Latest reviews

Great Southern

Cabernet Sauvignon

A refined and delightfully poised medium bodied cabernet displaying many of the attractive features of a cool climate in a cooler season. Lift of red berry and muted blackcurrant with a little chocolaty mulberry nuanced complexity. A stylish wine for medium term cellaring.

Great Southern

Shiraz

Smooth and effortlessly presented medium bodied cool climate shiraz. Loads of peppery dried herb fragrances float across the mix of mulberry and dark plum. The slightly chalky limestone acidity on the finish helps hold the line with precision.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A powerful statement of Margaret River with the oak and tannin integration very good. It's cabernet with 9% malbec and gets 44% new French oak. It matured for 20 months in oak, yet the oak has been completely integrated into the palate. The tannins are quite sinewy and there's a slightly dried bay leaf and herb character lurking. This mostly...

Margaret River

Red Blend

This is a grenache shiraz mataro blend. Grenache and mataro are from Frankland and the shiraz from Montague. It's soft and supple with minimal oak influence. They were fermented separately and matured in French for eight months. The new French gives it just a little lift. Has some nice spice with a little cinnamon and subtle black pepper. The acid...

Margaret River

Shiraz

This is a solid shiraz using 20% new French oak and the rest seasoned. Got about 12 months in oak. Has a savoury ripe plum character with a little earthiness and savoury notes. It has a bright vibrancy about it with a juicy plush fruit expression. It's a very youthful wine displaying a bright palate feel. Future years will have...

Margaret River

Semillon

This gets six months in older barriques. Fermented in tank and then matured in oak. Has a distinctive and lovely lemon zest aroma with traces of subtle lemon pith and an almost guava-like character. A trace of fresh cut grass brings another dimension to the wine with its honeysuckle nuances most appealing. I like the weight and palate feel of...

Margaret River

Petit Verdot

This is a mighty good example of a varietal made from a variety that is generally used as a blending option with cabernet. The colour is deep and glowing red and crimson, while the nose exhibits an earthy black fruit combination. The palate shows a firm core of grainy tannins and neat oak, of which 20% was new. It's smooth...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A classy wine of tremendous concentration and palate depth. This gets 44% new French and the balance older oak, spending nine months in barriques. The oak is more obvious but still well integrated. There's a lemon creamy brioche characters with slightly savoury and slightly saline notes as well. Also, this wine doesn't get malolactic fermentation. Has a slight lemon and...

Margaret River

Mourvèdre

This comes from the Swinney vineyard in Frankland River. This is a cracking wine displaying the distinctive regional ironstone light rust characters. Only 20% new French. There is a lift of perfumed red fruits with a little raspberry character. The palate is medium weight and so beautifully elegant and stylish. Has some nice wild brambly dried herbs characters.

Margaret River

Red Varietal

This is a 57% merlot, 29% cabernet franc and the rest petit verdot. Has had 13 months in a mix of seasoned Hungarian and French oak hogsheads. Has a bright violet and red berry perfume. IT's medium bodied with a lovely aromatic. The red berry characters are well to the fore. It's a medium bodied wine, displaying elegance and poise....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is matured in 20% new French and the rest seasoned. It's a blend of four different clones – 2 Dijon, Gingin and P58. These were all planted by George Heydon. It's a delicate style of chardonnay with oak and subtle condiment rather than a significant structural. It has a saline briny character with a lip-smacking finish. No malolactic fermentation...

Margaret River

Cabernet Franc

A fragrant and highly perfumed wine that illustrates the characters of this variety beautifully. It's elegant and medium bodied but still highly flavoursome with a silky-smooth palate structure built on lovely fruit and fine-grained oak supported by silky tannins. Nice jubey red fruit characters with just a trace of mineral oyster shell and bay leaf.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A very tidy wine from this cooler vintage. There is 25% new French oak, and it gets 14 months. The mid palate is boosted by malbec with petit verdot and cab franc which works into the meaty blackcurrant fruit with a little black olive and bay leaf character. There is a good tannin structure with neat oak integration. Not a...

