cherubino

Margaret River

Chardonnay

It captures so much of the character that is the Gingin clone from Wilyabrup. It's made along similar lines to the other chardonnays in this range, but it demonstrates the clonal influence and the regional character. There's a lemon meringue and subtle peachy nectar and stone fruit combination on the nose, and the palate has a creamier, richer texture, albeit...

Frankland River

Riesling

This excellent riesling comes from three vineyards – Riversdale, Acacia and Justin. There’s a bracing tension here, evident initially on the nose with the minerally flinty characters and then on the palate, where it is so precise and finely focused. Has just a slight bath salts edge adding to the finish.

Pemberton

White Blend

A classic grape variety mostly found in Piedmont in Italy. Has a racy acidity but richer textural palate notes. It's generous and in this case some older oak has been used to help in the formation of a well-shaped palate. I've tasted this over two years now and the extra year is starting to make quite an impact.

Margaret River

Cabernet Franc

A thoroughly delightful medium-bodied cab franc from Margaret River. The varietal perfumes are augmented with other notes of black olive and charcuterie meats. Supple with fine chalky tannins integrated with the light touch of oak. A wine for the medium term.

Pemberton

White Blend

A bit of a Heinze blend of varieties from Pemberton. It's light and aromatic with a nutty creamy backdrop giving the wine poise. Six months in oak has muted the naturally high ended aromatics to create delightfully presented wine that is such a pleasure for current drinking.

Great Southern

Grenache

This is why we love grenache and why it has become such a popular wine. Aromas of light red fruit confectionery with subtle damp turned earthy influences. It was treated in French oak foudres which has clearly contributed to its expressiveness and textural feel. Slightly chewy finish adds appeal.

Frankland River

Grenache

This Riversdale Vineyard in Frankland River produces some quite beautiful fruit. There’s almost a prettiness about it, and this wine captures that. Bright cherry and plum aromas on the nose, with subtle minerality. The palate is soft and medium-bodied, with a suppleness, but there is a core of grainy tannin giving it added structure and poise. A little touch of...

Great Southern

Grenache

This is a blend of counoise, mataro, shiraz and grenache. It's a balanced and poised blend and offers great drinking over the next few years. It's a wine I prefer to drink when those vibrant bouncy fruit flavours are dominant. The cournoise seems to add a slight peppery crisp acidity to elevate the other varieties. It's an important contribution.

Great Southern

Red Varietal

Been a bit of a fan of this variety since it started to appear largely from the Great Southern and the Riversdale vineyard. Loads of bright red fruits deliver with ease and style. It's a soft and supple wine that is perfect for current drinking. But of course, there is a little more to it than that. The chalky tannins...

Frankland River

Red Varietal

Cherubino started releasing this wine a few years ago, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I love the variety for its approachability, its flavours and generosity, but with its understatement and gentle poise. This wine is medium-bodied, with lovely weight and textural feel. Plush red fruits show a nice raspberry-plum combination. The palate is seamlessly integrated, with some nice...

Great Southern

White Varietal

There's not much of this variety in Australia so it's nice to see something like this one pop up. It has a slight spiciness which shows on the nose but the palate is rich in stone fruit and creamy, nutty characters. A little contribution from oak maturation is evident on the palate. Nice fine acidity adds a final flourish.

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

This comes of the excellent Channybearup vineyard in Pemberton. Love the structure and poise in this pinot. Engaging aromas of spices and light cloves with a strawberry red fruit thing emerging. The palate is light bodied but poised with fine chalky tannins doing their thing. Incredibly long palate.

Great Southern

Riesling

Okay, the interesting thing is that some of this was barrel fermented in French oak and after that it just did its thing with little added. So the wine has life and texture. Love the mouth feel which has a textural feel while retaining the bright spicy lightly citrus tang. Very long finish.

