Latest reviews

Margaret River

Red Varietal

Oh wow. Petit verdot as a solo act is playing more and more from Australian vineyards. And this is a great example of why. Deep dark colours are what you expect. Then the lift of concentrated raspberry and rich dark chocolate speak of the variety. The tannins are ripe but refined and not excessive, allowing them to sit back comfortably...

Margaret River

Red Varietal

This is no light damp squib of a cabernet franc. This has some grunt and structure, but doesn’t betray the lifted perfumes and high energy of the palate. Bright red fruit fragrances with a subtle leafy component. The palate is medium bodied but with excellent tannin and fruit balance supported by judicious use of oak. Poised and long palate.

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

A Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot, recognising the early work of Bordeaux lovers Barry and Liz Morrison. It’s a delightful medium-bodied, elegantly structured wine displaying lively red berry lift and a bright high energy palate. Light chalky finish completes a neat little wine.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A hot early vintage which finished well, produced excellent wines of colour, fruit intensity and power without excessive tannins. This is right on the money. Loaded with blackcurrant and plummy characters presented with vibrancy and brightness. Balanced use of oak complements the fine chalky tannins. Excellent medium-term wine.

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

The intensity and power of the fruit required just a little oak influence to bring it to life. It was one of those vintages where the fruit qualities expressed all their qualities without being overbearing and in your face. This is exquisitely balance and framed with excellent palate intensity and drive. There is a purity here with the light citrus...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Hay Shed Hill Morrison’s Gift chardonnay 2023 ($25) Made in honour of the early contribution of Barry and Liz Morrison. This is a lightly framed chardonnay based on excellent fruit that has been gently managed through the winery. The aim is for a light, balanced wine that expresses the fruit without too much winemaking evidence. Works well. Score: 89/100 Cellar:...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There is a real intensity and purpose in this excellent chardonnay. But there is elegance and reserve at the same time. Aromas of quince paste and grapefruit with those subtle cashew characters in the background. Beautifully defined palate releases through to a sustained finish with a savoury influence over the dry chalky lemon zip characters.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A bright and fragrant chardonnay sourced from mature vines on the estate. After wild fermentation it saw 11 months in oak. The result is a delightful light-bodied but well-flavoured wine of subtlety and precision. Aromas of melon and lightly roasted cashew with a gentle lemon lift. The palate extends with a slightly savoury minerality through to a long finish.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A high-class cabernet that comes from the old vines of Deep Woods Estate and Abbey Vale. Delightful florals on the nose merge with dark blackcurrant and lifted bay leaf and subtle olive tapenade nuances. The palate is a domain of control and poise with fine chalky tannins and ample well-weighted use of new and seasoned French oak. I love that...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

Serious stuff here in a blend that works so well from part of the Sandalford vineyard purchased by the Fogarty Wine Group a few years ago. Planted in 1971, it is one of the oldest vineyards in Wilyabrup. Loaded with a complex matrix of dark fruits exhibiting a plummy, bitter dark chocolate and spicy mix. Deep into the palate reveals...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

Crafted as a wine for drinking in the shorter term, but there is plenty here to engage, from a pure vibrant bright fruit aroma through to a palate that balances lively medium bodied fruit with delicious red fruits and dark chocolate flavours. A slightly edgy minerality provides a neat complementing balance. Easy drinking wine.

Margaret River

Red Blend

Oh, just wonderful. Captures the essence of this early drinking red wine style that has become such a winner for Deep Woods. It’s a blend of shiraz with malbec and grenache. So, it’s a sort of jumbled GSM with malbec instead of mourvedre. It’s so bright and vibrant with lively floral perfumed aromas and a delightful medium bodied palate of...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Let’s cut to the chase. The finest Deep Woods chardonnay yet. It has it all. Great fruit has been harnessed with whole bunch pressing and fermentation in new and seasoned French oak. Further lees stirring has built in texture, contributing to a thoroughly beautiful, refined mouth feel. Opens with a stone fruit and savoury light lemon curd aromas. Peels off...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Gosh this is a good wine. The opening salvo on the nose is all minerally cracked seashell and bright florals. It’s engaging and enticing. Then the palate does its stuff. Intensely and tightly framed stone fruit characters with a minerally, slightly chalky citrus precision. Subtle struck match and flint complexity adds the final flourish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A remarkably sophisticated chardonnay in this price category. Aromas of light citrussy stone fruit with a little grapefruit influence. This is a medium weight wine with excellent fruit intensity and life from this super vintage. The oak influence is subdued and perfectly weighted for the fruit with just a faint new oak seasoning adding lift. Nice, precise wine, ideal over...