Geographe

Chardonnay

Impressive chardonnay sourced from the Geographe region. Beautiful opening with lemon scents and edgy grapefruit evident on the nose. The palate has achieved a high level of complexity with a flinty charry edge to the lime dominated citrus nuance. A tight minerally savoury finish completes a tidy wine.

Margaret River

Viogner

No mistaking this is viognier. It was sourced from Margaret River in this warmer year. Loaded with apricot and orange marmalade characters initially on the nose and then carried through into the palate. A little lift of warm ginger and subtle lemon pith contribute. It is a less opulent style which I like.

Perth Hills

Tempranillo

If you're looking for a delicious and scrumptious red wine, then this tempranillo hits the mark fair and square. Lifted floral notes of cherry and plummy raspberry. The palate is soft and warm with an almost cuddly feel. Sweet spicy plum fill the palate delivering to a pleasing long finish.

Geographe

Red Blend

Come on guys, you have to love this wonderful blend of these three Rhone varieties sourced from Geographe. It's soft and supple but still with a chalky core of tannin and oak providing its poise and direction. It's really about the fruit with only a small amount of oak influence. Super wine for current drinking while all that vibrant youthful...

Swan Valley

Chenin Blanc

It makes a lot of sense that if you're going to make a chenin blanc you go to the Swan Valley. This warmer year produced chenin of tremendous flavour and balance. This has it all, with a lemony citrus and red apple character, especially on the nose. A keen twist of lemon and lime adds to the clean finish.

Perth Hills

Viogner

This really is an exceptional example of this most distinctive variety. Lifted florals on the nose with traces of apricot and ginger making quite a statement that this is viognier. Love the hints of orange blossom and fresh cream on the palate. It's a wine of control and poise.

Perth Hills

Shiraz

The distinctive spicy influence of viognier is clearly evident on the shiraz. It's from the Millbrook property from vines that are now pretty old, so you get plenty of ripe and intense fruit flavours with the spicy aromatics of the viognier adding lift to the violet plummy notes of the shiraz. Chalky tannins and lightly infused oak add their final...

Margaret River

Shiraz

Some interesting techniques have contributed to the energy and vibrance of this wine. For instance, after open fermentation in concrete, viognier was added and a small amount of whole bunch carbonic maceration used before maturation in both French and American oak. Smooth and elegant with a supple velvety palate after the aromatics of the viognier infused nose.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There is a purity and naturalness about this wine, largely a result of winemaking approach of pressing straight to oak, wild fermentation, full malo and ageing for 10 months before being bottled unfiltered. Lemon curd and brioche with almond meal and a trace of jasmine. The palate is textured and controlled with a very long finish.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A traditional winemaking approach has been taken here, including open top fermentation and extended maturation. The best and most complete of any wine I have tasted from Miles. Deep and concentrated blackcurrant with added rich complexity from the black olive, dark chocolate and slight graphite nuances. Had about 17 months in French and Hungarian oaks. Has a dry chalky finish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Generous and highly flavoursome chardonnay from this warmer vintage. Rich lift of butterscotch and white peach dominated stone fruit. A little butterscotch and quince paste. Has a crunchy grapefruit and lemon zest combination working neatly with the crisp acidity.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Strong varietal aromas of blackcurrant and dark chocolate on the nose. Other notes of graphite and dark plum add further complexity. The palate has a soft mouthfeel, threaded with a firm core of tannin and plenty of oak. It's an immediately appealing wine with generous flavours. Beautifully smooth and effortlessly long.

Margaret River

Shiraz

Plenty of fully ripe shiraz in here revealing a dark plum slightly toasty character on the nose. The palate is soft and generously appointed with loads of dark plum, chocolate and licorice all working together. The sweet fruit of the middle palate is complemented by the dusty and slightly savoury finish.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Runner-up Wine of the Year 2024 A thoroughly exquisite cabernet blend from the great '18 Margaret River vintage. Also has some malbec, merlot and petit to complete the picture. This is the finest Rolling Stone yet released. It's sophisticated and so regally refined with fine tannins and fine-grained oak cradling such beautiful fruit. Perfumed with black fruits displaying ever so...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This has a lovely aroma of floral notes with some savouriness. This is very powerful and precise at the same time. Has a touch of breadcrust character which comes from the very small amount of malolactic fermentation. There is a lot of power and intensity in the middle palate but retains a vibrant crunchy mouth feel. Has a tart nectarine...

