Latest reviews

Great Southern

Cabernet Sauvignon

The exceptional 2018 cabernet fruit from Frankland was chosen for this super wine. Combines the elegance and style of that region with the power of the variety. There's an engaging combination of leafy blackcurrant with a trace of that regional ironstone rusty character. The palate is superb with fine chalky tannins in support and a precise oak and fruit balance....

Great Southern

Chardonnay

A creamy and flavoursome sparkling wine with a bright linear palate lifted with a keen acid and lemon zip. There's a nice, slightly yeasty brioche and toasty combination on the palate which is fine and long. A well-made impressive sparkling wine.

Great Southern

Riesling

A beautifully fragrant riesling with scents of lemon and lime with a spicy lift. There is tension here but there is also palate fruit weight which has been perfectly harnessed with the crisp natural acidity. This was a good year for riesling in the Great Southern and the fine linear palate creates a crunchy lip-smacking finish.

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

This is simply a gorgeous current drinking blend that shows the admirable virtues of these two varieties from Margaret River in a good season where fruit concentration was a feature. Has that delightful mix of passionfruit and other tropical guava infused tropical characters. It's a pure unoaked wine that is perfect for current drinking.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that captures the elegance and power of this very good chardonnay vintage in Margaret River. It's a classy wine from the start with notes of wash rind, lemon and nectarine. The palate is still tightly held but the power is evident. Grapefruit, and a stone fruit mix with a minerally chalky and slightly savoury finish.

Swan Valley

Tempranillo

Tempranillo from this estate is consistently outstanding. The bright red fruits with the raspberry nuances and leafy dried herbs characters provide such a beautiful opening on the nose. The palate is loaded with confectionary red fruit carrying that slightly raspberry character through to the long finish. A cracking wine for current drinking.

Swan Valley

Grenache

A light to medium-bodied grenache brimming with all the bright red fruits you expect with grenache. Highly floral notes with a lift a juby raspberry and rose petal subtleties. A wine for drinking in the shorter term.

Western Australia

Red Blend

This is a blend of primitivo., which we generally call zinfandel, sangiovese and the Sicilian variety nero d'avola. The combination works a treat, providing a remarkably soft and generous wine of suppleness and oodles of flavour. Balanced fruit dominant with just a little oak in the background. The sweet fruit of the zin works well.

Pemberton

Chardonnay

This is a beautiful sparkling wine that clearly demonstrates the strength of Pemberton for sparkling wines that rank with the best in the country. The nose has a red apple and pear character with some richer stone fruits. The palate is creamy with a distinctive fresh bready brioche complexity. This is a classy sparkling wine.

Swan Valley

Malbec

This is 80% malbec with the rest shiraz. It is a combination of fruit from Donnybrook, where ripe generosity is a feature, and the Swan Valley which brings a generous softness. It was treated with kid gloves that included hand plunging in small open fermenters and pressing into new oak. Has a powerful opulence about it from the intense driving...

Great Southern

Riesling

On the nose you immediately get that characteristic spiciness which seems a part of this region for riesling. It works so well with the other notes of citrus and floral lime. The palate is precise and very long with a degree of varietal tension as the fine crisp acidity promotes a very long finish. That saline minerality on the finish...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

A high-class chardonnay that expresses variety and region so beautifully. It also shows that Margaret River doesn't have sole claim to this variety in WA. Engaging aroma of light lemon curd, brioche and custard apple with a little charry edge. A power-packed tightly framed palate is a feature with that light charry oak working so perfectly with the deep fruit...

Great Southern

Shiraz

A delightfully elegant medium-bodied succulent shiraz from this very good vintage. Loads of savoury plummy fruit evident immediately on the nose. The palate is soft and supple with a juicy plush mouth feel. Dark chocolate, lightly roasted coffee bean and a lift of spicy sage all work seamlessly together. An excellent wine.

