White

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This takes the standard Fairbrossen chardonnay up a notch. In fact, it takes it up a couple of notches. This is a first-class wine that comes off the Fairbrossen Witchcliffe dry-grown vineyard. To me, it's something of a breakthrough wine for this small producer and shows the immense promise it has. Whole bunches and wild ferments with about 40% new...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Excellent chardonnay. They're using the Gingin clone. Whole-bunch pressing has given it certainly some palate presence, and then wild fermentation in larger-format French oak. Twelve months on lees have built texture and richness, but at the same time, it retains a fine linear minerality, giving it poise and precision. It's a chardonnay of richness and flavour, and imminently appealing.

Margaret River

Fiano

Bit of a fan of this famous Sicilian variety out of Margaret River. Fruit is always quite generous, certainly in good years like '26, creating a lovely textural feel on the palate. This one has a dry savouriness, which introduces a subtle degree of complexity: slightly nutty, a bit of citrus, even lemon meringue. Lovely, balanced and completely engaging example...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This chardonnay shows the quality of the wines being produced at Fermoy these days, with mature vines playing a major part. The wine was whole-bunch pressed and then spent time in barrel for fermentation and maturation, producing both texture and complexity, with deep stone fruit characters lifted by fine minerality and a hint of roasted cashew. It's poised and balanced...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is consistently a first-rate chardonnay delivering way beyond its price point. It's wild fermented and then gets nine months in French oak barriques. Typically, it shows some quite beautifully rich fig and stone fruit characters with a little lift of lemon zest and some nice light roasted cashew. The palate is beautifully rich and textured, as much a result...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The reserve chardonnays from Fermoy have emerged in recent years as some of the best in the region. It follows the format of hand-picking and whole-bunch pressing, with wild fermentation followed by nine months in oak. The fruit integrity is preserved while still showing the influence of oak, expressing a gun-smoky, flinty character with traces of honeycomb, cashew, and nectarine....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This emerged a few years ago as one of the stars in Margaret River, and with this vintage, it clings to that mantle easily. In many ways, a slightly tighter version of the standard chardonnay, but with tremendous depth and concentration. Similarly, it was whole bunch pressed into French oak and wild fermented, getting a further nine months in oak....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Another wonderful example of the outstanding chardonnays coming off this established Margaret River vineyard. Follows a line of handpicking and whole bunch pressing with wild fermentation and nine months in oak. The primary fruit of grapefruit and cut lime with some light brioche reveal their subtle qualities on the nose. The palate has a steeling linear feel to it but...

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

A neatly balanced light boded blend of these two varieties that sit so harmoniously together. The notes of lime and subtle red apple with light passionfruit emerge on the nose. The palate picks them up and adds a nice crunchy acidity to sustain a long finish. This is such good current drinking.

Great Southern

Riesling

There have been some marvellous rieslings from this small vineyard in the Great Southern. This one shows the typical restraint and spiciness with a deceptive build-up of intensity on the palate. Distinctive lemon zest and spice on the nose, and a fine, delicate palate with precise acidity. Drinking beautifully now, yet with the inherent qualities to handle extended cellaring.

Frankland River

Riesling

From the very start, this wine has been something special and highly individual. It comes from a specific patch on the Ferngrove estate and produces a wine of incredible linear character. And rather than the high-end florals it has a spicier lemon zest character that dominates on the nose. The palate picks up on that spicy lemony combo and carries...

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...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

One of the best examples of this wine I have seen. There is a beautifully crunchy mineral purity that strikes immediately. The nose is a mix of light citrus and sea spray. It's engaging. Then the fine and delicate palate really hits the mark. A linear yet intense flavour combo extends precisely to a long finish.

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.

Mount Barker

Riesling

This is a really interesting, quite thrilling example of riesling. The feature here is it's had two months on lees, which has allowed it to pick up both texture and complex flavours, evident also on the nose and the high aromatics. Has a mineral, spicy, lemony character on the nose. And then a palate that is so intense, with a...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

A small production wine sourced from a single block. Whole bunch pressed, then matured in French oak puncheons. The aroma shows lemon curd and brioche with a fine citrusy, lightly grapefruit edge. The palate is beautifully textured and finely integrated, with an elegant balance of oak and fruit. One of the most promising wines yet from Ferngrove and a strong...

Great Southern

Riesling

A super example of the vintage. So much intensity with aromas of lemon, a hint of musk and a trace of orange rind. It gets some time in old French oak and with the wild fermentation resulting in a riesling with texture and flavour while retaining he fine crisp acidity.

Great Southern

Riesling

A riesling with a distinctive character that has much to do with the making approach of wild yeast fermentation and this part of the world. A highly individual aroma of spicy citrus with a little musk stick complexity. The approach in the winery also introduced a textural element to distinguish it from other rieslings. So well balanced and finished.

Great Southern

Riesling

This is a highly textural and complex take on riesling from the Great Southern. The aroma is a scrape of lemon rind, with spices and green apple. The palate is where this really begins to sing with its spicy textural flavours, deep intensity, and striking length. Garland really does excel in making this style of riesling.

Porongurup

Riesling

A wonderfully precise and distinctive riesling with great energy and drive. The aroma is spicy and minerally, with a wet slatey character and an intriguing granite-rock quality. The palate has a wonderfully precise, tense acidity with tremendous length and persistence. It finishes really zingy and lively. This is the first vintage Fervor has had access to fruit from the Gibraltar...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

A beautifully expressive and characterful wine with tremendous power and intensity. It delivers lots of vibrant flavours, with a pristine savoury oyster-shell minerality and a distinctive mineral, savoury, brioche-like character. The use of open-grained, larger-format oak, including about 30% new oak, adds texture without compromising the fruit. It’s all cool barrel fermented with predominantly wild yeasts, contributing to its individuality...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

Now, if you’re into chardonnay with that little extra oomph and richness then this one should be right up your alley. Loaded with butterscotch and ripe stone fruits with a creamy richness complemented by a steely minerality. Garland gets the fruit from Pemberton and then goes to work. A beautify.

