Latest reviews

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Always a crowd pleaser, is this cabernet. In year of deep fruit concentration, it’s easily coped with the 45% new French oak over 18 months. A powerful and assertive wine of tremendous presence. Perfumed violet floats over darker blackcurrant notes while a thick coating of dark chocolate adds further engagement. It’s dense and concentrated through with a rich middle palate...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This super cabernet is sourced from some of the oldest vines in the region. The power and intensity of those vines in a season that produced fruit of great concentration and intensity is evident immediately. Notes of bay leaf and graphite with deep blackcurrant and black olive nuances on the nose. Strikes a wonderful balance with the fruit displaying deep...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A polished and powerful cabernet from a vintage that produced wines of tremendous intensity and concentration. The key was harnessing all the power into a refined and elegantly structured presentation. This has deep blackcurrant and black olive with a little graphite edginess. The addition of a small amount of the aromatic cabernet franc impacts on the nose especially. It’s a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A precise and distinctly linear chardonnay from a vintage that turned out pretty well after a hot start. Fine lift of citrus and grapefruit on the nose with a lightly played oak influence very much understated. The palate is fine and quite delicately balanced but there is excellent penetrating fruit focussed to a long finish. Minerally with a slightly citrus...

Margaret River

Syrah

A vintage primarily remembered for Covid also produced exceptional red wines in Margaret River. They are wines of tremendous fruit intensity and good balance. This refined and sophisticated wine of great elegance captures the essentials of the vintage. Blackcurrant laced with a little bay leaf and minerally oyster shell plus a nuance of black olive tapenade. The tannins have a...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a year that produced beautifully elegant wines of slightly less body, but no less flavour. Loads of leafy blackcurrant aromas with a liberal dose of dark chocolate and edgier black olive. A faint hint of brick dust adds a further level of complexity. The palate is seamlessly woven, with fine sinewy tannins, oak and fruit all laced together....

Margaret River

Shiraz

This little vineyard has emerged as one of the best in Margaret River for shiraz. The wines always show excellent fruit intensity and balance. In this case, it ticks all the boxes. Savoury and slightly dried herby influences on the nose lift off the generous notes of dark plum. Lightly savoury spicy palate displays a balance of fruit, oak and...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a beautifully precise and elegantly structured chardonnay. It shows a little winemaking influence with a faint struck match complexity working seamlessly into the powerful palate revealing traces of grapefruit, cashew and a little brioche. A fine chalky acidity heightens the dry savoury finish. Impressive wine. Score: 94/100 Cellar: 8 years

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

The key to this style using oak in the fermentation, is to strike the right balance. In this case it’s been nailed. The small amount of Frenc oak fermentation has added a dimension of richness and texture, while not getting too carried away. There is a neat blend of spices and herbs with a citrus, nutty, cream character. The palate...

More years ago, than I care to remember I knew this simply as the Conti Fronti. It’s made from muscat petit grains and semillon. It’s a slightly sweet aromatic style with lifted confectionary red fruits on the nose and a palate that strikes a balance between the sweet fruit and the fine acidity. It’s absolutely brilliant with Asian food.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Another of the wines Conti sources from his Margaret River vineyard. This is a firmish wine, reflecting this warm vintage, but its balanced with excellent depth of fruit. Shows a beautiful varietal integrity with blackcurrant and black olive nuances plus a trace of bay leaf. A small amount of malbec is added to bring more weight to that middle palate....

Margaret River

Malbec

This neat little malbec comes from Conti’s vineyard near Cowaramup in Margaret River. Captures the plush fruit characters of this excellent variety really well. Spicy plum and subtle rhubarb aromas with a deep richness of mulberry. The palate is so soft and supple yet there is excellent structure from the chalky tannins and a little oak. What sensational value.