Swan Valley

Verdelho

The base wine of this is 93 through to 2018. This is a classic Swan Valley madeira style liqueur fortified wine. Loads of toffee and marzipan in the solera system. Deeply intense and rich with an unctuous mouthfeel. Has an almost khaki colour on the edges. Traces of toffee and chocolate with a fine persistent acid adding direction. This is...

Swan Valley

Shiraz

This the last of these wines with the vineyard fruit now going elsewhere. This is a stylish and elegantly structured wine off 70-year-old vines. It has about 70% new American oak in here with the rest French. Has a vanilla essence and ripe fruit character, but it’s not overly extractive with a fine chalky tannins and fine oak combination working...

Swan Valley

Red Blend

This uses a new clone of grenache, which is good for colour and drought resistance. Also has Graciano, mencia, touriga national and tempranillo. It’s a field blend as part of a program to make a better grenache to what has been in the valley. It is less tannic and more perfumed, and the intention is to make a straight grenache...

Swan Valley

White Varietal

This is from a vineyard the Berns bought and then grafted on to vines of the home vineyard. It has good acidity and intensity. Has a lovely marzipan and creamy stone fruit flavoured texture which has good acidity, a key part in this warm climate. This has a beautiful texture and palate richness. Bright and alive with great length. No...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

A most interesting sparkling wine in the edgier Avant-Garde approach from Sittella. This comes from Pemberton and was aged in older oak for 10 months. It’s a small volume make and it’s looking pretty good. The aim is to achieve a form of Bollinger Grande Annee style texture which comes from the oxidative ageing on lees and after 10 months...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

Sittella Azalee Eloise Berns Grand Vintage Rose 2019 ($60) This is 100% pinot noir with a pale onion skin copper colour. The colour comes with the addition of a still wine pinot noir. This is a quite beautiful wine showing characters of cherry and game with a little brioche and yeasty vegemite character. There is power here with a deep...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

This is chardonnay from Pemberton off gravelly soils that prove ideal for delivering a more restrained sparkling wine friendly fruit which in this case is a mix of Dijon clones. This vintage is so precise and steely with tremendous power and palate intensity. It gets 4 years on lees and 10% new oak. The cheeky aim is to make it...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

Another wonderful example of the Sittella house style. It’s a 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay with a reserve wine that goes back to 2012. The colour is bright yellow and golden. The aroma is lovely combination of lemon brioche with a subtle underpinning of game and meatiness. Beautifully fragrant and vibrant. Traces of cashew and marzipan. Gets a little...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Perfumed notes of red fruit engage immediately on the nose. There are scents of rose petal and bay leaf with a little graphite complexity. The palate is firm although there is sweet fruit to balance. Has a distinctive leafy overtone with traces of herbs and cedar. It’s a wine that needs some time to emerge from its shell. An elegant...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

This is a wine that’s been dialled back a little from earlier versions but still remains true to the style of using oak with sauvignon blanc. Oak fermentation and the use of a concrete egg all help in the composition to create a harmoniously balanced wine of layered complexity and richness. The technique highlights the minerality while retaining the mix...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The vintage has contributed to a stylish and elegantly structured cabernet. It has just 2% each of merlot and petit verdot. Perfumed note of blackcurrant and sage-like dark fruits combine with intrigue on the nose. The palate is still quite firm with controlling fine chalky tannins and fine-grained oak working in perfect harmony. As it breathes sweet dark fruits emerge...

