WA Wine Review 2027

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This sits at the pinnacle of the Singlefile suite of red wines. This is certainly one of the best, and it is classically defined cabernet. It comes off the Riversdale Vineyard in Frankland River in a season that produced exceptional wines. Blackcurrant, a little ferrous oxide, some leafy notes with an edge of olive tapenade and a dollop of chocolate....

Frankland River

Shiraz

A thoroughly scrumptious shiraz from the Donnelly River Vineyard at Frankland River. The colour is deep dark red with crimson hues. The nose is seductive, with dark plum, spices, a little liquorice and some nice, subtle peppery notes. The palate is soft, plush and generous, supported by slightly grainy tannins, giving it a textural feel, while the oak is subliminal...

Frankland River

Red Blend

An engaging combination of mataro, grenache and shiraz working in perfect harmony. Lovely red-fruit notes with a slightly ferrous edge on the nose. It's a wine that seems to have been fine-tuned over the years. And the result is a wine of impeccable poise and balance, with beautifully integrated fruit that is allowed to fully express itself. Some dry, savoury...

Frankland River

Grenache

Year in and year out, this has to be one of my go-to grenaches from Western Australia. It just never disappoints, and this one is another ripper. Beautiful rose-petal, red-berry and slightly juby nuances on the nose. And a bright-as-a-button palate that elevates with abundant red fruits. A slightly ferrous minerality for complexity and a beautiful, textured, slightly grainy mouthfeel....

Great Southern

Pinot Noir

These pinots from Singlefile continue to be some of the prettiest and most beautiful examples of the variety. In this case, it comes from a single plot in Mount Barker. Wonderfully exotic, engaging aromas that are floral, with slight raspberry-strawberry combinations and even a little blackberry. The palate is satiny and seamless, displaying intricate integration of fine tannin and oak,...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

I just love the concept of the small-batch wines that Singlefile releases. In this case, the chardonnay comes in a little later than normal, and so the rich flavours have a chance to really build. It was wild-fermented in new Burgundian oak, and it's created a wine that's rich in butterscotch and stone fruit, while retaining a defining savoury edge...

How good is it to see a wine that's had that little extra bottle age before it's released? This one from the cracking '23 vintage is one of the best yet under this label. The aromas are compelling, complex and captivating. Butterscotch, stone fruit, some savoury notes and a little lightly roasted cashew swirl through a beautiful aromatic mix. The...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

This one comes from Denmark and immediately shows a level of sophistication and complexity that have become synonymous with these Family Reserve chardonnays. The vintage is one that has delivered plenty of flavour intensity, and this has been harnessed into a wine that is elegant, controlled and refined. Butterscotch and stone fruit nuances on the nose. And then a palate...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

Boy, you're getting a decent chardonnay for this price with this wine. Immediately on the nose, the complexity is evident, with subtle, savoury, almost smoky bacon character, a little roasted cashew and some light toastiness with a butterscotch nuance. The palate is creamy, with light stone fruit and a cane-lifting acidity. This really is quite a beautifully balanced and presented...

Porongurup

Riesling

Everything about this wine says elegance and refinement, even the beautifully tapered bottle. The aromas are distinctly mineral and spicy, with some lovely stone-washed characters, a faint hint of bath salts and a little lemon essence. The palate keeps that fine tension, but it's under control and still allows the fruit to express itself quite beautifully. Nice talcy acidity. A...

Mount Barker

Riesling

Okay, so we're taking things up a notch here with riesling. The aromas are more mineral with a little lemon zest and some subtle bath-salt influences. The palate shows a degree of tension and some slatey, wet-pebble characters, but it also carries the beautiful, pristine fruit qualities of the 2026 vintage. The finish is precise and long, but that lovely...

Great Southern

Riesling

The prettiness and fruit clarity of the '26 vintage in the Great Southern are clearly on display here. It is such a beautiful entry-level riesling for Singlefile, but it delivers a lot more than that. Floral, spicy citrus notes on the nose and a thoroughly delightful, textured palate, but with a fine, restrained acidity that carries through to a long...

Great Southern

Sparkling

Gee, this wine's come a long way in the last few years. This is the most complex and complete sparkling wine from Singlefile yet. Wonderful aromas of beeswax, brioche, a little cracked yeast and a light splash of lemon. The palate, which has such a fine bead, is deeply intense, yet wonderfully elegant and refined. Complete through the middle palate,...