Pemberton

Chardonnay

I reckon this wine is really starting to hit its groove. Like most of the chardonnays from this warm year, it was picked reasonably early, and the result is a wine that displays excellent fruit intensity, but with a crispness and a linear feel that defines the wine. Aromas of lemon curd, nectarine, and a little cashew feed into the...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

From the outset you know you are on to something of richness and power. The nose bursts with a hit of struck match, butterscotch and roasted nuts. Then the palate reveals a combination of the excellent fruit and the winemaker's art. Rich and textured with a lavish intensity that drives purposefully to a long finish. Score:

Great Southern

Chardonnay

What a cracking chardonnay this is. It’s been sourced from Denmark in a season which produced excellent fruit intensity. Garland has harnessed this expertly. Opens with a steely spicy creamy pear and lightly roasted cashew aroma. But it’s the palate where things get really exciting. Subtle combinations of nectarine, lemon, grapefruit and cashew combine to create a whole greater than...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

Garland introduced this wine a few years ago, and it's emerged as one of the more exciting chardonnays in the state. It's all Gingin clone, which he sources from Denmark, and of course, in such a good year, you get such a good wine. The intensity on the nose is immediate. Lemon rind and stone fruit with just a faint...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

A lavish and powerful chardonnay that combines tremendous richness with an underlying elegance. It’s a funkier style, evident immediately on the nose, with a richly textured palate displaying impressive length and power. Around 60% new barriques gives it structure and poise, while plenty of lees stirring over 10 months has contributed to the luxurious texture. There’s also that slightly struck-match,...

Great Southern

White Blend

This Italian variety works super well. Sourced from the Great Southern is certainly one of the best. It has a creamy, nutty character, with aromas of cashew and light stone fruit. The palate is quite rich and creamy, but it's held together with a tight acidity that gives it focus and precision as it extends to its logically long finish....

Great Southern

Sauvignon Blanc

So, you think you know sauvignon blanc? Well, try this one. It's from the Great Southern and shows quite a different take on this variety. The aromas have subtle fruit notes, with a squeeze of lemon and some light oak influence. The palate is deeply complex, layered, and very long. This is an expression of sauvignon blanc that I could...

Great Southern

Chardonnay

A beautifully complex and intense chardonnay, displaying great savoury subtleties and some slightly funky characters. There is terrific texture and tremendous length, with a slightly chalky savouriness within a tighter frame. The wine was all handpicked and whole-bunch pressed before being fermented in a 1350-litre foudre of Austrian oak. The impact of the solids character is evident, while full malolactic...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

One of the best chardonnays yet under the Fire Gully label. Good season together with precise winemaking have brought out the best in the fruit. Aromas of lime and quince paste with subtle notes of pear and pineapple. Has a creamy palate displaying a deft touch to deliver a wine of refinement and delicacy.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that has continue to evolve over the years and now has a distinctive style that is all about friendly expression of fruit with a little subtle unobtrusive oak inclusion. Nice melony cashew characters with a gentle hint of stone fruit adding richness. It’s a light bodied style that screams out for drinking in the next few years. Crunchy...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

It seems that over the years, this excellent chardonnay has made incremental improvements each year, likely stemming from the maturing vineyard. In this case, the hot season didn't impact because the wine was picked quite early. So what you have is a wine that shows lovely vibrant fruit on the nose with those slightly grapefruity lemon pith and melony-like notes....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that's perfectly suited for current drinking. Oodles of engaging floral citrus aromas with a slightly nutty, melon character. A palate that is flavoursome with a balance of bright fruit and oak, which is not excessive. Thoroughly enjoyable wine for drinking over the short term.

Margaret River

Shiraz

So much to like about this appealing medium-bodied bodied juicy flavoursome shiraz. The vines are now 20 years old, and they are certainly pumping some quality fruit, and in this case, a smidgen of viognier was added, which has given that aromatic spicy lift while probably contributing to the tannin influence, which, while understated, is still essentially important. It's bright...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

An ideal season has resulted in an impressive Margaret River chardonnay. It's a full-bodied, intensely flavoured chardonnay, and the use of whole bunches with wild ferment in barrel with regular lees stirring has contributed to a rich and textured palate, with a lovely feel about it. Lemon zest, brioche, lemon meringue and even a little honeycomb character are all swirling...

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

The trick to making this wine just a little bit ahead of the norm is the three months it was left on gross lees, and that's added some texture and some richness to the normal bright, zippy, racy fruit that you get with these two varieties. It all hangs together rather well, with refined, restrained tropical fruits, some nice citrus,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

One of the most powerful and generous of the Flametree chardonnays yet released. You start with the grapefruit and vanilla pod, light stone fruit crème brulee on the nose. Then the palate delivers with its powerful wave of intense fruit supported by excellent fine-oak. A little tick of saline acidity and lemon on the finish completes a very good wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A finer style of chardonnay, which builds deceptively at first, and then gathers momentum to drive to a long finish. It’s had about 9 months in oak which combines perfectly with the fruit. Notes of grapefruit and cashew with a flinty and slightly savoury nuance. The palate length is extraordinary. Really is a very good wine, especially at this price.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This chardonnay comes from the Wallcliffe area within Margaret River. The fruit from this season was excellent, but then Cliff Royle has harnessed it perfectly creating a wine of tremendous power, yet at the same time subtlety and elegance. Slight struck match flinty characters on the nose merge with deeper notes of lemon curd and quince with a slightly oyster...