WA Wine Review 2027

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

I've been a bit of a devotee of this wine over the years. It's where Dukes blends some quite beautiful sauvignon blanc fruit with a little French oak to deliver a wine that has layers and complexity and a distinct point of difference from a stock-standard savvy. Lovely lemon meringue and lemon-zest notes on the nose, and then a palate...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that differentiates from the Purus, and there is more winemaking artefact. But at the same time, it never goes over the top. It's always with restraint, with an eye on elegance and delicacy. There's a beautiful honeycomb, butterscotch and quince-paste combination on the nose. And then the palate, which is a creamy richness, but once again presented with...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There is such a compelling clarity and purity about this wine, which Dukes makes with a clear mandate to capture the fruit and present it through to a fine, uncompromised palate. Nice notes of florals and white peach, a little subtle oak, and then a palate that is rich with a slight oatmeal-type flavour, balancing some light cashew and citrus....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a beautifully crafted entry-level chardonnay into Bruce Dukes' full suite of wines. Bright white peach and nectarine tones on the nose, a little nutty nuance and a splash of citrus. It's classically chardonnay. And then the palate has a nice creaminess about it, but it's held with control, thanks to fine, limestone-y acidity and a little bit of...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The '21 vintage was quite cool, but the interesting thing is, the longer these wines have been held back in bottle, the better they present. And here is a classic case. It's really starting to tick into the ideal drinking phase, and yet it's hardly showing the development you might expect. Dominant cabernet, with petit verdot, cabernet franc and merlot...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

It's 88% cabernet, but smaller contributions come from petit verdot, cabernet franc and merlot, each of which plays an important part in the overall textural and aromatic completeness of the wine. Perfumed notes of leafy blackcurrant, a little red berry and just a trace of black olive. The palate is elegantly poised and defined, with nice red-fruit characters supported by...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

In this warm season, this wine has been handled impeccably well. The colour has a slightly golden hue, but the nose is a beautiful mix of quince paste and stone fruit, with a little honeycomb complexity. The palate has tremendous intensity and fruit concentration, supported by slightly chalky, crisp acidity and harnessed with some nice oak integration. It has had...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A generous and intense chardonnay from this excellent season for white wines. It does show the results of the warmer vintage, but it still retains a tight, structured feel that gives it tremendous definition. Nutty, creamy stone-fruit notes on the nose capture the variety, while the palate has generous flavours, tightened with a little twist of lemon and fine, precise...

Frankland River

Shiraz

The boldest and richest of the Rhône triumvirate of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre. The colour is a deep inky red. The nose is an intense and engaging spicy plum and dark chocolate combination. And then a palate that is both structured and supple, with a fine thread of mineral, ironstone tannins, some well-weighted, understated oak and stacks of plush, lush...

Frankland River

Grenache

Delightfully fragrant, perfumed grenache that delivers medium weight but generous fruit intensity. Nice red fruits on the nose, some rose petal and a trace of lavender. The palate is more medium-bodied, beautifully smooth and supple, with this lovely raspberry fruit character dominant. So beautifully bright and vibrant, with a lively, long and focused finish.

Frankland River

Mourvèdre

This Rhône variety has really found a home in Frankland, and this is another compelling example of the variety. Lovely savoury, mineral notes float across some nice red fruits, with a subtle ironstone edge. The palate is generous but supple, with that fine thread of chalky tannins supported by very gentle oak, handling and controlling the fruit through to a...

Frankland River

Riesling

A wine of incredible vibrancy and intensity. '26 was a very good season for white wines across the state, and this is a cracking good example of what was made in Frankland in this season. Minerally lemon pith and slightly slaty, wet-pebble characters. The palate then has a degree of tension but carries good weight and focused intensity. Lovely slippery...

Swan Valley

Durif

A variety that does like the warmer vintages to allow it to maximise its tremendous flavour potential. In this case, the 2024 vintage turned out to be ideal for working the variety, which comes from the Maxwell Road vineyard. This is typically generous and big, yet it's not excessive. The fruit has some lovely chocolatey, cherry-like characters and a little...