Great Southern

Cabernet Sauvignon

A firmish Great Southern cabernet displaying structure and poise. The aromas are a mix of blackcurrant, plum and cherry with a lightly toasted overlay of oak. The palate, which opens up with breathing displays more vibrant dark fruit characters a slightly ironstone minerality complementing. Make sure you decant this one to bring out those attractive fruit characters.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

I remember tasting this great chardonnay on release, thinking I wonder how that will be in a few years. Well now I know. Bloody marvellous. This captures so much of the character of this excellent although small Margaret River vintage. IT's delicate yet it has so much power driving through on the palate. Butterscotch and white peach with an edge...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Oh gosh, this is a seriously impressive '19 cabernet. Peterkin has used a small amount of petit verdot presumably to get some acid support. The palate is such a complex weave of blackcurrant, gamey meats and rich syrupy chocolate. Fine tannins with a chalky seashell minerality hold it to its line as it extends to its very long finish. Seamless...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Such a good year for white varieties and this consistently first-rate wine has delivered again, but with the addition of even more natural crunchy vibrant fruit thanks to the vintage. The palate is more intense than previous vintages but still with that structure and precision that comes with the approach of using a combination of semillon and sauvignon, with a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Another sensational Peterkin chardonnay that displays the winery and vineyard DNA of richness and texture. It's a powerful statement from this vintage which produced fruit of great intensity. It shows on the palate, but then the use of oak holds it in, and the crunchy slightly chalky cracked seashell acidity brings it even closer. Very long palate is keenly defined....

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Such a stylish and elegant expression of the '19 vintage. The extra time in bottle has been so important for this vintage, as it has allowed the wine to really knit together and begin to release its riches. Gets a boost with the acidity of the petit verdot and the perfumes of the cab franc. Beautiful palate structure and texture...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Not the opulence of the 2018, but instead a wine of purity and elegance with a long refined palate. Nice combination of meaty blackcurrant on the nose. The cabernet franc brings a lift of fragrant violet and red berry. The palate is medium bodied with a fine chalky tannin and a sliver of oak in support. A stylish wine of...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

My oh my. I thought the 2018 was the best yet from Picardy, but this one might have just pipped it. Let me try it in another year before I get off the fence. This is power, precision and poise. A seductive perfumed aroma of cherry and raspberry and a vanillin spicy character emerging. Has a chalky minerality that threads...

Pemberton

Shiraz

A beautifully perfumed and aromatic shiraz that sits a little closer to the syrah style in structure and weight. No matter, it has a little viognier and malbec which contribute to the initial burst on the nose. The palate is velvety smooth and integrated with a fine chalky tannin influence on the supple fruit. Gets about 18% new oak and...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

Such an elegant and most beautifully pretty wine that is classically pinot in character and structure. The cooler year has held it tight and fine, yet the deeper fruit intensity emerges. The nose is a merging of cherry and spicy raspberry with a chalky limestone dusty overlay. The structure is still quite firm with chalky tannins running the show but...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

This was a super year in the most parts of the State, and you can see the thoroughly beautifully expressive sweet and sour fruit characters immediately. First things, first. It totally belies its 10 years of age. Still with primary cherry and raspberry fruits but with that emergence of a meaty, truffly character the first signs of its maturity. Has...

Pemberton

Cabernet Sauvignon

This slightly more restrained vintage has contributed to a pretty and delightfully elegant wine. Has an engaging mix of light plum, cherry and licorice. On the finish a little chalky minerality adds that final tick. Love the oak and tannin integration which have contributed to the medium weight frit to create a thoroughly beautiful expression of these three varieties.

Pemberton

Red Blend

This is a blend of 65% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon and 15% cabernet franc. Takes the standard wine a little deeper and a little longer with an immediately more complex and layered palate profile. It gets an extra year in older oak which obviously plays a part in its palate feel, creating a nice softening effect. A most complete wine...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

This was still very tight at the time of tasting but as it breathed it opened up to reveal all that intensity and power in a deeply concentrated and supremely elegant palate. It's a fine style with an opening of lemon butter and subtle minerality. The palate has a controlled chalky character which contributes to its tight linear feel. It's...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

A wine hat has prompted me to reset my cellaring expectations for these wines. It has picked up a little colour but on the nose and palate it is still remarkably youthful with a lot of primary fruit. The nose has a subtle butterscotch and roasted cashew crème brulee character with a faint hint of toasty marmalade edging in. The...

