WA Wine Review 2027

Margaret River

White Blend

This wine was first launched into the market 40 years ago. And it remains one of the signature styles and examples of this blend from Margaret River. It’s always controlled and never over the top, with a nice combination of the dominant lemony semillon with the more aromatic, fruity sauvignon blanc. It all knits neatly together, producing a wine that...

Margaret River

White Varietal

Have been a bit of a fan of this variety since I first saw it from Lenton Brae a few years ago. I love its texture and fruit characters evident on the nose and the palate. Nice lightly spicy, nutty characters on the nose with a splash of citrus. And then a palate which delivers surprising flavour intensity, but held...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Doesn’t seem to matter where it’s planted, but chenin blanc is always an excellent variety. And this run from the ’25 vintage has plenty of punch and intensity. Typical tropical fruits with melon lemon notes on the nose. Then a generous palate with good intensity and balanced by a crisp, linear acidity contributing to its focus and structure. Nice wine...

Frankland River

White Blend

The dominant aromatics of traminer are well to the fore in this crisp and delightfully fragrant Frankland River-sourced blend. Nice floral notes, touch of lychee and peach, and then a crisp, piercing acidity which sustains the long finish. This is an immediately appealing current drinking wine with lots to offer.

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

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

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

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 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.

Manjimup

Shiraz Blend

This is something of a powerhouse blend from a vintage which produced some excellent wines. The nose is a splash of dark fruits with blackcurrant, dark plum, and even a little mulberry. The palate has retained a firm structural feel providing definition and direction. Rich, layered black fruits, savoury and cedary characters, and slightly dusty, chalky tannins adding further direction...

Manjimup

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a worthy partner to the exceptional Four Aces shiraz from this vintage. It opens with such a perfectly typical varietal cabernet nose of ripe and intense blackcurrant, dark plum, some spices, and a little leafy lift. Oh, and a dollop of dark chocolate. Then the palate is really seamlessly woven together with all those dark fruits managed with...

Manjimup

Shiraz

If you remember 2020, it was warm, it was early, oh, and it had COVID, but the wines produced were, in some cases, quite exceptional. This is a super example of the vintage. It’s rich, it’s textured, it’s lavish, and it’s loaded with fruit, all perfectly poised and presented. The aromas are a blue fruit, plummy mulberry combo with a...

Manjimup

Pinot Noir

A thoroughly beautiful expression of Manjimup pinot noir. Bright red fruits on the nose of dominant strawberry but then infused with a complex mushroomy, earthy character that brings another dimension. The palate has real structure and a solid core and yet wrapped around it is the flesh of generous pinot characters. Finely crafted with excellent tannin and oak, harnessing some...

Manjimup

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a super value current drinking cabernet. Abundance of black currant, little black olive on the nose, and a lift of bay leaf, and then a palate that is powerfully concentrated but delivered with a degree of finesse, thanks to those fine tannins and just a gentle hint of oak in support. It’s bright with energy and an ideal...

Manjimup

Red Blend

Beautiful contemporary blend of these two varieties from a season that was ideal for producing approachable, friendly and quite delicious wines. This has some lifted leafy blackcurrant aromatics with dark berry influences. A little raisin fruitcake and a dollop of chocolate. Palate lifts with more red fruits and with the fine tannins, directs through to a long finish. It’s a...

Manjimup

Shiraz

Ah, the ’23 vintage. It rears up again. This is a wonderful wine expressing this cooler climate region but capturing the wonders of this great vintage. It’s medium-bodied, lovely lifted fruit on the nose, displaying a plummy red fruit combination, and then a palate that is simply sublimely integrated and seamless. Fine chalky tannins, neatly applied oak, and that plush,...

Manjimup

Pinot Noir

Highly fragrant, perfumed pinot bursting with dominant red fruits, raspberry and strawberry. And then a palate that is quite fruit-driven but with good structure. Cherry and light chocolate notes and a little mushroomy character add complexity to a well-crafted palate. Has a fine minerality as it sustains a long finish.

Manjimup

Chardonnay

Takes the Four Kings up a notch with greater intensity and layered complexity. Aromas of crème brûlée and vanilla bean with a minerally lemon pith character. Palate shows some nice nougat meal and grapefruit with a light savoury nuance. It’s balanced and composed, delivering with linear direction.

Manjimup

Chardonnay

A neatly composed chardonnay from a season that produced some very good white wines. Typical cool climate, citrus and lemon aromatics with some nice grapefruit characters. The palate is fine and quite linear with a minerally cracked seashell character. Has a slight creaminess to it, which is cut with that grapefruit edge and a slightly savory finish to complete an...

Manjimup

Sauvignon Blanc

Savvy works really well in Manjimup, and here is an excellent example of the region and the season. It’s not overblown with all those tropical notes but has some lovely fruit intensity, melony citrus, gooseberry. With a lovely fruit-driven palate showing a fine, chalky, sustaining acidity and a clean minerality to lift the finish. A neat current drinking example of...

Manjimup

Sparkling

This is the first sparkling wine I’ve seen from Peos and it stacks up mighty well. It’s a combination of chardonnay and pinot, and this cooler region in the state certainly suits the production of sparkling wine. Lemony, melony, brioche notes on the nose. And then a palate that is elegant and delicate at the same time, but with good...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

A most stylish and expressive wine that elevates this blend into another zone. Lovely perfumed notes combine red and blue fruits with a touch of black currant and dark chocolate. The palate is beautifully framed and structured, harnessing some superbly intense and concentrated fruit with well-integrated oak, and those firmish, though very fine tannins that are now coming from this...