Frankland River

Shiraz

Sourced from Frankland River in a season that produced fruit of tremendous generosity and balance. Beautiful plummy, dark chocolate and slightly spicy aromas, with just a faint trace of ironstone minerality. The palate is seamlessly integrated and soft, but there is excellent tannin influence here and, with the oak, it's perfectly balanced and composed. A beautiful example of Frankland River...

Western Australia

Shiraz

The colour is quite extraordinary. It's the deepest of deep, dark black-red, almost impenetrable. But the nose is pure exoticism, with liqueur-like cherry, dark plum and a little prune-juice richness. Soft, generous, incredibly supple and plush. This is a sumptuous shiraz, which comes from some very old vines. Balance is impeccable, seamlessly integrated, with everything where it should be. First-rate...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Mandoon's southern vineyard at Karridale is the source of this excellent chardonnay. Whole-bunch pressed into French barriques, with natural ferments, has contributed to a wine that is both texturally pleasing and preserves a fine linear thread. Light stone fruit and cream with subtle nutty quince-paste aromatics. The palate is delightfully vibrant, with zingy acidity lifting and sustaining the wine through...

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.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

In this case, winemaker Ryan Sudano has gone to the cooler environs of Karridale, well to the south of Margaret River. It's a region that really does suit sparkling wine chardonnay. There is a lovely, slightly nutty, citrusy purity in this wine. Then some lovely secondary characters have developed over seven years on lees, where subtle autolysis has worked its...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is an 85% cabernet-dominant wine but with contributions from petit verdot, merlot malbec and cab franc, so it's a complete Bordeaux combo. This is a most stylish and expressive cabernet from this outstanding year. Has an almost regal poise about it with intense black fruits, a little oyster shell minerality for complexity, and a little oak. It's tightly wound...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is the most elegant and stylish light-bodied chardonnay. It was whole-bunch pressed and wild yeast fermented. Then had six months in oak, so it hasn't seen an excessive amount of oak and yet the fruit has developed harmony and complexity. On the nose, there's a minerally sea spray citrus combination. And then the palate is really finely crafted and...

Margaret River

White Blend

Fraser Gallop has been a champion of this style of wine for some time. So in this case it's been fermented with wild yeasts and then matured in a combination of new and second-fill French oak. So, the oak plays an important part, but it's well-managed so it doesn't intrude beyond creating a complex textural aromatic influence. Nutty, lightly tropical...

Margaret River

Rose

A lovely rosé that's been made in a way that is designed to preserve the natural fruit characters, with just a minimal amount of skin contact contributing to the colour and a slight textural feel on the palate. It's salmon pink and has a lovely vibrant, juicy crunchy mouthfeel. While at the same time having a subtle textural feel that...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Wonderful example of the quality of Margaret River Cabernet in 2023, and this one is right up there with anything that winemaker Jeremy Gordon has produced over the years. It's such an elegant and stylish cabernet, yet there is real power and poise here. Lots of black currant, black olive characters, a little dark plum, and even mulberry. And then...

Frankland River

Shiraz

This is an exceptional example both of the region and the vintage. So, Frankland in '23, like the rest of the state, was mighty good and here is a wine that makes a statement. Bursting with aromas of dark plum spices, some slightly dried herb sage-like characters and beautiful florals. The palate is seamlessly integrated with dark fruits, a slightly...

Margaret River

Malbec

Well, who doesn't love malbec? You've got to. And this one is a beauty. The warmer year certainly produced fruit of real opulence and density but at the same time there's a subtleness about it. The aromas of mulberry rhubarb, plum and a little light leaf are evident from the start. The palate though, is where this little guy sings...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is the pinnacle of the Amelia Park chardonnay. This one was whole bunch pressed and wild fermented in the larger format puncheons. So, it's a wine that has been allowed to express the beautiful fruit characters that came from the early picking in this warm year. Aromas of nougat and butterscotch with a little cut pear. And then a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is such a beautifully textured and presented chardonnay from a season that produced both opulence and a degree of delicacy. Aromas of white peach and butterscotch, with a little citrus and a subtle spiciness. The palate is rich and textured with layered complexity. Delivering with a burst of stone fruit but balanced by a fine, precise linear acidity. So,...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine that simply never disappoints. In fact, that's understating it. This wine was hand-harvested across six pickings following flower days and, of course, with biodynamically grown fruit. It was an early vintage yet these vines are in perfect balance, and they can certainly handle extremes like this. It's a blend of 90 per cent cabernet, five per cent cabernet...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

