Regions

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

The fruit for this excellent savvy comes from Mandoon’s Karridale vineyard, south of Margaret River. It’s all about freshness and vibrancy, but after the first ferment, a small portion was matured in new French oak. That certainly brought a complex weave and some noticeable texture into the wine. This is a savvy that offers much more than your traditional fruit...

Swan Valley

White Blend

This is a very tidy white from verdelho and sauvignon blanc showing excellent fruit intensity from what was a challenging very hot vintage. It shows what can be achieved. It has a refreshing tang and vibrant fruitiness lifted with a minerally acidity. Okay, not the raw punching power of previous years but still offering plenty.

Swan Valley

White Varietal

Pure, precise, lively Swan Valley vermentino. It comes from a single block right on the river. On the nose, you get a subtle combination of freshly squeezed lime and some light mango-like tropical aromas. Beautiful, crisp, fine flavours on the palate, with a little citrus and pear. Lovely balance and lovely drinking now.

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.

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

Chardonnay

A delicately poised chardonnay from vineyards in the Great Southern. It goes through natural fermentation in a mix of new, one and slightly older French oaks before being kept separate on lees for 10 months with partial malolactic fermentation. Beautiful aromas of lime and grapefruit with a faint cumquat character. The palate is fine and slightly chalky with a deep...

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

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

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

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.

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.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Winemaker Mark Warren goes to the southern parts of Margaret River for the fruit for this wine. Aromas of lemon curd and creamy white peach with a meally grapefruit combination adding depth and edge. The palate has a lifted minerally feel with the fine shaft of acid sustaining the finish. Oak is seamlessly woven in.

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

Malbec

Another first-rate malbec from this single vineyard in Wilyabrup. It’s the result of choosing the best barrels made from what Warren considers the best parcels of fruit. And this might be the best yet. Bursting with red fruits on the nose and then into the palate. It’s bright and brilliant from the moment you look at the glass. Strikes an...

Margaret River

Red Varietal

A highly fragrant and quite pretty expression of this famous Beaujolais variety that makes a range of styles. This is light to medium bodied with supple red fruit characters, but it has structure and poise. Brilliant crimson light red colour, then an aroma that is all strawberry and cherry with a sprinkle of lifted spices. The palate has a nice...

Margaret River

White Varietal

Only one vineyard in WA has this unusual French variety. I’m glad someone decided to plant it, because it makes a thoroughly delightful wine with some characteristics not dissimilar to chardonnay. Dominant peach and apricot are distinctive with the racy acidity the key to sustaining a bright long palate. Such an easy wine to drink. Love it.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a season that was as near as dammit to perfect as you can imagine, resulting in some marvellous wines throughout the state and this one is a wonderful example. It's a generous and full-bodied cabernet, but there is a typical vineyard and seasonal elegance that is captured here. On the nose, you get a light influence of black...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

This was a pretty warm season in Margaret River. The wine was created from two separate picks of the biodynamic vineyard, with the first run through retaining the high natural acidity to add some defining structure to the wine, while the second run produced the fruit that would fill the middle palate. In the end, it became a nicely integrated...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Now I do like this wine. After two picking runs to retain acidity and add fruit depth, the wine was whole bunch pressed and fermented in amphora and larger format oak with 10 months and partial secondary fermentation. The nose captures the fresh saline citrus characters of this variety with just a faint hint of green apple and sliced pear....

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

This sparkling wine from the increasingly popular chenin blanc variety was made in the traditional way and then had 5 years on tirage just before release, allowing it to develop subtle creamy characters on the palate, especially, but adding a further complexity on the nose. It has that fine natural acidity and a lovely, lightly tropical fruit character that is...

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

Red Blend

Opens with a brilliant high-definition colour. Then the aromas of blackcurrant, spicy plum and juby red fruits engage. The energy evident on the nose strikes through into the palate with its concentrated red fruit delivered with poise. Has a slightly chewy mouth feel but the bright red flavours really emerge as it moves effortlessly to a long finish. Will support...