Margaret River

Shiraz

What a terrific little wine this is. It’s loaded with plenty of dark berry fruits, with a dollop of chocolate, little lifted leafiness, and even some black olive. The palate is generous with rich chocolatey flavours, dark plum, spices, and just a little cedary oak. A great entry-level wine into this excellent range of wines.

Margaret River

Shiraz

The varietal character and intensity of cabernet is evident immediately. Aromas strike initially with blackcurrant, dark chocolate, and a softer plumminess about it. The palate delivers richness, texture, and power on an elegant and stylish framework, has a silky smooth feel in the mouth, and strikes an impeccable balance of oak and fruit. It’s really highly focused through to a...

Margaret River

Shiraz

Colour is quite brilliant and lustrous. The nose delivers real intensity with a captivating mix of liqueur cherry and dark chocolate. And then the palate reveals, with its merging of dark plum, blackberry, and some nice mulberry-like characters. The tannins are firmish and fine, with a slight chalkiness offsetting the fruit characters and contributing to its balance. A wine of...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

Here’s a wine that fits snugly into the groove for what you expect from this combination of varieties. It’s generous and soft with nice restraint, delivering a medium-bodied wine. Lots of red and black fruits with a cedary oak influence, and supported by fine chalky tannins. Retains a brightness and energy throughout, with the structure to handle cellaring.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Colour is a reddy crimson and quite brilliant. A burst of blackcurrant and cherry on the nose greets the senses. There’s a subtle liqueur cherry leafiness there too, adding further complexity. The palate is generous, soft and supple. The 15 months in oak sitting harmoniously as part of its complete mix. Bright, generous flavours with delicious red and black fruits.

Margaret River

Red Blend

The colour is quite a brilliant pale pink. And then the nose picks up the subtle red berry and raspberry notes of the shiraz, which is the source of the wine. Aromatic perfume nose of fresh strawberry, crunchy, cranberry notes. The palate is lightly textural but with a fine delicacy that picks up on those bright red fruits. It’s light-bodied...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The chardonnays from Brown Hill have consistently improved over the years, and this is another excellent example from this slightly warmer year that produced fruit of generosity but still a degree of elegance. Citrus floral notes open with a slight lemon meringue note and then a palate which is crisp and pure with dominant stone fruit and cut lime characters....

Margaret River

White Blend

This is a punchy white blend just loaded with exuberant fruit characters from the start. Lots of tropical, gooseberry, citrusy characters with a little balancing fresh cut hay nuance. Spicy, crunchy palate extends easily through to a long finish with those tropical fruits in abundance but held with that fine tight acidity giving it focus and depth.

Margaret River

Shiraz Blend

The idea here was to leave the fruit on the vine a little longer to concentrate the flavors, and this has contributed to its power, depth, and concentration. Dark plummy blackberry fruits with a little tarry licorice and some nice spices. Palate is delightfully elegant with a seamless velvety feel, and those red fruits start to pick up and gather...

Margaret River

Malbec

If you like malbec, or even if you don’t, you’re certainly going to love this wine. It’s everything you expect with this variety. It’s loaded with dark fruits, showing the plummy mulberry-like characters, a little spice and rhubarb. And then it works into the palate, which is typically generous with a softness about it that makes it so appealing. An...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This comes from a block on the original planting on the Yallingup Hills. It's a remarkably elegant and stylish cabernet from this region. Aromas of bay leaf and blackberry with a little red currant nuanced. The palate has an effortless feel about it, with its medium weight packing good structural intensity with those fine though firm tannins fundamentally in support,...

Margaret River

Cabernet Franc

A beautiful expression of this largely right-bank variety. Comes from the northern part of Margaret River. Shows some quite beautiful perfumed red and black fruits on the nose. Palate has lovely softness and smooth richness with a medium-weight feel. Well-integrated, fine, silky tannins, and some subtle oak work well into the soft fruit. A little spicy edginess on the finish...

Margaret River

Shiraz Blend

This is consistently one of the best value and most approachable red wines released in WA each year. In this case, it's a blend of shiraz, malbec, and grenache, with each providing key components to the wine. The shiraz gives it the grunt and the strength, the malbec the fleshy red fruits of the mid palate, and grenache some high-end...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Karridale, to the south of Margaret River, is the source of this excellent wine. The nose immediately strikes with a slightly struck-match intensity. Some lemon blossom, white peach, and a subtle oyster shell minerality. The palate is tightly controlled with fine acidity, some deftly integrated French oak, and plenty of that intense fruitiness.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Balanced and composed chardonnay that fits snugly into the current short-term drinking zone. Some nice creamy stone fruit, melony citrus characters. And then a palate with fresh fruit dominance and just a little oak to add some complexity. There’s a fine linear feel. Lovely current drinking wine.

Margaret River

White Varietal

Here’s something a little different, certainly from Margaret River. This is a beautiful example of the Spanish variety. Displaying salty lemon and pithy characters on the nose, with a little apple and pear, the palate is crisp and fresh, with that salty, saline edge adding a nice floral final finish. There’s a crunchy richness and some nice textural feel. Excellent...

Geographe

Tempranillo

A firmish, though still, plush, tempranillo sourced from Geographe. The aromas are typical of blackberry, raspberry, and cherry-like notes. The palate, as it opens, reveals a juicy, plush fruitiness, plenty of red berry and plum with a lift of spice. The tannins are quite soft and the oak understated. Has a juicy, crunchy vibrancy on the finish with a subtle...