Opens with such pretty aromatics of cherry and plummy red fruits with a little cabernet blackcurrant. Palate is wonderfully soft and generous with delicious fruit flavours exhibiting tremendous energy and verve. It's largely gone into older oak but that 10% new just gives it the final flourish on the finish. Lovely wine in the medium term.

Margaret River

Red Blend

This is a blend of many varieties off the estate, and it's all been brought together in a wine that is deliciously flavoursome balanced and plush. Has some lovely plump vibrant red fruits supported with a firmish thread of tannin and a gentle hint of oak. Such a bright energetic red wine. It's just made for drinking over the short...

Margaret River

White Blend

It's largely a sauvignon blanc and semillon blend but about 5% verdelho has been added and it plays an important role especially on the palate. This is as pure an expression of this blend as you could get after hand-harvesting. It was naturally fermented and there were no additions so you're getting a quite beautiful expression of the fruit in...

Margaret River

Red Blend

Juicy and fleshy blend of these two delightful varieties. High-end aromatics of red fruits with bright cherry and subtle spicy raspberry notes. The palate, while soft and supple, has a fine chalky thread of acid and grainy tannins holding its line.

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

This is the flagship red wine from Lenton Brae. It comes from vines that were planted way back in 1983. And so even in warm years like ’24, these old vines produce fruit that is balanced and flavoursome. Leafy blackcurrant, a little black olive, and an oyster shell minerality combine on the nose. Palate is structured and powerful with firmish,...

Margaret River

Red Blend

In many ways the quintessential easy-drinking, approachable cabernet merlot from Margaret River. This is yet another wine that demonstrates its elegance and refinement. It’s medium weight with lively dark fruits, a little red fruit, and some subtle liqueur cherry tones. Palate is soft but still structured with chalky tannins and a little dab of oak providing the support. Drinks so...

Frankland River

Red Blend

Scrumptious. Absolutely scrumptious. That’s what I’ve got to say about this beautiful blend of shiraz and malbec from Frankland River. It seems everything has been designed to preserve the abundant natural fruit characters of these varieties from Frankland River. So it’s bursting with plums, red berry, and even a little dark chocolate. It’s had a mix of new and older...

Margaret River

Rose

This is a blend of shiraz and tempranillo that were co-fermented. The colour is typically pale pink. The nose has some lovely red fruit aromatics with a strawberry-raspberry combo. And then the palate is thoroughly delightful. It’s textural and flavoursome, but at the same time, lively and verve. A very fine acidity ensures a focused, pure, long finish. Score: 93/100...

Margaret River

Tempranillo

Ticks all the boxes for this modern expression of rosé. Tempranillo is such a good variety with its red-fruited aromatics and lovely light texture. In this case, the strawberry-raspberry mix on the nose with a subtle cherry note is absolutely compelling. The palate is delightful with a fine purity about it, thanks to the clean, crisp acidity and that lovely...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Once again, this is a blend of clones, in this case, Gingin and Bernard, which contributes to its complexity and structure. It was fermented in a mix of French oak with wild yeast and then spent nine months on lees. It’s a linear expression of chardonnay, and yet there is good texture and richness throughout the palate as it extends...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Excellent chardonnay that captures the concentration and yet degree of delicacy from the ’25 vintage. It’s a mix of Gingin and Dijon clones, and I suspect that Dijon component’s just added that sense of refinement and lightness of touch to the awesome power of the Gingin. Melony citrus, lightly butterscotch notes on the nose. Then an almost racy palate, showing...

Margaret River

Semillon

I bang on about semillon all the time, and yet here’s the reason. It’s wines like this. This is a cracking good example of what Margaret River can produce with this variety, an underrated variety these days. It’s had about 25% new French oak, and then spent eight months on lees, so it’s picked up a complexity and textural element...