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

Chardonnay

Like the other two in this marvellous triumvirate, it shows the distinctive character of the vineyard. This has less volume and obvious weight compared to previous vintages, yet the vineyard character is still evident. More stone fruit and cashew with the lemon scented lift on the nose. The palate is richer and denser with great concentration held precisely by the...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Just like the Calgardup Brook Vineyard chardonnay, this wine also expresses a distinctive vineyard character, and it has long been one of my favourite chardonnays. It shows greater intensity of fruit, and while some characters are a little more forward, the structure and fine balance remain classically chardonnay. This vintage shows a slightly more minerally, finer, grapefruity citrus character than...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is generally the more opulent of the chardonnays, and yet in this case it appears to have been made with a little more restraint, creating a wine that retains its tremendous fruit concentration but presents with a distinctly more linear, refined elegance. Aromas of white peach and nectarine dominate and traces of butterscotch add further complexity. Palate is so...

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

Traditionally the more delicate of the three top-tier chardonnays. This is a wonderful example of the vineyard and style. Fragrant and intense on the nose with floral grapefruit, cashew and light lemon curd influences. There’s a little of that limestone character as well adding to its crystalline feel. The palate is tightly wound and deeply powerful with a tight inner...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a wine that always shows the distinctive character of this vineyard. It’s a finer, tighter, and leaner style of chardonnay, but it still carries tremendous intensity and fruit concentration, perfectly harnessed. There’s a crisp, minerally, spicy citrus character, with a trace of lemon curd and grapefruit. A slightly salty sea spray note adds further complexity. An excellent wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that captures the vineyard character perfectly. This is always a finer, more linear style among the suite of McHenry Hohnen chardonnays. But in this year it’s got a little more weight and textural feel. Savory quince-like aromas. A little cashew. They’re all swirling through the nose. And then a palate which delivers with tremendous power and drive, held...

Margaret River

Rose

This is a racy, vibrant, lively rosé from mourvèdre, grenache, and tempranillo. Highly fragrant and perfumed with beautiful red fruit notes of raspberry and strawberry. And then a palate that really sings the rosé tune. Lively red fruits, crisp acidity, and a very dry savory finish complete a thoroughly enjoyable wine for the next few years.

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

Red Blend

Bright red fruits lift from the glass revealing elevated strawberry and plum with a light rustic dried herb character The palate is medium weight but crammed with powerfully presented fruit. The tannins are firm, showing a slightly chewy feel, contributing to the grainy palate texture. It’s as bright as a button with tremendous energy driving through to the finish.

Margaret River

Red Blend

Beautiful vintage, beautiful wine. This is all you want with this Rhône-style blend. Spicy, it’s juicy. It’s delightfully medium-bodied, but ultimately it’s tremendously flavoured and composed. Red berry fruits on the nose with a slight leafy, spicy lift. And then a palate that is quite supple and soft with fine, chalky acidity. Balance is impeccable.

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

Chardonnay

This is a superb chardonnay, and, despite some excellent previous vintages, I reckon this is as good as any that’s been released. It’s fine and delicate, but it carries tremendous, precise intensity, with beautifully integrated oak and fruit. There’s a light honeycomb and stone fruit character, with a touch of grapefruit, and yet nothing dominates. It simply knits together where...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

No question, for me, this is the best Hazels Vineyard cabernet sauvignon produced to date. The 2020 vintage was short and sharp, delivering fruit of great intensity and power. This wine captures all of that but, with the southern regional influence, presents it with elegance and refined charm. It has all the typical blackcurrant, slightly oyster shell southern Margs character,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that pays suitable homage to the McHenry matriarch, Hazel. This is a wine of such distinction. The aromas have a wonderful mix of minerally oyster shell, grapefruit, with traces of brioche and crème brûlée. The palate is an incredible experience of depth, of power, of concentration, and ultimately of poise and refinement. It’s so beautifully harnessed and composed...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

McHenry Hohnen Hazel’s Vineyard cabernet sauvignon 2022 — $105 The 2022 vintage produced some quite outstanding wines out of Margaret River, and this one captures that vintage quite beautifully. It’s a wine of tremendous power, and yet it’s got a high degree of refinement and restraint. Loads of black currant, black olive notes on the nose, a little oyster shell...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The vineyard stamps its character on this from the get-go. Notes of lemon scents with lightly roasted cashew and faint struck match. The palate is intense and with a fine acidity and minerally character defining it through its linear range. Beautifully integrated and tightly coiled before releasing through to a sustained finish. A wine that will really show its true...