WA Wine Review 2027

Great Southern

Chardonnay

Generously flavoured and richly textured chardonnay from vines planted back in 1985 and supplemented with some Bernard clones of ’95, ’76 and ’96. Notes of lemon meringue and brioche with a little quince paste on the nose. The palate is deliberately textured, but still with a controlling fine mineral acidity. Lemon meringue and quince paste, with a trace of butterscotch...

Great Southern

Riesling

Quite simply one of the state’s finest rieslings. It’s from the oldest vineyard block on the estate. The nose has a distinct crystalline, mineral, lemony aroma, with a fairly typical Great Southern spiciness. Then the palate is awash with slatey, wet, pebbly characters, edgy lemon and lime, and a little cut pear. It’s a precisely linear wine with tremendous depth...

Great Southern

Riesling

Here’s a wine that captures the vineyard site. Planted dry-grown in 1975, it delivers incredibly intense and powerful aromas of lemon and lime, with spicy, chalky, basalt characters. The palate is quite textured, with really fine, precise acidity holding it through to an extended finish. A distinctive wine, with crunchy, quartz-like characters providing such a compelling addition to the palate.

Great Southern

Riesling

Although the vineyards at Forest Hill go back to 1965, this one is sourced from several sites. It really is a quite beautiful wine, capturing the vintage, which was very good for white wines, rather well. Spicy lemon zest and mineral notes on the nose are intense. Then the palate, as always, is powerfully defined and linear, with tremendous mineral,...

Great Southern

Red Blend

This distinctive blend of cinsaut, grenache, counoise and vermentino was introduced relatively recently and caught my attention immediately. It was all hand-picked and pressed to concrete, where it was fermented. The result is a wine of fine aromatics, beautiful texture and lovely fruit characters evident immediately. Crunchy light red fruits, some watermelon and cranberry combinations, with a little savouriness. It’s...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Here's a cabernet that typifies a style from Frankland River. It's a blend of the best barrels of cabernet from the season. The aroma has an interesting combination of blackcurrant with some slight blue fruit notes. The palate is medium to full-bodied, but with real varietal intensity. There's a touch of dried herbs and bay leaf. An oyster shell, graphite...

Frankland River

Shiraz

An opulent and generous shiraz from Frankland River in this warm year. Masses of dark plum and blackberry on the nose with a little spice and black pepper. Right. The palate has a silky smooth, textural feel with super fine tannins and a gentle oak persuasion combining and cradling some quite plush, lush fruit through to a sustained finish. A...

Frankland River

Riesling

The purity and clarity of this Frankland riesling captures the intensity of the season, but in this southern zone, releases it in a very friendly, almost delicate manner. Minerally lemon notes on the nose, some nice spices. A little of the wet, pebbly, stonewash character. Palate is keen and crisp with a fine lemony, minerally combination, sustained by a precise...

Frankland River

Riesling

A tight, bracing, and tense riesling from Frankland River. Aromas of lemon and spice with a little cut lime, and a palate that is minerally and linear, with excellent intensity, showing a fine, chalky acidity. There's a little rub of lemon zest adding a nice finishing feature.

Frankland River

Chardonnay

Most attractive current drinking and short-term chardonnay, capturing the fruit intensity you expect from the Great Southern. Butterscotch savouriness on the nose, a little dab of lemon meringue, and some slightly nutty cashew-like characters. The palate is intense, with a fine line of chalky acidity highlighting its linear feel. Yet there is texture here with some slightly mealy stone fruit...

Frankland River

Pinot Grigio

A lovely, pure, crunchy, vibrant pinot grigio capturing the lifted florals and citrusy cut pear characters on the nose. And then on the palate, a lovely racy feel with lifted pear and nectarine flavours, and a little of the fairly typical apple crumble nuance. It's a zippy little wine, ideal for current drinking.

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Here's a wine that shows the power, the elegance, and the character of the Horton clone cabernet. The season was outstanding, and it's allowed the aromas and flavours to build into a most polished wine. Nice notes of violet and blackcurrant and other lifted florals, with a little understated black olive tapenade. The palate is so beautifully bright and energetic,...

Margaret River

Cabernet Blend

A stylish and most elegant combination of these two varieties, which are so well-suited to Margaret River. The powerful blackcurrant, bay-leafy, oyster-shell minerality of the cabernet tends to dominate, but it's underpinned by that slightly more fleshy red fruit of the malbec. It all comes together into a neatly integrated combination that is bright and vibrant throughout. Excellent oak integration...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a slightly different expression to the 2023 vintage. The aromas are more restrained and show more minerally oyster shell, lemon-scented, lightly butterscotch characters. The palate is quite a deal tighter and leaner, which may have resulted from slightly earlier picking in this warm year. Still, it's a wine of poise and what appears to be typical vineyard power...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This Wilyabrup Chardonnay has powerful intensity, evident immediately on the nose and confirmed on the palate. An aromatic mix of butterscotch, crème brûlée, a little meal character is immediately captivating. The palate strikes a precise balance of rich flavours, supported by understated oak and driven by crisp, mineral acidity through to a long finish. This is an impressive early release...

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.

Frankland River

Shiraz

Here’s a wine that captures so much of what Frankland River is all about. It’s from the Riversdale Vineyard, and it’s made from three clones, Waldron 470 and 174, contributing to a wine of real complexity. Lovely texture and depth of flavour. It’s medium-bodied but generous, and that little flick of ironstone adds a lovely complexity. Nice lingering finish. Most...

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...

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...

