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Margaret River

White Varietal

Not a lot of this variety released in Australia, but I have to say this is certainly one of the best. It was fermented with wild yeasts which seems to have added a degree of complexity, revealed on the nose and the palate. Has a sort of apple crumble character on the nose and slightly citrussy characters on the palate....

Pemberton

Chardonnay

This is a first-rate chardonnay from Pemberton. The striking feature is its approachable mouthfeel with tremendous fruit intensity. On the nose, you're drifting into those more stone fruit and white peach notes with a touch of underlying nectarine and a little lemon pith. The palate bounces along with a trace of brioche and lemon meringue complexity. The oak is lightly...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a single vineyard chardonnay, with all of the fruit off the original Lagan Estate vineyard that was planted back in seventy-seven. It's a wine of tremendous power and poise, with layered complexity and richness. The regular lees stirring over nine months has heightened this complexity and built a textural character into the wine. As always, winemaker Glenn Goodall...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Such a good year for white varieties and this consistently first-rate wine has delivered again, but with the addition of even more natural crunchy vibrant fruit thanks to the vintage. The palate is more intense than previous vintages but still with that structure and precision that comes with the approach of using a combination of semillon and sauvignon, with a...

Margaret River

Muscat

A glorious expression of one of the great wine styles of Australia. It's loaded with rich dark fruits, releasing a combination of butterscotch, raisiny fruitcake, a little orange peel, and, of course, a lifted spiciness. It's developed over many years a slightly rancio complexity, which is what you want in this style, and it is multi-layered and complex. Multi-layered and...

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.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A lighter bodied chardonnay reflecting the fruit sourcing from down at Karridale south of Margaret River town. It's light with melon citrus characters on the nose overlaying some subtle almond meal complexity. The palate has a quince past and pear character with a citrus lift to finish. Fine and focused wine.

Manjimup

Chardonnay

The chardonnays from this quite warm vintage in Manjimup turned out pretty well, delivering, as you would expect, wines of some substance. In this case, the aroma shows that lemon peel, vanilla pod, and slightly quince paste character that is very chardonnay. And then the palate seamlessly weaves the fine, chalky acidity in with a slightly grapefruit and butterscotch character...

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...

Margaret River

White Blend

This is a neat little blend of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay sourced from vineyards well south of Margaret River. So it is a cooler site interpretation, and it’s also had some barrel fermentation. For a wine that sells for just $25, there is a degree of winemaking input and complexity that really shows. I like the lift of the savvy...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This wine has that elegance of modern chardonnay, but it still retains the richness and complexity that comes with the original wine-making style, which revolves around wild fermentation and maturation with regular stirring in French oak, all designed to bring in complexity and depth within a textured framework. The aromas lift with typical nectar and stone fruit-like subtleties. A little...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A recent addition to the Moss Wood portfolio showing the great strides that have been taken in managing the Ribbon Vale vineyard. This is probably the best release yet. It was a superb season and its shows in a wine of elegance and refinement, yet with layered complexity and sophistication. Nice lemon scents yield to more lemon zest flavours with...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This comes from the Margaret River heartland, 100% Wilyabrup. The vineyard was planted back in the '80s, so it’s been there for a while. It’s been wild fermented, whole-bunch pressed with high solids, showing that saline minerality that is so compelling. It’s immensely concentrated, but has focus and poise with real precision. All Gingin clone, so there’s power in spades,...

Western Australia

Chardonnay

This is a generous, flavoursome, young chardonnay, loaded with pristine melony citrus fruit. Notes of light cashew and stone fruit on the nose, and then a palate that has a crunchy, juicy feel to it. Strikes a great balance between subtle oak and the intense fruit as it extends with ease through to a long finish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a first-rate chardonnay from this excellent season, and it may well be the best yet from Passel Estate. On the nose, you open with what is fairly typical of the region, with its strong grapefruit, cut pear, and lime nuances, then a nutty, spicy character adding immediate aromatic complexity. It's a textured wine with good weight in the...