Manjimup

Red Blend

This is a new wine from Peos. It's a shiraz and cabernet blend produced by combining the best barrels of the vintage. Without doubt, the best Peos wine I have tasted. Smooth and effortless, yet at the same time powerful and deeply intense. The mix of mulberry, blackcurrant and spices is engaging. The firm fine core of chalky tannin and...

Manjimup

Chardonnay

Strikes immediately with a burst of stone fruit and lightly applied butterscotch on the nose. There's a light airy citrus aroma adding a nice touch. The palate is pristine and bright with a lovely oak influence. A little grapefruit and almond meal combines to produce a complex palate of medium weight.

Manjimup

Cabernet Sauvignon

The smooth rich opulence of the small '20 vintage is on show in this very good cabernet. Dense dark plum and blackcurrant on the nose with a liberally sprinkling of spices. The grainy concentrated palate builds relentlessly to a long finish with the support of a firm spine of oak and tannin. Has the structure and poise to handle cellaring.

Great Southern

Shiraz

Nelson gets the fruit for this excellent syrah style from Frankland River. Makes sense too. This is a thoroughly beautiful example of the elegant stylish wines coming from Frankland River these days. This is a small production wine highlighting the best of the region. A minimalist approach has allowed for a wine that appears to express its origins. The gravelly...

Great Southern

Pinot Noir

I've always like the pinots from this site, even the early days. This is a tight expression of the variety with sour cherry and faint clove. The palate though has a more sweet and sour characters with a tight framework of oak and chalky tannins. At the moment it is still very tightly held but this is pinot, and it...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

A super impressive chardonnay from this special site that has been rejuvenated since Paul Nelson acquired it. Love the merging mix of light, struck match and flint, nectarine and quince paste with a decent twist of lemon. The palate takes it into another level with its tight linear focus and expressive release of complex flavours. Crunchy acidity to finish.

Swan Valley

Shiraz

This is now sourced from a number of blocks including the old Mariginiup planted in Perth's North in 1958. The urban sprawl has consumed a large part of it, but this wine captures much of its character with the addition of a little fruit from the Conti's Margaret River vineyard. It has the lot, dark chocolate and spicy plum with...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Poised, balanced and thoroughly delicious medium bodied blend from Margs. Tonnes of red fruits merge with darker blackcurrant. There's a little of the regional black olive and bay leaf. Oak has been lightly applied and it works perfectly. Super value for a Margaret River wine.

Margaret River

Shiraz

Loads of bright vibrant plummy fruit dominate initially on the nose. Then look deeper to the mix of spices and dried herbs with a dark chocolate mocha-like character emerging. The palate is soft and silky smooth brimming with bright plump fruit and supported by some nice oak. Chewy and delicious.

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

This is an exquisite savvy that gets a little oak treatment to add another layer of texture and rich mouth feel. Yet, it retains all that bright fresh gooseberry, nettle-like fruit that skips across the palate to a long crunchy finish.

Margaret River

Shiraz

Nice to see a wine with five years of age being released from this fabulous 2018 vintage. It's from a special plot which produces exceptional fruit, as is the case with this outstanding wine. Plush and concentrated with dark fruit sitting among a host of complementing flavours of chocolate, plum and mulberry with ab earthy savoury nuance. It gets 16...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Impressive young chardonnay from this ideal cooler vintage. Aromas of peach and spices with a little grapefruit. The palate is neatly crafted with the light flavoursome fruit supplemented with fine-grained oak. Has a creamy lemon curd palate with a little almond meal richness. An excellent chardonnay offering plenty.