Latest reviews

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Bright elegant and stylish. A brilliant wine with fruit that soars from the glass. High end red fruits with a minerally chalky tannins edge. It’s super concentrated but the winemaking has brought it to life with its energy and vibrancy, strong features. Fine chalky tannins thread seamlessly through the firm palate. A very young wine that needs so much time...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Immediately strikes with the greater intensity and more focused precision which is part of the linear structure of this wine. It’s deeply complex already with a minerally, and slightly citrus and savoury combination. That heightened chalky minerality really says chardonnay at the highest level. There is power and drive here, yet it’s delivered with such sophisticated elegance. This is a...

Geographe

Shiraz

It only has 2% viognier, but you know this vinous perfume concentrate is there playing a perfect supporting role. The shiraz is from Donnybrook and the viognier from Margaret River. About 25% was new oak and remainder seasoned puncheons. It’s lively with a bright appeal. Plummy dark chocolate with a spicy ginger floral lift. Has a wonderfully poised mouth feel....

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Grenache

This has been made in the carbonic maceration style with that wonderfully perfumed lifted fruit a feature. It’s medium bodied with a juicy delicious slightly confectionary palate. Spicy bright red raspberry fruit characters with a nice tannin influence. Serve it ever so slightly chilled in summer.

Geographe

Chardonnay

From a vineyard in Geographe that has proved very good over the years. Whole bunch pressed into a mix of seasoned puncheons and one new French barrique. Follows the Carr approach to build texture and in this case it was left on lees for nine months. Creamy lemon curd and nutty struck match with a trace of that delightful nectarine...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Wherever you went in WA in 2023 you got very good chenin blanc and this one from the Northern end of Wilyabrup is no exception. Solids influence is an important part of Carr’s winemaking, and it shows here. After settling, the juice was fermented in old oak puncheons and after topping left for nine months. There’s been no fining and...

Geographe

Riesling

This comes from an outstanding Ferguson Valley vineyard that makes some of the finest rieslings in the State. Interesting use of pressings and solids has built in a textural mouthfeel without compromising the essential linear palate feel. There’s citrus but then there is that appley character which seems part of the vineyard. Lovely talcy acid and a trace of minerally...

Margaret River

Tempranillo

A delightful example of the modern style of rose. It’s made using only free run juice which was wild fermented in older oak after which it went through regular lees stirring for 6 months. Captures so much of the tempranillo character within its light but textured palate. Rose petal and raspberry with a palate that has both poise and presence..

Geographe

Rose

At the time of tasting this was high summer and I couldn't imagine a better wine to be sipping than this delightfully fragrant and perfume rose. There is the lift of bright raspberry and strawberry with a faint suggestion of an earthy vineyard terroir. It creates an interesting palate that is both complex and refreshing with the lively finishing acidity....

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

You're getting some pretty sassy savvy for this price. I’s always great value and very good but in years like this is lifts into another level. Crisp and crunchy with lively lemon and gooseberry nuances. The textural complexity comes from some time in barrel with regularly lees stirring. Works so well.

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

I have to say I think this is the best Art Series savvy yet released. It combines the beautiful aromatic nances evident immediately with a beautifully crafted textural palate. The palate is sublime with its rich intensity and centration of fruit lifted and revealed with a minerally acidity. That texture comes from 30% barrel fermentation in one-year-old French oak barriques...

Margaret River

Riesling

This was such a good season for white aromatics in Margaret River, so little wonder this riesling has turned out so well. Has a talcy floral aroma with lovely fresh fruit intensity supported by an oyster shell minerality, Linear and very long finish. Nice wine.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A stylish and poised cabernet from a year that was kind to most cabernet regions. The texture has been built in with 100%-barrel fermentation and 23 months in a 50/50 split of new and one-year-old French barriques. Blackcurrant and cracked seashell graphite character control the nose. The palate is still quite firm held by the chalky tannins are fine and...

