Latest reviews

Geographe

Riesling

A light and fragrant riesling displaying minerally and delicately citrus influenced aromas. The palate has a spicy edge to the natural lemon citrus tang with a crisp fine acidity to extend. Nice wine over a shorter period.

Geographe

Riesling

This shows the versatility of riesling which can be made into a very good sparkling wine. This one is such good drinking. Aromas display citrus with a little lemon rind edginess. The palate is clean and crisp with a sustained precise finish. Lovely lick of acid on the finish adds a lift.

Geographe

Shiraz

The fruit for this excellent shiraz comes from the Barreca family’s excellent vineyard near Donnybrook. This is a brilliant vibrant shiraz with a generosity and intensity that is well managed with oak and tannin control. Has a spicy plummy dark chocolate aroma with a supple palate of depth and poise.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Like so many of the Margaret River cabernets from ’19, this one is just starting to wake up and reveal its qualities. It is pure cabernet with those classic notes of blackcurrant and bay leaf with a little black olive tapenade. The palate is so neatly integrated with fine-grained oak and a fine acidity in support. Classic and poised with...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A rich and textured cabernet from this marvellous vintage. It captures that pure essence character of the season with deep concentrated fruit flavours a feature. Blackcurrant offset by a minerally ironstone bay leaf thing happening. Dark chocolate and dry sinewy tannins. An excellent wine from this great year.

Margaret River

Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo can be a mighty tricky variety to get right with its assertive tannins. Here is an example where the tannins have been controlled allowing all those savoury dark chocolate characters of this Piedmonte native to reveal themselves. Not often you can get a wine that is 11 years old but it’s worth checking out. Dark tarry fruit characters with...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine showing the generosity of this vintage. The nose displays a mix of lemon curd and crème brulee with an edgier quince paste character. It’s creamy and richly textured but with a tightening from the oak and a fine acidity to ensure it remains focused to a long finish. A chardonnay for the medium term.

Margaret River

White Varietal

This Italian variety has found a home in the soils of this part of Margaret River. The aromas are immediately engaging with the apple and pear combination lifted with a twist of lemon. It’s a light and fragrant style but it also has texture and mouthfeel which makes it such an immediately appealing wine. Great for summer with seafood.

Swan Valley

Semillon

Talijancich has been making semillon since 1989, and I suspect there has never been a better one than this. Picks up the varietal characters of lemon and other citrus notes, but then adds the complexing richness of partial barrel fermentation. The palate reveals flavours of custard and lemon tart with a citrussy edge for balance and a slightly nutty finish....

Swan Valley

Verdelho

The distinctive rich and lavishly textured Talijancich verdelho is probably the most individual in the Swan valley. Gets its richness from lees influence, creating a wine of texture with intense stone fruit and roasted nutty influences. That faint flinty edge just adds to finish flourish. It’s creamy and flavoursome with the capacity to age.

Frankland River

Syrah

This outstanding syrah is from clone 470 from Frankland River. It is another wonderful wine from this season. The opulence and intensity is evident immediately when you take in the heady aromas of blue fruits merged with ripe mulberry and dark plum with a liqueur chocolate influence. The palate is rich and textured with plush fruit flavours delivered with perfect...

Great Southern

Syrah

Oh, you are going to love getting your gums around this silky-smooth succulent syrah. Beautifully aromatic nose with spices, red and blue fruits and a light sprinkle of dried herbs, The palate is delicious with generous plush red fruits supported by gentle tannins. The energy and brightness radiate from the glass. Love it.