Western Australia

Chardonnay

This is quite a beautiful wine and, when you look at the quality, great value for money. Aromas of citrus and melon, with a subtle vanilla pod and crème brûlée nuance. A textured palate delivers subtle complexity with a crunchy, melony, mealy character and a subtle savoury finish. Well-composed 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...

Pemberton

Pinot Grigio

The colour is the palest copper tone, which comes from this variety. It’s from Pemberton and is brimming with lovely apple, pear and citrus notes on the nose, leading into a palate that is keen, crisp and quite refreshing. While it’s crunchy and lively, there’s also a nice textural feel that brings added complexity to the wine. It’s a nice...

Western Australia

White Blend

This is a bright and crunchy little blend of gewürztraminer, riesling and pinot grigio from Pemberton, which in this warmer year delivered some very nice fruit qualities, thanks to its cooler locale. The traminer picks up the spiciness and light lychee notes of the variety, especially on the nose. But it all comes together neatly into a controlled, linear palate,...

Western Australia

Chardonnay

Cherubino Folklore chardonnay 2025 ($17) Light, to medium-bodied chardonnay, but one that has good fruit weight and flavour intensity. It captures the edgy citrus and white peach notes of the variety on the nose, and then delivers with a slightly creamy texture, brimming with stone fruit and a sprinkle of spices to lift. Nice, fine acidity sustains the focus. Score:...

Western Australia

White Blend

Captures the brightness and flavours of the ’26 vintage very nicely. Aromas immediately strike with a strong citrus-passionfruit combination, with a little melon. The palate is punchy and flavoursome, with crisp acidity and a nice edge of lime cutting through to the finish. Ideal as a current-drinking wine.

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet, cabernet, cabernet. That’s what you get with this terrific example of both the vintage and the vineyard. There’s a pure varietal expression here, with strong blackcurrant and subtle black olive notes on the nose. And then a palate that is so seamlessly structured and integrated, capturing the beauty and almost prettiness of this slightly cooler but outstanding vintage in...

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

Red Blend

After a somewhat slow start as a result of the cool vintage, these ’21s have really started to hit their straps with the extra time in bottle, and here is the perfect example. It’s from that Riversdale Vineyard again. On the nose, you get a mix of blackcurrant, ironstone and a little vanilla pod. The palate has a varietal purity...

Frankland River

Grenache

This is one of my favourite wines in the Cherubino collection. It’s made in an interesting way that captures so much of Frankland River grenache, composed in a clay-cement ovoid tank, which is in the shape of a giant egg, and then the lees are continuously forced up, creating an internal vortex current. The technique contributes to the wine’s plush...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a top-drawer cabernet from Cherubino. It comes from a specific block in the Riversdale Vineyard in Frankland River. After handpicking, it was left on skins for two months before maturation in new and one-year-old French oak. So it’s had plenty of time to pick up the colour, concentration and structure that you want with high-class cabernets. Despite all...

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,...

Frankland River

Cabernet Blend

Here is a more Left Bank-inspired, cabernet-dominant blend, which also includes malbec, petit verdot and cabernet franc. It’s a thoroughly exquisite, pretty, poised and elegant cabernet blend. And like the Right Bank-inspired merlot cabernet, the maturation took place in larger-format French oak foudres. This has allowed the wine to develop an inner harmony and strength, delivered with such velvety smooth...

Frankland River

Red Blend

Here’s a wine that’s straight from the Bordeaux Right Bank playbook, with this combination of merlot and cabernet franc. The aromas are quite beautiful. A mix of blackberry, fruitcake and floral perfumes are immediately captivating. The palate strikes with impeccable balance. After selecting the best barrels, it was matured in larger-format French oak foudres. So the oak never intrudes but...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Bright and punchy sauvignon blanc displaying a nice mix of light tropical fruits, a little cut grass and a subtle herbaceousness on the nose. The palate has clean, crisp fruit, bright lingering flavours and a nice clean acidity to finish. Current-drinking wine.

Margaret River

White Varietal

Plenty of fruit in this clean, crisp and crunchy ’26 vermentino from Margaret River. A little of that pear and apple-crumble, citrusy combination on the nose. The palate has a lift of green apple and citrus and fires through to a long, clean finish. Ideal summer-drinking wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A light-bodied, crisp, almost Chablis-style chardonnay where the lively varietal aromatics of pear and cut lime, with a little grapefruit, emerge. On the palate, there are more riches of stone fruit and the creaminess that adds textural feel. A little flick of oak introduces subtle complexity, but it retains its keen edginess through to a long finish. Refreshing and pure.

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Here’s a punchy sauvignon blanc that delivers plenty. On the nose, you get a real hit of apple and tropical fruits, with, of course, a fairly typical citrusy character. Then the palate has surprising texture but retains a crunchiness thanks to that lively acid and slight chalkiness. Racy, long and an excellent current-drinking wine.

Margaret River

White Blend

This is a quite beautiful expression of the SBS blend out of Margaret River. Combines a balanced mix of tropical fruits and light herbaceousness that sit so comfortably together. But it’s the palate where it really hits its straps. Clean, generous flavours, revealing more of those lightly tropical gooseberry notes, and that final herbaceous flick on the finish completes a...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

If you like your sauvignon blanc with a little more restraint and control than the traditional Kiwi styles, then this little guy sits snugly in your style range. Tropical fruits, gooseberry and citrus, all with an element of restrained control. Then a palate that delivers more of that fruit, but with a fine, minerally, crunchy acidity giving it a refreshing,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

It’s a nice, fruit-driven, clean, crisp, light-bodied chardonnay that receives just the faintest touch of oak, so it retains the vibrant, pristine purity of the variety. Melony, lemon meringue characters and a racy, long finish. Ideal current-drinking chardy.