Great Southern

Pinot Noir

One of the standouts from a warm vintage, thanks to Denmark’s slightly cooler conditions. Off the home block just outside Denmark, this pinot opens with an intense nose of sour cherry, spice and a touch of truffle. The palate is seamless and silky, beautifully textured with sinewy tannins threading through. Oak is deftly handled, adding balance without intrusion. A wine...

Great Southern

Shiraz

Capturing the strengths of a very good vintage in Frankland, this is medium-bodied but generous shiraz. Smooth and supple, it offers deep blackberry and plum flavours with spice and a touch of licorice, so typical of the region. It’s poised and long, with a seamless mouthfeel and nothing overdone. A lovely expression of Frankland shiraz.

Great Southern

Cabernet Sauvignon

A delicious, engaging Frankland River cabernet that combines power with restraint. Blackcurrant, plum and blackberry fruit are joined by a faint minerally ironstone note. The palate is elegant and poised, with fine tannin and neatly integrated oak. Best enjoyed in the medium term, though already showing impressive drinkability.

Pemberton

Chardonnay

There were some very good chardonnays from Pemberton from the '25 vintage, and this is yet another of them. Captures the regional DNA on the nose with a peach blossom, floral, and slightly chalk dust character. The palate is still quite tightly wound, but there is good fleshy intensity, albeit held close to create a finely linear, minerally wine. It's...

Great Southern

Riesling

A bracing, tense, and crunchy riesling sourced from three sub-regions within the Great Southern. Distinctive citrus and minerality on the nose with a slightly slatey, spicy character. The palate carries plenty of intensity with a citrusy, lemony, meringue-like flavour combo. And that slightly wet slatey minerality adding definition. Intense, long, and a wine with some cellaring potential.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

From the great '23 vintage, this is another exceptional Margaret River cabernet. Generous and full-bodied with an intense opening of blackcurrant, olive tapenade, dark chocolate, with a lift of graphite, all providing a compelling aromatic intensity. The palate is elegant and stylish, and the cooler season certainly helped it build the flavours slowly and in a way that kept it...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The Margaret River chardonnay from 2025 is very good. Plenty of flavour, plenty of intensity, but also with a degree of restraint. On the nose, a peach and nectarine mix with a little lemon pith, and then a palate that is crunchy and crisp with a lively, zingy acidity giving it a linear focus but not compromising the richness of...

Western Australia

Sauvignon Blanc

Punchy, fruit-driven, savvy, capturing all the beautiful aromatics and flavours you expect with this variety. Aromas of light tropical fruit, a little gooseberry and passionfruit. A little trim of cut grass and fresh mown hay. On the palate, a decent splash of citrus lifts the fruit through to a zingy long finish. Delightful current drinking wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The intensity and power of Margaret River chardonnay is immediately apparent. The nose opens with slightly toasty, savoury, faintly struck match characters, then the palate releases the awesome power of chardonnay from this region. Fine savoury elements and a touch of chalkiness contribute to a palate that is controlled, powerful and extraordinarily long. This is high-class stuff.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Fruit comes from a number of different sites across Margaret River, with the aim of creating a wine of complexity and balance while retaining elegance. After handpicking, it was whole bunch pressed into a mix of new and one- and two-year-old barriques for wild fermentation. A further 10 months in oak has built deep complexity on the palate. Cashew, crunchy...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Great to see a seven-year-old wine just starting to hit the market. This cabernet from Margaret River comes from a season that produced some very smart wines. The nose of blackcurrant, bay leaf, oyster shell and a faint hint of graphite is immediately evident. The palate delivers Margaret River DNA, deeply embedded in a powerful and generous cabernet, tightly structured...

Swan Valley

Fortified

Oh my, what a wonderful example of a liqueur style that the Swan Valley does so well. The colour has that deep caramel and a slight hint of khaki on the edges. You open with an aroma of remarkable complexity, with toffee and roasted coffee beans, dark raisins and syrupy caramel all swirling around and capturing your attention. And then...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An exceptional wine from a great season in Margaret River. It was a slightly cooler year, which allowed the slow build-up of flavours that are captured perfectly in this wine. Aromas of blackcurrant and dark plum, with a little meaty complexity. The palate is pure and super-concentrated, with rich dark fruits, chocolatey notes and a cracked-shell minerality that adds that...

Swan Valley

Shiraz

This outstanding Swan Valley shiraz comes from a very old dry-grown vineyard. Everything you expect from the Swan Valley in a good year. It’s soft, supple and expressive, and there’s enjoyment wherever you turn. Aromas of bright red fruits, dark chocolate and lifted sarsaparilla. The palate is absolutely exquisite: so finely integrated, velvety smooth, with great polish and poise. You...