Swan Valley

Grenache

This is grenache sourced from the Swan Valley in what was an extraordinarily hot vintage. And yet the resilience and heat resistance of grenache is demonstrated with this delicious easy drinking red wine. Aromas of rose petal and raspberry with a dried herbs Turkish Delight combination. The palate is typically soft with fine tannins in support. The whole bunch approach...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

What a cracking chardonnay this is. It’s been sourced from Denmark in a season which produced excellent fruit intensity. Garland has harnessed this expertly. Opens with a steely spicy creamy pear and lightly roasted cashew aroma. But it’s the palate where things get really exciting. Subtle combinations of nectarine, lemon, grapefruit and cashew combine to create a whole greater than...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

Now, if you’re into chardonnay with that little extra oomph and richness then this one should be right up your alley. Loaded with butterscotch and ripe stone fruits with a creamy richness complemented by a steely minerality. Garland gets the fruit from Pemberton and then goes to work. A beautify.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Another super exciting step forward from Driftwood. A most polished and expressive cabernet of medium to full body and crafted along classic cabernet lines. The colour is bright and radiates from the glass. The nose is a beautiful combination of cranberry and cassis with a chalky oyster shell minerality. The palate is exquisitely seamless and integrated. A wine of real...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An elegantly crafted medium bodied cabernet with a strong contribution from red fruits to the varietal blackcurrant. Aromas of graphite and sea shell work in to the nose, while the palate delivers with control and effortless ease. Fine tannins and neatly applied oak add subtle support. Has a bright lift on the finish.

Margaret River

Petit Verdot

This warmer and generous vintage suited varieties like petit verdot which require the warmth and hang time on the vine to achieve their best. Lots of dark black fruits with chocolate and spices in abundance. The palate is generous and plush with chalky tannins and understated oak in support. Attractive style.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Okay, this stacks up as the best chardonnay yet from Driftwood. Displays the subtle understatement of the style and the site, but then you start to explore the complex aromas of cut lime, lemon, quince and richer crème brulee. The palate then kicks in with its embedded richness coming from regular lees stirring. A most impressive and exciting chardonnay development...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Plenty of intriguing characters and nuances swirling through this fume style sauvignon blanc. The underlying notes passionfruit and tropical fruit are still evident but then the oak introduces other characters of flinty minerals and a slightly smoky nutty nuance. Rich creamy texture but a firm hand guides to a long finish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

I do like the style that has been developed under this label. It’s a fine and quite delicate style yet within its light framework the aromas and palate reveal much of the site and region. Shows more of the tighter lemon and pear notes with a little crunchy melon and just a little richer nectarine. The palate is crisp and...

Great Southern

Syrah

A most attractive highly perfumed syrah from Albany. Doesn’t have the weight and opulence of the Frankland River version, but there is refinement and elegance here presented with a touch of flare. Bright red fruits have a slightly ferrous minerality working through. The finish is long and focussed. Lots to like about this one.

Frankland River

Syrah

Here is a window into the magnificence of the ’23 vintage in Frankland River. There are going to be many outstanding wines from this season, and this one will be right up there with the best of them. Succulent and delicious with a mix of blue and red fruits on the nose sprinkled with spices and a light chalk dust....

Great Southern

Pinot Noir

A fragrant and light bodied pinot designed for immediate drinking. The nose reveals subtle cherry and spicy characters while the palate is soft and warm with lifted and bright red fruits. The oak is well managed and the tannins fine infused.

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

There are now so many really attractive chenin blanc based sparkling wines, and this is another that is right on the money. It’s a clean and crisp style with pronounced apple and pear characters, with a beautifully complexing biscuit character coming from a time on lees. Thoroughly beautiful current drinking.

Pemberton

Merlot

This is a variety that is certainly heading in the right direction. It makes a real and quite bold statement of poise, structure and layered fruit intensity. The aromas are an engaging combination of blackcurrant, dark chocolate and black olive with a fine minerality. The palate really kicks in to deliver on structure, power and fruit intensity. And it’s all...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

Pinot has been a keen focus for Below & Above from the outset, with a lot of time and energy spent on bringing the vineyard to the level they want. It’s starting to pay big dividends. This is a classically constructed pinot noir with the warm velvety flesh wrapped around the firm structural core. Truffle and cherry notes on the...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

A super fine and precise chardonnay from this cooler vintage that delivers with lancing accuracy to a very long finish. Initially the aromas reveal light touches of lemon tart, quince and nectarine, with a respectful restraint. Then the palate reveals more as it gathers momentum to the extended finish. Has a fine minerality threading through. An excellent wine.