Margaret River

Shiraz

This is the pinnacle of shiraz from Cape Mentelle. It’s such a beautifully poised and elegant wine revealing how good this variety can be when well-handled in Margaret River. Aromas of red fruit infused with a minerally dried herb characters. A light sprinkle of cracked black pepper adds further elevation. The palate is still quite tight with that minerally cracked...

Margaret River

Red Varietal

This is a Right Bank influenced Bordeaux blend with about 91% cabernet franc. It’s a variety that needs good vintages and the early 2020 vintage has suited it. A mix of red berry and dark cherry and violet on the nose. The palate is still quite tight but elegantly framed with firm fine tannins. This is a serious statement of...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Makes a quantum leap on many levels. Subtle florals of lemon and grapefruit with a little mealy lightly roasted almond character. The palate delivers with restraint and control but there is a deep and penetrating core with a neat savoury element. Traces of seas shell and lemon rind with a delicate chalky limestone character.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A light and fragrant chardonnay, but one with an intriguing complexity that emerges almost immediately. Light lemon meringue with a little grapefruit and roasted almond break out on the nose. The palate is precise and fine with a delicacy that belies the intensity driving through to a sustained finish. Has a chalky acid and slightly savoury finish.

Perth Hills

Cabernet Sauvignon

An elegant and stylish medium bodied cabernet. Perfumed exotic fragrances open with red berry notes of cherry and red currant, plus a little minerally seashell character. The palate is worked with fine chalky tannins and a tidy infusion of oak. Excellent value.

Margaret River

Shiraz

Highly scented medium bodied shiraz from Margs. On the nose there’s a delightful fragrance of spicy plum and dark cherry, while the palate delivers a seamless integration of fine chalky tannins and lightly applied oak. Well managed wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A light and inviting fresh young chardonnay designed for immediate drinking. Light tropical and citrus notes on the nose move through to richer stone fruit characters. The palate is crisp and distinctly fruit-drive with a pleasing textural mouth feel.

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

A terrific little value for money blend offering all you expect from this neat combination. Loads of floral notes with a lift of lemon and gooseberry with a trace of Granny Smith. The palate is light and bright with a sustained fine finish. Ready to drink.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A really impressive cabernet from the heart of Margaret River. It’s balanced and poised with great fruit intensity. Comes from a number of different sites within the Leston vineyard and has a slightly aromatic ironstone and blue fruit character with a touch of graphite. The perfumes are quite engaging with notes of violet and bay leaf emerging. One of the...

Perth Hills

Shiraz Blend

This excellent example of this blend comes from old vines hand harvested on the Millbrook estate. The aromatic impact of the viognier makes its presence felt immediately with a spicy perfume floating over the dark plummy characters of the shiraz. Well-structured and brimming with lively berry flavours and supported by fine minerally tannins and fine-grained oak.

Geographe

Shiraz Blend

Intense perfumes of red berry and light spice with a hint of African violet open things on the nose. It’s what you expect from this classic combination from Geographe. Smooth and seamlessly woven integrated palate with the supple fruit supported by fine chalky tannins and just the lightest touch of oak.

Frankland River

Shiraz

Captures so much of the beautiful fruit characters of Frankland River in what turned out to be a pretty good year. Perfumed notes of cherry and a trace of raspberry with lifted peppery licorice nuances. It’s medium bodied with fine chalky tannins and a very faint ferrous character adding further complexity. An elegant stylish wine.

Perth Hills

Viogner

If you like this distinctive variety you’re certainly going to love this one. The 23 vintage was just so good and with these strong aromatic expressive varieties it has produced wine of exquisite balance and flavour presentation. Typical ginger and spice with a little apricot and orange tang. Plush textured palate with a vital acidity to lift.

Geographe

Chardonnay

This has been sourced from the Geographe region in what was an early concentrated vintage at the start of Covid. Just starting to develop subtle toasty nuances, while retaining its youthful lemon edge. Spicy nectarine and lemon curd with a dry savoury edge that completes a most attractive chardonnay. Palate is generous and seamlessly held together.