Margaret River

Shiraz

It surprises me we don't do more of this blend in WA. Still, here is an excellent example. It's highly scented with red fruits and spices evident. The palate is medium to full-bodied with fine tannins creating a bed for the delightfully framed fruit. An earthy red fruit mix merges seamlessly with some nice spicy minerality. A wine of energy...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine with a pristine purity that is part of the vineyard DNA. There's a delightfully fresh pastry-like character without the butterscotch. It has a lip-smacking salinity which is from the vineyard. The short rows of the vineyard have super low yields and they are from cuttings off Leeuwin's famous Block 20, so the bunches are very small. The fruit...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There is a very strong influence of the soil and slope of this vineyard which has never been irrigated. The fruit comes off the top 8 rows at the top of the vineyard and there is also a section of UC Davis clones from another 8 rows in the middle, adding the richer pastry nougat characters. It's a rich and...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

It's an unusual combination, but oh, how it works. This wine from the cooler '21 vintage is one of the best. I like its restraint and poise which is achieved without compromising the deeply concentrated juicy fruity intensity. Lovely red fruit mix emerges with a juicy raspberry and rhubarb pie character. Perfectly balanced and perfectly integrated.

Margaret River

Malbec

This cooler vintage seems to have suited malbec from this single site in Wilyabrup. It's resulted in a wine that combines elegance with the essential red fruit characteristics of malbec. It's generous but stylishly restrained with a grainy gravelly tannin structure supporting the red fruit and dark chocolate combination on the palate. Has an appealing chewy finish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A fully ripe and plush shiraz displaying typical dark fruit notes of plum and blackberry with a slightly earthy dark chocolate character. Has a smooth and seamlessly constructed palate with ripe supple tannins and a nice touch of oak. A restrained and quite pretty wine the benefits of the cooler climes.

Great Southern

Shiraz

A fully ripe and plush shiraz displaying typical dark fruit notes of plum and blackberry with a slightly earthy dark chocolate character. Has a smooth and seamlessly constructed palate with ripe supple tannins and a nice touch of oak. A restrained and quite pretty wine the benefits of the cooler climes.

Great Southern

Rose

Beautifully fragrant light bodied rose with so much going on within its light frame. It's a blend of grenache, pinot noir and shiraz from the Swan Valley and the Great Southern. It was fermented in older oak, adding texture and palate feel that really sets this up. The aromas of raspberry and white stone fruit attract immediately. The primary fruits...

Great Southern

Pinot Noir

Most attractive pinot that comes from the Marchand & Burch Mount Barker vineyard. Light strawberry with a muted background of dark cherry on the nose. There's a little seashell minerality. The palate is light bodied but loaded with typical strawberry and slightly savoury earthy notes. It's a classy immaculately presented pinot noir.

Great Southern

Chardonnay

This is a classy chardonnay offering so much. Sourced from Mount Barker and then wild fermented before spending an extended time in oak. Has a savoury light stone fruit character with a richer almond meal and light lemon curd influence. The crystalline minerality lifts and extends the long palate.

Great Southern

Pinot Noir

A wine that captures pinot noir precisely with its tight powerful core driving deep through the fleshy red fruits of the palate. A wine of tremendous vibrance and luminosity. Cherry and slightly earthy savoury notes on the nose with a distinct chalky limestone influence. The palate is powerfully presented with a very long finish. Just hint of sweet fruit is...

Great Southern

Shiraz

A plush and generous wine delivering with a supple velvety smooth palate of fine tannin and a lick of oak. It's an elegant wine displaying marvellous bright red fruits supported by those super fine tannins. A little spice and dried herbs mix on the palate with a tiny dollop of dark chocolate, all balanced with a chalky limestone minerality.