Swan Valley

Chenin Blanc

Even in a warm – er, hot – year, the Contis know how to manage the vineyard to produce some very good fruit. This is a slightly less intense version, but you still get the crisp clean citrussy tropical fruits on the nose and that fine crisp acid on the palate. Has a nice powdery finish. Great drinking in the...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is so, so elegant and stylish. It’s been sourced from the Wilyabrup region, from which it draws its power and opulence. A combination of wonderful fruit and oak has contributed to a fragrant perfume of violets, blackberry and chocolate. The palate brings together fine ripe tannins and fine-grained oak to support an intense wave of dark fruit flavours. Has...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A thoroughly beautiful expression of Margaret River cabernet. Perfumed with seductive notes of violet floating above blackberry and a decent dollop of dark chocolate. The palate reveals a rich texture with a firmish core of fine tannin and well-managed oak sliding through it. A subtle minerally character slices to the long finish. A powerful wine of poise and polish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This chardonnay comes from the Wallcliffe area within Margaret River. The fruit from this season was excellent, but then Cliff Royle has harnessed it perfectly creating a wine of tremendous power, yet at the same time subtlety and elegance. Slight struck match flinty characters on the nose merge with deeper notes of lemon curd and quince with a slightly oyster...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A finer style of chardonnay, which builds deceptively at first, and then gathers momentum to drive to a long finish. It’s had about 9 months in oak which combines perfectly with the fruit. Notes of grapefruit and cashew with a flinty and slightly savoury nuance. The palate length is extraordinary. Really is a very good wine, especially at this price.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine that can trace its DNA back to the very first cabernet vines that came into WA in the 19th century. A pretty and most beautiful medium bodied cabernet from a vintage that produced excellent fruit intensity. Perfumed red fruit on the nose with subtle cedar and minerally oyster shell. The palate is sublimely integrated with super fine though...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that has continue to evolve over the years and now has a distinctive style that is all about friendly expression of fruit with a little subtle unobtrusive oak inclusion. Nice melony cashew characters with a gentle hint of stone fruit adding richness. It’s a light bodied style that screams out for drinking in the next few years. Crunchy...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Peterkin has made a mighty good sparkling chenin with this 2021 vintage. For me, the maturation on lees is the key, as it balances the higher natural varietal acidity creating a wine of texture and richness while losing nothing of the vibrant primary fruit characters of the variety. Distinctive Granny Smith and citrus tang with a crunchy finish.

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

This turned out to be a pretty good vintage for red wine. It was short and quick and with Covid everyone got stuck in. This is cabernet dominant but with important contributions from equal parts merlot and cabernet franc, which play out on the nose. Highly perfumed with floral violet notes. The palate is beautifully weighted with a fine chalky...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

This is a delightfully fragrant medium bodied blend of cabernet sauvignon merlot cabernet franc and malbec. Nice red fruits on the nose with a leafy seashell character. The palate is fine balanced with a lifted chalky red fruit combination harnessed with fine grained oak. Bright and vibrant wine ideal in the shorter term.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This will sit alongside anything Peterkin has made in more than four decades as one of the finest winemakers in the region. It is a cracking good wine delivered with precision and power with a degree of delicacy and finesse that makes it so appealing. Incredible intensity on the nose with aromas of white peach and grapefruit with a little...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Mike Peterkin holds back a little of his chardonnay each year for this vintage reserve release. It means you are forced to keep your hands off it until release. It was a vintage that suited chardonnays, and this is a cracker. It’s quite fine and delicate and only just starting to show traces of development with a roasted cashew and...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Oh, so easy to drink. This is a chenin from a small patch in the Pierro vineyard that is now quite mature. It’s a flinty dry style with slightly muted aromas but a palate that displays a driving apple and pear character with the lift of fine citrus and an ever so subtle grassy edge. Gradual flavour build-up then releases...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An elegantly crafted cabernet from this cooler vintage. On the nose aromas of bay leaf, blackcurrant and a seashell minerality reveal. The palate is medium to full bodied with excellent structure based on fine sinewy chalky tannins and fine-grained oak. Has a precise focus extending through to a long finish.

