margaret River, producing a wine of remarkable finesse and poise. There is just the faintest hint that it is moving into a subtle new zone,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a case of the planets aligning with one of the great names in Australian chardonnay from what I think is the finest vintage in the history of West Australian modern winemaking. This is quintessential Leeuwin, controlled power, but with the subtle finesse and delicacy that is the signature of this great vintage. The nose is a wonderful mix...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

I've been waiting for this wine to be released for some time. I had great expectation that this wonderful vineyard from this exceptional vintage would produce something equally exceptional. Well, guess what? It has. This is such a beautiful example of what Moss Wood cabernet is all about. There's nothing big and brutish here. This is elegance. This is precision....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

An extraordinary wine of tension, energy and power. It’s the result of the earliest vintage on record at Vasse Felix, with the fruit being picked on 17 January. It's a wine of power and generosity, yet the subtle secondary characters in here really do strike a complex note. It's made predominantly from the Gingin clone and shows generosity, but typically...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine of extraordinary depth and concentration, yet with a vibrancy and an almost electrical energy, brings an incandescence to the palate. Masses of black fruits, with lifted florals and perfumed violet nuances. There’s a deep saturation of fruit held with neatly aligned tannins and, of course, that oak which comes from biodynamic puncheons. Balanced and poised with typical Cullen...

Swan Valley

Muscat

This is an extraordinary example of liqueur muscat from the Swan Valley. There are obviously stacks of old material in here, and yet it's been freshened with more recent additions. Hence, the result is a supremely balanced wine, where the combination of old rancio luscious complexity is elevated by some lovely, more recent florals. Totally beguiling combination of toffee, honeycomb,...

Frankland River

Shiraz

Syrah. Wow, deep colour and a powerful aroma announce a wine of power, poise and presence. Deep black and dark red colour with touches of purple. There is a sweet and beautiful spicy freshness and energy that bursts from the glass. This wine is about feel, and there is a saline minerality and alkaline character, combining with an almost glazed...

Frankland River

Mourvèdre

Oh yes, I love this wine. It has a beautiful perfume and brightness evident on the nose and the palate. This is bush vine mourvedre. The structure and palate poise are exceptional. The rustic edges are slightly knocked off. Meaty chorizo, but it’s subtle. Has a slightly ironstone rusty nail thread running through it with a tense dry tannin feel...

Frankland River

Grenache

A remarkable grenache that captures much of the winemaking and viticultural philosophy with this wine sourced from the bush vine Wilson’s Pool Vineyard. The fruit was hand-picked, berry sorted and gravity-fed to French oak fermenters where 30 % whole bunches and wild fermentation have accentuated the bright spicy characters. The oak continues to play a more subordinate role with a...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Right off the bat that this is the finest Abercrombie cabernet yet released. A few things have contributed to it. The great vintage for a start, the maturing vines on the Leston property at Margaret River, the continued refinement with oak use, including reduction in new oak and a real focus on achieving structure through the fermentation. It is a...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Okay. I’ve tasted every one of the Diana Madeline vintages, and I can say absolutely that I have never had a better one than this. Opens with a highly scented perfume that lifts exotically from the glass. Then notes of bay leaf and black olive fill out a little before more ethereal notes of violet and glazed cherry emerge. The...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

Wow, this is something special…very special. This is at the pinnacle of the Pannell family’s quest for great pinot noir. The 2020 vintage is spoken of in hushed tones, yet this one is pushing it all the way. It was a little closed when tasted but you don’t have to look far to see its greatness. It’s a multi-clonal blend...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

Oh yeah. I expected this to be good and it has delivered. I see the power and concertation of 2018 and the elegance of 2019 with the restraint of 2017. Beautiful, perfumed fruit with tremendous intensity. The palate is seamless with a velvety feel to it. So vibrant with an energy and drive that takes it effortlessly to a very...

South Australia

Shiraz

This is sublime. It’s a 100% shiraz from the Barossa and McLaren Vale. In some years depending on vintage, it includes some cabernet but the quality this year was perfect. Elegant and stylish with the power and poise you expect of a wine that will cellar for decades. Colour is dense black with just a little red on the edges....

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine that brings the biodynamic vineyard and winemaking commitment at Cullen into a remarkable expression of pure Margaret River cabernet sauvignon. These vines are now more than 50 years old and are contributing to wines that are bright and high fidelity. After fermentation in 300l terracotta amphorae the wine gets a further 7 months new oak maturation. Bright aromas...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Oh yeah. I expected this to be good and it has delivered. I see the power and concentration of the 2018 and the elegance of the 2019 with the restraint of the 2017. Beautiful, perfumed fruit with tremendous intensity. The palate is totally seamless with a velvety feel to it. So vibrant with an energy and drive that takes it...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Great vintage, great wine. It’s the perfect combination. This is right up there with any previous Cullen chardonnay, and if someone argued it to be the best I wouldn't put up much of a fight. Follows the Cullen biodynamic approach which sees the fruit harvested by hand, whole bunch basket pressed and then fermented in a mix of concrete eggs,...

Frankland River

Syrah

I think this has claims to be the finest Farvie Syrah yet in its relatively short history. The colour is just brilliant and bright with a glowing purely crimson hue. Power, intensity and concentration delivered with such poise. Bright red fruits with floral dark cherry and a little black olive adds to its nuanced capture on the nose. The palate...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

There have been some wonderful 2020 cabernets from Margaret River but none better than this. What a glorious statement of the region and a great vintage. Highly perfumed aromas of mulberry, dark chocolate and blackcurrant with a little plum and dried herb edging in. The palate is full-bodied with immense power. Black fruit, dark plum and some wild berry action...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine of the Year 2024 How fitting that as Woodlands celebrates the 50th year since it was established in 1973 by David and Heather Watson, it should be awarded the Wine of The Year. It is a fabulous example of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon made with more than a little Bordeaux influence. Winemaker Stuart Watson has been pumping out outstanding...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Another simply sublime edition of this great wine. The volume of fruit was down almost 60% but the small berry influence has added even more intensity and depth, if that is possible with this wine. Interesting point of difference is that the combination is slightly different from previous vintages with 90% cabernet sauvignon, 3% cabernet franc and 7% petit verdot....

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Runner-up Wine of the Year 2024 A thoroughly exquisite cabernet blend from the great '18 Margaret River vintage. Also has some malbec, merlot and petit to complete the picture. This is the finest Rolling Stone yet released. It's sophisticated and so regally refined with fine tannins and fine-grained oak cradling such beautiful fruit. Perfumed with black fruits displaying ever so...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is heady stuff pushing a Margaret River cabernet into the rarefied air of Grange and Hill of Grace and at the same time making a statement about this great cabernet region. The fruit was naturally fermented and then had 13 weeks in terracotta amphorae before pressing to second fill oak. So, the oak influence is subdued but important in...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

White Wine of the Year 2024 It would not surprise me if this is lauded as the greatest Leeuwin chardonnay yet. You would get no argument from me. There is elegance and power here. A subtle layered wine. It was a year of great concentration and power. Has that pear and lime character which is part of the DNA. The...