Geographe

Riesling

These rieslings from Talisman continue to be some of the best released in WA, and this is another cracking good wine, capturing all the elements of the variety and what seems to be a regional character as well. On the nose, you get all of the minerally citrus characters, even with a little bit of red apple on the palate....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A slightly finer and more delicate chardonnay than previously, benefiting from this super vintage. But there is certainly no shortage of power driving through a long palate. Aromas of marzipan and roasted almond with a cereal, grapefruit and light white peach character. The palate is exquisitely crafted and shaped to a very long finish. Excellent.

Pemberton

Chardonnay

This is an exceptional 100% chardonnay sparkling wine that comes out of the Pemberton region. It's a delicately refined sparkling wine but with penetration and length. Aromas of lemon brioche and subtle saline notes a little sea spray. Then a palate that is balanced and linear. Has some lovely crunchy fruit with the added complexity coming from 18 months on...

Perth Hills

Chardonnay

This is a rich, textured, and highly flavoursome chardonnay. After handpicking, it was fermented in a mix of new French oak, ceramic egg, and stainless steel, with regular lees stirring after the ferment. Loads of ripe nectarine and creamy stone fruit on the nose, and a palate that delivers richness and texture with slightly roasted cashew and bright nectarine edginess....

Margaret River

White Blend

This is a white blend of pinot gris, viognier, gewürztraminer and sauvignon blanc, so you're getting an awful lot of aromatics crammed into a fairly tight space. Do they compete? Well, not really. They actually work together rather well, producing a wine that is, as you would expect, wildly aromatic, with all manner of citrus, roses, ginger, pear and musk...

Pemberton

White Varietal

When it's made in this style, gewurztraminer can be quite exquisite and beautiful. In this case, it's both. Comes from the Channybearup vineyard in Pemberton and shows such wonderful lifted fruit characters for a dessert style wine. Has that little hint of ginger marmalade, ripe apricot and a subtle lychee nuance that's typical of traminer. The palate delivers with tremendous...

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

They don't come more classic than this. It's a semillon sauvignon blanc blend exhibiting the lovely, generous flavours of the 2025 vintage. Loads of tropical, punchy stone fruit and zesty lemon essence combine into a thoroughly appealing current-drinking blend. The palate feel is exquisite and the flavour lingers. Great example of the style.

Western Australia

Semillon

This is made into a keen crisp style with every effort to retain its vibrant lively lemony fruit characters. The nose shows that distinctive lemon scent of semillon with just a trace of riper stone fruit in the background. Tea ate beautifully weighted with a fine acid sustaining a lingering finish. Ideal for drinking in the short term.

Margaret River

Riesling

Despite all the naysaying about the appropriateness of riesling in Margaret River, this wine, year in, year out, produces quite beautiful expressions of this variety. And this is certainly one of the best. Nice floral notes with citrus, lemon pith, and a little orange pulpiness on the nose. The palate has a minerally zinginess about it, with a crisp acidity...

Porongurup

Riesling

In this wine, Diletti has honoured the efforts of his parents, Angelo and Wendy, who started Castle Rock way back in the day. It’s a wine that builds on the natural purity of Porongurup riesling, but with the addition of whole-bunch pressings adding some further structure and phenolic tension. It is a marvellous example of what can be achieved without...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This cooler vintage proved ideal for chardonnay. This captures that vintage to perfection. The aromas are lightly fragrant with high florals evident. There is a subtle saline character merging. The palate has a fine crunchy feel with a little pear, cut lime and brioche richness. Excellent use of oak supplies a subtle complexing influence. I like this less opulent direction.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a most elegant and refined medium-bodied chardonnay. The aromas show a slightly waxy lambswool-like character with a hint of lightly roasted cashew and cut lime. And then there's that smoky gunflint-like character which adds another dimension. Palate is rich and textured but at the same time finely balanced and controlled. It's a most impressive chardonnay from a vintage...