Great Southern

Shiraz

Medium-bodied syrah from Frankland River. It's an effortlessly delivered wine of real style. Cherubino has made good use of some of his alternative syrah clones from the Riversdale vineyard. Lifted ferruginous aromas are regionally distinctive while the earthy dark fruits swirl through a delicious palate. Minimal intervention has allowed the fruit to express itself.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The fruit for this excellent wine comes from the heart of Margaret River in the sub-region of Wilyabrup. It captures what was a very good vintage for red wine in the region. That compelling opening of blackcurrant, black olive tapenade and a bay leaf lift speaks of place. The palate delivers with strength and purpose, the firm tannins and well-judged...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The richness and power of Margaret River in this vintage are well to the fore. The fruit comes from the Wilyabrup sub-region of Margaret River, and it’s just loaded with all that you expect from the blackcurrant, dark olive, subtle bay leaf and plum notes on the nose. And then the palate is so rich, with a degree of opulence,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Oh my. We have something here. Cherubino sources the fruit from vineyards in Karridale in the south and Wilyabrup in the north. So, you are getting that delicacy and fineness from Karridale and the power and richness from Wilyabrup. It makes for a thoroughly magnificent chardonnay that delivers a powerful statement presented with such finesse. The palate especially is so...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This one comes from vineyards in the sub-regions of Karridale and Wilyabrup, and after hand-picking and whole-bunch pressing, it's fermented in new and one-year-old French oak for about eight months. There is an obvious generosity in this wine, demonstrating great power. The Wilyabrup component seems to be the engine room, while that cooler, finer fruit from Karridale provides the linear,...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

This is a wine that Cherubino has a bit of fun with using lots of different things to create a distinctive and compelling wine. Love the creamy brioche and funky minerally palate. It's rich and flavoursome with tremendous depth and concentration that finishes with an elegant flourish.

Pemberton

Chardonnay

The second wine along with the pinot that is part of this duo where the winemaking is hands-off and designed to capture whatever comes from the vineyard and season. So, this is terrific. Has a savoury, slightly funky aroma that provides a captivating beginning. The palate adds a little chalky acidity to provide direction to a sustained finish. Layered and...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

A wine made with a largely keep-yer-mitts-off approach in the winery. It’s from the excellent Channybearup vineyard in Pemberton and made with minimal intervention. I think Cherubino just wanted to see where things would go. Well, they’ve gone pretty well. Slightly gamey mushroomy aromas with a subtle cherry note. The palate is light yet intense with excellent fruit concentration delivered...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This stylish and elegantly structure cabernet comes from one mature vineyard in Wilyabrup along Caves Road. Dark blackcurrant and ripe plummy black olive fruits merge on the nose. The palate is velvety smooth showing a perfect integration of oak, tannin and fruit. An edgy minerally graphite and bay leaf with a dollop of chocolate to complete.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

As you might expect from this cooler vintage in Margaret River, this is an elegant and refined example of cabernet sauvignon, but don't let its structure and body fool you, because there is plenty of fruit concentration and power here as it is Margaret River cabernet. Blackcurrant, dark chocolate, and gentle black olive influences. There is a trace of oyster...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

As the name suggests the fruit comes from a number of vineyards down this famous road from Karridale, through Wallcliffe through to Wilyabrup. It is such a vibrant and lively crunchy wine with tremendous life in the palate. Distinctive citrus tang with grapefruit and quince paste melon characters. Traces of white peach and a fresh sea spray contribute to the...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The fruit for this wonderful chardonnay was sourced from vineyards at the Wallcliffe, Wilyabrup and Karridale along the most famous road in the region. After handpicking the fruit was pressed straight to new and used oak for fermentation and subsequent maturation for 10 months, So there is texture and palate richness here, but there is also a fine minerality and...

Pemberton

Pinot Noir

You've gotta love this baby. It's from an established vineyard in Pemberton. Exotic aromas of violets and strawberries. The palate has tremendous depth and persistence with the use of oak and tannin management superb. The 1000-litre foudres have ensured the oak and fruit integration is harmonious and complete. I'd like to be drinking this over the next five years.