Great Southern

Riesling

An excellent riesling from this wonderful year. It’s taken from the Hayview Vineyard near Mount Barker. Lively aromas of lemon and lime with a slightly sherbet-like character. The palate is deeply intense on its linear lines to the very long finish. Has a nice crisp limestone chalky character. Crunchy and zingy in the mouth.

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Red Varietal

This delicious red blend of tempranillo and vermentino screams out to be drunk in the next year, while its youthful and vibrant, juicy red fruit characters are so dominant. The vermentino component went through carbonic maceration, which has brought out some lively fruit characters. It was matured in stainless steel, and it's more about enhancing the textural mouthfeel. Designed to...

Geographe

Rose

The guys obviously had a bit of fun with this light to medium bodied rose. Pale onion skin colour with aromas of rose petal and light strawberry. There is texture here that comes from the use of old oak and topping with chardonnay yeast lees. The palate has a distinctive grapefruit character which extends with a fine lingering acidity to...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a most elegant and stylish expression of this small powerful vintage. Comes from the Rosa Park and Paganin vineyards and is 100% cabernet sauvignon. The same hands-on approach of other wines has been adopted here and the result is a beautifully integrated and expressive palate. There is a deep intensity here with a graphite, bay leaf and blackcurrant...

Geographe

Tempranillo

Oh gosh, I do love this wine. It’s largely tempranillo with a small amount of cabernet adding structure. A hands-on approach has been adopted with handpicking, hand plunging and wild yeasts. It’s bright and fruity with vibrant red fruit characters emerging on the nose and palate. Has that subtle black fruit underlay with touches of savouriness and a little lift...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a most interesting wine, largely because of the winemaking approach. To start with Boya means stones in Noongar, the language of the Wadandi people. The fruit is handpicked, whole bunch pressed to French oak barriques with wild fermentation on full solids. That’s pretty straight forward. Now the next stage. The barrels are topped with granite stones and then...

Margaret River

Shiraz

A very pretty and highly perfumed young shiraz of medium weight and immense appeal. The nose delivers a burst of spicy plum and dark berry. The palate is seamlessly woven with concentrated medium bodied fruit working neatly with fine grained understated oak and fine chalky tannins. Like it as a drink for the short term while those vibrant bright fruit...

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

This is a blended white with a fair bit of class. It’s pungent and intense on the nose, extending through to a crisp intensely flavoured palate. The vibrant bursts of fruit are complemented by some nice barrel fermentation influences which add so much texture and palate richness. Great drinking now but has a few years to see it develop further...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Cliff Royle grabs the fruit from the cooler climate at Karridale. The result is a wine that retains its fresh linear characteristics but then with further winemaking influence through wild fermentation in oak and tank it strikes at another level of complexity. The aromas have a distinctive light stone fruit, lychee and citrus character. Beautifully weighted palate with texture and...

Margaret River

Pinot Noir

A rise that sits right in the modern style wheelhouse. It’s from pinot and has a crisp savouriness that is perfect for summer drinking especially with light nibbles. Pale pink onion skin colour with a savoury textured palate held through to a tight long finish. Lovely perfumed strawberry and raspberry aromas.

Pemberton

Merlot

A really encouraging merlot that shows the progress these guys have made with this variety in recent years. This is no soft and mushy fruit bomb merlot. This is merlot loaded with dark fruits and supported with a structure tannin and fine oak balance. Beautifully poised and balanced with a slightly gravelly influence adding to the textural feel.

Pemberton

Chardonnay

A wine that continues to show the growing complexity and expression of this smaller producer in Pemberton. This is the most intense and complex yet. Notes of lemon curd and brioche with a roasted cashew infusion. It’s creamy but with a fie and precise linear minerality that helps focus the long finish. Incredibly long palate profile.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a super chardonnay that comes from that distinctly cooler region at Witchcliffe, south of Margaret River town. Handpicked and whole bunch pressed before fermentation in a combination of 30% new and one- and three-year-old French oak. Regular lees stirring has developed the textural feel in the mid palate. It was wild yeast fermented and just 20% through malo...