Great Southern

Riesling

Now this is quite an interesting take on traditional Aussie rieslings. After hand-picking and whole bunch pressing it was partially barrel fermented. After that, there was little intervention, and the result is a pure expression of variety and vineyard. With a textured, flavoursome palate retaining its linear focus. Distinct lemon pitch aromas lift.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This single vineyard chardonnay is the best and most sophisticated of any yet released by Grace Farm. It’s all Gingin clone which was whole bunch pressed to new and used barriques with solids allowed to influence texture and aromas. Aromas of lemon curd and quince with lightly roasted cashew and a hint of turmeric. The palate is linear, with a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

I’ve seen a gradual but significant refinement of this wine over the years, and this is certainly one of the finest. It was well fermented, and the subsequent use of solids has brought complexity, richness and texture. The nose is dominated by lemon pith, grapefruit and white stone fruit characters. The palate is rich and quite lavish, but that fine...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that reaches into the best parcels of fruit in the best years. It was a good year for white wines in Margaret River and this superbly crafted modern-style chardonnay captures it. Fine and delicate with chalky minerally edges to the fine mix of pear and cut lime that sit across the melon and lightly roasted cashew. A little...

Margaret River

Viogner

Xanadu Vinework viognier 2023 ($30) No mistaking the distinctive aromas of apricot and ginger with a little musk stick all pointing to a clear statement that this is viognier. Palate is typically spicy and zesty with a trace of lychee and peachy melon. It’s a more restrained version and ideal for drinking early. Score: 90/100 Cellar: 3 years

Western Australia

Chardonnay

A fleshier and most appealing value for money chardonnay. Aromas of stone fruit with a mealy and slightly lemon curd influence. Then the palate delivers with impeccable and balance. Edgy grapefruit cuts into the ripe stone fruit to deliver a well-weighted palate. Nice saline minerality on the finish.

Margaret River

White Varietal

A fine and quite delicate style that has emerged from the heat of the 24 summer. Certainly, shows the resilience of the variety. A burst of apple and pear with a citrus edge open proceedings. The palate is keen and crisp with a slightly textured feel. Nice wine for immediate drinking.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a blanc de blancs style made from 100 per cent chardonnay from Margaret River. There’s some real power in this wine, and to me it’s probably the best example of it yet. Creamy, lightly stone-fruited characters on the nose, with a little lemon curd and brioche. The palate brings it all home with intensity and drive, supported by...

Frankland River

Riesling

This is a marvellous example of a Frankland River riesling that is just starting its journey into the next phase. It was made in a clay cement ovoid tank with the continual lees movement contributing to its generous and deep, textured palate. Has a nice lemon fragrance and palate character. Very attractive wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is from clone 76. It’s a generous wine of concentration and palate weight. Strikes with a nice waxy, savoury aromatic that is immediately complex. The palate has an almost dry-as-chips, savoury, chalky character. It is linear and yet powerfully intense, with a very precise, keen finish. Has a nice mineral character.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A pretty and perfumed chardonnay of good flavour intensity and precision. Aromas of fig and melon with a racy lemon zest. The palate reveals the distinctive varietal cut lime and tart melon characters with some understated creamy oak. A slightly saline minerality completes the wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a most attractive Chardonnay from a vintage that produced a little more depth and concentration than the previous 2021. Lifted notes of brioche and stone fruit with a light cashew complexity. The palate is neatly woven with fine oak complementing some quality fruit. There’s a nice edge of cut lime and pear with just the lightest of struck...

Margaret River

Semillon

Remains one of my favourite Moss Wood wines, and certainly one of my favourite semillons. And this one from the great '23 vintage is right up there with anything. It seems a more pungent and intense semillon than previous years and probably a result of the vintage which produced such beautiful fruit intensity. Pure and driven with a lip-smacking acidity...