Manjimup

Shiraz

There was no shortage of ripe fruit flavours in the opulent 2020 vintage, and this is evident in this plush and generously proportioned shiraz. Loads of plump though medium bodied ripe plum and mulberry fruit flavours with a hint of blue fruits. Fine chalky tannins balance the palate with a little help from a light touch of oak. It’s a...

Manjimup

Chardonnay

A pure and elegant example of chardonnay from this region. The aromas are a combination of grapefruit, spice and nectarine dominant stone fruit. Then a more intense grapefruit edge emerges on the palate, cutting into light creamy fruit. Lightly applied oak is well weighted to allow the fruit to express.

Manjimup

Sauvignon Blanc

A punchy little number, this. Not the opulent fruit of previous vintages but one with good melon, light tropical and dusty grassy characters well to the fore. A light splash of citrus lifts on the finish.

Manjimup

Cabernet Sauvignon

The elegance and stylish poise of this cooler vintage is captured in this smooth and refined cabernet. Loaded with succulent blackcurrant fruits released initially on the nose and then powered through on the palate. There’s a little dried herb and bay leaf characters emerging with richer dark chocolate. A neatly presented cabernet.

Manjimup

Pinot Noir

This is the finest pinot yet released by Vic Peos. It moves the excellent Four Kings from this vintage into another level of complexity and power. This shows more black cherry into dark plum nuances with a spicy and more truffly character edging in. The palate is sublimely structured – smooth and velvety yet with structure and underlying power that...

Manjimup

Pinot Noir

Manjimup excelled in this terrific vintage, producing one of the best yet under this label. The aromas burst open to reveal an exotic strawberry and spicy combination with a subtle underlying savoury field mushroom depth. There is structure in the palate with chalky tannins and fine-grained oak supporting that fleshy fruit intensity. Classy wine, this.

Manjimup

Chardonnay

The aim of these chardonnays is to really capture the essence of the fruit, which in this year was delivered in pristine condition. The aromas here are of melon and cashew with a lemon curd edge adding definition and some nice nectarine introducing another dimension. The palate is lightly touched with oak and the fruit is keenly focussed to a...

Margaret River

Malbec

Another first-rate malbec from this single vineyard in Wilyabrup. It’s the result of choosing the best barrels made from what Warren considers the best parcels of fruit. And this might be the best yet. Bursting with red fruits on the nose and then into the palate. It’s bright and brilliant from the moment you look at the glass. Strikes an...

Margaret River

Red Varietal

A highly fragrant and quite pretty expression of this famous Beaujolais variety that makes a range of styles. This is light to medium bodied with supple red fruit characters, but it has structure and poise. Brilliant crimson light red colour, then an aroma that is all strawberry and cherry with a sprinkle of lifted spices. The palate has a nice...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Winemaker Mark Warren goes to the southern parts of Margaret River for the fruit for this wine. Aromas of lemon curd and creamy white peach with a meally grapefruit combination adding depth and edge. The palate has a lifted minerally feel with the fine shaft of acid sustaining the finish. Oak is seamlessly woven in.

Margaret River

White Varietal

Only one vineyard in WA has this unusual French variety. I’m glad someone decided to plant it, because it makes a thoroughly delightful wine with some characteristics not dissimilar to chardonnay. Dominant peach and apricot are distinctive with the racy acidity the key to sustaining a bright long palate. Such an easy wine to drink. Love it.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A firmish medium bodied cabernet from this excellent red vintage, showing the deep of fruit intensity and rich flavours you expect. Leafy blackcurrant and light cedar with a trace of graphite and bay leaf on the nose. The palate is tightly wound but with good fruit intensity focussed to the finish.