Margaret River

White Blend

The deep textural power of chardonnay plays such an integral role in this excellent blend white from Margaret River. It’s intense and loaded with fruit yet doesn't have that overt tropical gooseberry character that can be altogether too much. The textural richness is heightened and deepened by time on yeast lees and then a small amount of oak maturation. Excellent...

Margaret River

Rose

A really beautiful bright and bouncing little cabernet-based rose from south of Margaret River. Perfume rose petal and light strawberry provide such a beautifully engaging aroma. Lovely light bodied lively well-balanced palate with a precise acidity sustaining the finish.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The influence of the cooler Forest Grove vineyard is evident immediately. You get the Margaret River power but there is a controlled restraint through the medium bodied. Floral notes of red berry and bay leaf with subtle notes of minerally graphite. The small hit of cab franc has contributed to the scented aroma. Finely balanced with a wonderful oak and...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a tighter and tenser wine than the Flower Day in the same series. Yet the power is evident immediately. On the nose immediately you are assailed with a wave of peach and nectarine stone fruit merging with a lemon curd richness. There’s a crunchy cracked seashell minerality that threads through the middle palate and emerges to sustain a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Another extraordinary wine that is part of the Legacy Serries. It is a wine that reflects so much of the vineyard and the place. The aim is simply to express the vineyard with honesty in its most natural form. Take one sip of this and the palate stays with you for an eternity. Aromas of citrus with a dried fruit...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Really delivers as you might expect from this excellent concentrated and powerfully framed vintage in Margaret River. It’s dominant cabernet with smaller portions of merlot, cabernet franc and malbec. Typical of this wine since switching to biodynamics, it is bright and brilliant with a nervy tense energy to drive the palate. The succulent fruit is harnessed by fine chalky tannins...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

Clearly the best pinot noir yet from Below & Above. The aromas are immediately compelling and complex with a sour cherry, dark plum and spicy combination working with some slightly truffle-like characters. The palate is plush and textured with a smooth integrated mouth feel. Layers of wild fruits tightened with a fine chalky tannin factor. Lots to like here.

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

This is a completely engaging savvy that uses lees influence rather than oak to build complexity and interest in that palate. It's crunchy and zingy with a fine acidity elevating the finish. A little passionfruit and gooseberry burst from the bouncy palate. That textural feel and acidity should allow it to age rather well in the medium term.

Margaret River

Rose

Delicate and vibrant rose that opens with high scents on the nose before delving into a lightly framed but exquisitely delicious alate. Lifted strawberry with a mix of spices and rose petal creating an enticing lip-smacking palate.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Marks a significant step up for Cape Mentelle with this super new release chardonnay. The aromatic intensity is stunning with a lemon curd, brioche richness cut with a mealy grapefruit and lemon zest edge. The palate has a dry savoury edge which backs into the deep fruit richness. Slight struck match complements the palate brilliantly. A new era for Cape...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A powerhouse cabernet of immense fruit concentration yet at the same time showing poise and effortless control. Blackcurrant, dark chocolate and a little graphite black olive characters emerge immediately on the nose. The palate is loaded with cabernet of great intensity with a chalky tannin and slightly graphite edge retaining control through to the long finish.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An impeccably stylish and beautifully poised cabernet from these old vines in a very good year. It's pure Margaret River with its blackcurrant and bay leaf graphite aromas displaying a distinctive regionality. The palate is linear and focussed with excellent intensity and depth. Fine chalky tannins and a well-managed oak regime complete a terrific wine that is great value.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The power and intensity of the '22 vintage is evident from the start. After wild fermentation it then spent 10 months in large format oak of which 40% was new. The result is compelling. The oak is part of it but not overt and perfectly integrated into the fruit. A little more struck match and sea spray on the nose...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Okay, here's the thing. I loved this wine when first tasted last year and gave t very high points. But the extra yar has revealed even more and has prompted me to add another notch t the score. Most noticeably a glorious, perfumed fragrance has emerged. It's from the wonderful 2018 vintage, which continues to amaze with its red wines...