Margaret River

Petit Verdot

If you wanted a vintage that suits petit verdot then the warm 2022 was right on the money. It started damn hot but finished somewhat milder, allowing the fruit to ripen beautifully after that initial burst. Deep colour is typical of the variety with a dark reddy black hue. Aromas of blackberry and dark liqueur chocolate with fleshy fruit Aromas...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

This is one of the best of this plush red designed for grabbing hold of drinking in the first five years. Loads of ripe black fruits with that red fruit malbec influence. It’s fragrant initially then on the palate the warm dark fruit takes over with a blackcurrant and slightly raspberry jubey character edging in. Really delicious great value wine.

Margaret River

Pinot Noir

A slightly firmer style of pinot as you might expect from this vintage. Yet it retains a medium bodied elegance with a slightly savoury edge sitting comfortably with the ripe strawberry and cherry characters on the nose and palate. A thread of chalky tannins ensures its structural integrity while the oak is well managed. Nice savoury light earthy combination on...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The chardonnays of Victory Point continue to evolve and are now consistently among the best in Margaret River. This was from a season that was very hot early, about the time chardonnay was vintaged, but it has retained a precise acidity while also revealing a generous textured quality. Lifted lemon curd and vanilla bean notes on the nose with traces...

Margaret River

Pinot Noir

There’s rose and there’s something like this. It comes from some quality pinot noir and is barrel fermented, which clearly introduces a degree of complexity and importantly, palate texture. Nice strawberry and cherry characters emerge on the nose, while the palate delivers to a long finish. Light bodied and thoroughly delicious with a slight savoury dried herb finish appealing.

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Always interesting. And always distinctive. A little bit of winemaking goes in here to create a wine of rare complexity for this variety. All wild yeast fermentation in large format old oak and ceramic eggs successfully builds complexity but retains the vibrancy of the fruit. A complex mix of creamy fruit and dried herbs and lighted floral notes. The palate...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This was made when we had that little matter of Covid. It was a very short and quick warmish vintage in Margaret River, and the fruit was excellent. This is bright and vibrant from the start. Aromas of plummy, minerally blackcurrant with a lifted bay leaf and black olive nuance. The palate is more medium bodied with a fine thread...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

There is real class and polish here. It’s such an elegantly refined expression of Margaret River. Effortless is a word that comes to mind when describing the power yet stylishness of the palate. Dark fruits on the nose with a blackcurrant and ripe plum character merging with a mass of dark chocolate and edgy balancing black olive. A trace of...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

There’s plenty of power and drive in this excellent cabernet based wine. Sourced from Margaret River and fermented in open fermenters with basket pressing to French oak for 16 months. Intense blackcurrant aromas announce this as cabernet with a little leafy and black olive infusion. The palate is neatly integrated with a firm thread of tannin and oak creating a...

Western Australia

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Designed as a fresh and crunchy immediate drinking wine. The vintage vibrance is evident from the outset with a lively passionfruit and gentle squeeze lemon adding a zippy sensation. The palate is crisp and pure with a lifted pristine minerally finish. Excellent.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

I reckon this will be a real crowd pleaser. The winemaking influence is more obvious than the reserve version, but it is done so well. The barrel fermentation and lees maturation certainly create a most beautiful aromatic and palate combination. Has a spicy grapefruit and subtle struck match palate with a nice balance of vanilla bean. Balance and palate length...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

One of he most elegant of any Jack Mann release, being a product of this cooler vintage in Frankland River. Comes from the famous Justin vineyard in Frankland. Aromas of blackcurrant and light cedar with other notes of leaf and violet. Lovely medium to full bodied fruit on the palate with fine silky tannins and an ample hit of supporting...

Frankland River

Cabernet Blend

An elegantly structured wine from this cooler vintage. Beautiful, scented aromas of plum and spices with a little red berry character. The palate is so neatly integrated with those perfect bedfellows of cabernet and malbec knitting together harmoniously. The silky tannins and fine-grained oak provide a velvety smooth and vibrant palate. A little minerally seashell-like character adds to the finish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is the top of the wazzer chardonnay and comes from an outstanding season. It is one of the best yet under this label. It was put together with largely traditional techniques after hand picking, including whole bunch pressing and barrel fermentation before extended lees work. On the nose subtle notes of gun metal and struck match overlay deeper notes...