Swan Valley

Grenache

This distinctive and always impressive grenache comes from a single vineyard of old bush vines planted back in 1954. It’s sited along the Golden Mile, which produces grenache of such exceptional quality. Great attention to detail was taken with bunch selection, handpicking and hand sorting of all the fruit from this old vineyard. Red fruits with raspberry, rose petal and...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This one comes from Margaret River, from this vineyard in Wilyabrup. So it has the pedigree. It’s an intense wine from whichever way you look at it. On the nose, there’s a slightly smoky gunflint character overriding the intense lemony-grapefruit characters. And then the palate has tremendous concentration, yet it’s linear and defined, with a degree of tension. Nice mineral...

Swan Valley

Chenin Blanc

A consistently impressive and expressive example of this variety sourced from the Swan Valley. On the nose, you get the usual tropical, albeit lightly tropical, fruits. But then, in this case, there’s a slightly spicy, dried-herb character adding further complexity. The palate is textured and flavoursome, with the light fruits supported by a fine, crisp, natural acidity that is a...

Swan Valley

White Varietal

Sittella introduced this a couple of years ago. It’s a variety synonymous with the Rías Baixas region of northern Spain. This is quite an exciting release and, in my view, the best to date. Nice, subtle aromas of spices and dried herbs, with a little lemon zest. The palate has surprising complexity for a lighter-style wine, with that spicy, lemony,...

Swan Valley

Verdelho

A quite beautiful, understated expression of Swan Valley verdelho. Light fruit notes on the nose, with a little limestone character, and then a palate that is crisp, pure and expressive. It’s light-bodied, but there’s tremendous flavour here that extends with ease through to a sustained finish. I love the precision and that lightly mineral finish. An excellent wine.

Pemberton

White Blend

A blend of pinot noir and chardonnay sourced from Pemberton is the basis for this exceptional example of a Western Australian sparkling wine. Sittella has been a leader in this style for many years, and this exquisitely crafted wine is a perfect example of why. Lemon meringue, game, some red fruits and a little warm brioche on the nose provide...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

This wine is always kept for a minimum of five years before release. This is a thoroughly exquisite, delicate, refined sparkling chardonnay sourced from Pemberton. There’s a lovely light lemony-brioche combination on the nose. The palate is so delicate but with excellent flavour intensity. Fine chalky acidity and a little lemony zip all contribute to a racy, long, precise finish....

Swan Valley

Chenin Blanc

This has been made in the méthode traditionnelle style from grapes grown on the estate. There’s plenty of sparkling chardonnay around these days, and it’s little wonder because it produces excellent sparkling wine. But this one has introduced a little more texture and richness into the natural acidity and fruitiness of chardonnay and produced something really special for this variety....

Great Southern

Pinot Noir

This comes from a small vineyard that was close-planted with Dijon clones 115 and 777. It’s a recent addition to the Forest Hill portfolio, and a most exciting one at that. The aromas are quite savoury and earthy, with mushroomy notes and a little truffle-oil complexity. The palate is so seamless, soft and supple, with good fleshiness, yet there’s a...

Great Southern

Cabernet Sauvignon

A super wine from these old cabernet vines planted more than 50 years ago. It was a warm season, but it certainly appears these old vines have worked their magic, creating fruit that’s balanced and intensely flavoured, and in no way overripe or jammy. In fact, it’s a wine of remarkable elegance and refinement, with those blackcurrant and dark fruit...

Great Southern

Cabernet Blend

Love this combination, and it works so well out of the Great Southern. It’s about three-quarters cabernet from the oldest vines on the estate, with the addition of malbec. So, you’re getting the intense blackcurrant and dark plum notes of the cabernet, with some brighter red fruits and fleshiness from the malbec. It works well. A remarkably soft and supple...

Great Southern

Shiraz

From the colour, you think you’re going into a blockbuster, and sure, it’s bold, opulent and rich. Yet there is refinement and restraint that captures the contemporary winemaking style at Forest Hill. Spicy dark plum and dark chocolate, with a little chalky character and minerality. The palate is controlled and seamlessly integrated, with plushness and generosity. A wine of tremendous...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

Power, precision, intensity. It’s all here in this single-site wine from dry-grown vines planted 40 years ago. There’s a steeliness about it, but also a textural feel. A compelling mix of lemon, oatmeal and a little butterscotch on the nose, with a flavour profile that is deeply concentrated but effortlessly long. Fine, crunchy, chalky minerality holds a tight line, carrying...