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An interesting diversion from the usual WA cabernet clones in that it is from clones 377 and 191. On the nose there is a captivating mix of black fruits with a minerally ferruginous character merging into other nuances of tobacco leaf, red berry and oyster shell. The palate is very firm with substantial tannins holding it close through to the...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This cool wine is from Dijon clone fruit off the Wychwood Vineyard at Karridale. Needless to say, with that combination it is a more delicate chardonnay than those from the powerhouse Gingin clone. But this has intensity and tremendous drive through the palate. Light lemon curd and brioche with a citrussy pear character laced with a little light cashew. Love...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The delicacy and fineness of this Dijon clone is immediately evident as is the slightly savoury element that distinguishes it from the Gingin clone so dominant in WA. Comes from down at Karridale so it picks up on that cooler climate significance. Having said all that it is a wine displaying a rich palate with a subtle jasmine, honeysuckle and...

Frankland River

Cabernet Franc

A variety that is mostly blended with cabernet sauvignon, yet more are releasing straight varietal versions when things line up in the season. This was one of those times. Perfumed red berry and violet with a floral leafy lift on the nose. The palate is medium bodied and elegantly crafted with the red berry and subtle oak working in harmony....

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cherubino has produced this wine from two clones, 377 and 191, which are grown on the Riversdale Vineyard. There’s a lot of cabernet in this wine, initially evident on the nose with its blackcurrant, slightly dark plum and subtle leaf characters. The palate is tremendously intense and beautifully structured, with only one- and two-year-old oak used, resulting in a wine...

Frankland River

Petit Verdot

No shortage of colour in this petit verdot off the Riversdale Vineyard. Loads of dark fruits evident immediately on the nose, then the palate displays the firm core of tannins you expect with the variety. This warmer year proved ideal for this variety which needs warmer vintages to reach optimum flavour ripeness.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The power and concentrated intensity of the Gingin clone from the Willows Vineyard is evident immediately on the nose. A deep wave of butterscotch, roast cashews and lemon curd emerge with intensity. Then the palate delivers with a rich textural feel, loaded with ripe stone fruit, butter scotch and quince. The finish is tidy and long with a fine lingering...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

What a stunning chardonnay from Margs. Opens with a slightly charry edge to the ripe limestone stone fruit characters on the nose. The palate is delicately poised but with a deep intensity. Lemony grapefruit and quince paste emerge from the palate with a fine charry oak and fine acidity to promote a very long finish. Finishes with a crunchy seashell...

Great Southern

White Blend

This is a variety just starting to make an impact. It's from the Riversdale vineyard and was fermented in used oak. It has a pale copper-like colour. The nose is spicy with an apple and pear combo. On the palate you get a fine leaner profile but one revealing good intensity on its light frame. Nice aperitif wine.

Margaret River

Rose

Comes off the Willows vineyard in Margaret River. It's a lighter modern style of rose. The colour is pale blush. The nose is influenced by the floral grenache and a little oak. The palate, oh, the palate. Just gorgeous and so appealing with light red fruits supported with a touch of oak.

Frankland River

Shiraz Blend

A little Rhone and a little Bordeaux get together for this little shindig that results in a smoothly textured and lavish wine. Opulent dark spicy plum and chocolate with ripe blackberry notes throughout. The oak influence is minimal with maturation in a five-year-old foudres. It’s resulted in a wine of tremendous energy and vibrancy evident from the bright colour and...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A juicy cabernet from Margaret River. On the nose you get a mix of red fruits, backed with some nice mulberry and dark plummy blackberry nuances. It's medium bodied with good flavour intensity. The sprinkle of spices and a dusting of dry earth add to its palate feel.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A lighter bodied chardonnay reflecting the fruit sourcing from down at Karridale south of Margaret River town. It's light with melon citrus characters on the nose overlaying some subtle almond meal complexity. The palate has a quince past and pear character with a citrus lift to finish. Fine and focused wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This really is a super value-for-money chardonnay from a season that’s turned out pretty well for this variety. It was fermented and matured in French oak for about eight months and certainly picked up some lovely characters. On the nose, there’s a light fig and lemon combination, with a touch of quince paste, and then a distinctly mineral, savoury palate...