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Great Southern

Riesling

The fruit for this excellent riesling comes from the Misery Hill Vineyard in the Porongurup Range. Strikes immediately with a lime zest and sherbet-like aroma merged with a slightly chalky limestone dust. The palate is tense and tightly framed but there is texture. A trace of sea spray lifts from the nose to complete a very good wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A highly scented and fragrant chardonnay that comes from select blocks on the estate. Aromas of pear and grapefruit with just a faint edge of lemon zest. The palate is finely designed with a precise linear minerality and chalky limestone balance. Just a little struck match adds the final flourish to a very good wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This was a pretty warm season in Margaret River, yet the earlier ripening and maturing chardonnay has generally performed very well, and this is a very good example of that. The nose shows plenty of deep stone fruit and a white peachy nectarine character with some lifted florals. On the palate, the richness of chardonnay emerges but is controlled to...

Frankland River

Riesling

This is a real crunchy, lively, fruity riesling sourced out of Frankland River in this warm year. The nose displays a slightly bath salty sherbet like character with liberal spices and lemony notes. The palate is zingy with a minerally edge and plenty of citrus notes. Drinking quite beautifully now, but as you would expect, it has cellaring potential.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is such a beautifully textured and presented chardonnay from a season that produced both opulence and a degree of delicacy. Aromas of white peach and butterscotch although restrained a little citrus and a subtle spiciness. The palate is rich and textured with layered complexity. Delivering with a burst of stone fruit but balanced by a fine, precise linear acidity....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is certainly one of the better chardonnays I have seen at this stage from the 2024 vintage. The quality of fruit is evident immediately, and its vibrancy and energy probably come from the earlier picking before the heat struck with a vengeance. Powerful grapefruit with more delicate touches of apple and peach and a final citrusy lift on the...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that captures the juicy acidity and power of the ’22 vintage. This has developed into the Vasse Felix House style which now has a small addition of Bernard clone adding softness to the middle palate. All barrel fermented with wild yeasts and most of it naturally proceeding through malolactic fermentation. Aromas of light butterscotch and mealy roasted cashew....

Swan Valley

White Blend

A really zingy fresh blended white with more than a hint of the old Houghton White Burgundy in it. Racy tropical flavours with a slight grassy edge and a crisp minerally acidity to clean and sustain. Excellent current drinking.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a finer, tighter, and slightly tenser expression of chardonnay from the vineyard, as distinct from the standard Redbrook chardonnay. There’s a light lift of minerals, saline, and grapefruit on the nose. And then the palate has a steely minerality but a deep intensity of fruit. This was such a good vintage, and the depth and concentration is evident....

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

A crunchy and lively little blend from Margaret River. Aromas of slightly subdued tropical passionfruit and melon with a little spice. The palate is fruity with a fine controlling acidity keeping it crisp and linear. A wine for drinking in the next couple of years.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A consistently appealing value-for-money chardonnay. In this case, it’s captured the fruit intensity of the vintage with its citrusy grapefruit and lightly nectarine characters. And then the palate extends with a mix of stone fruits. A little minerally, briny character and a zingy acidity fit snugly into that ready-to-drink-over-the-next-few-years style.

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...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is the pinnacle of the Amelia Park chardonnay. This one was whole bunch pressed and wild fermented in the larger format puncheons. So, it's a wine that has been allowed to express the beautiful fruit characters that came from the early picking in this warm year. Aromas of nougat and butterscotch with a little cut pear. And then a...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

This should be the model for savvies using barrel fermentation. It’s a generous and flavoursome style, based on exceptional fruit, but the oak influence has been judged perfectly so the natural fruit vibrancy isn’t compromised. Creamy tropical stone fruit and slightly nutty characters merge and mingle into a wonderful expression of the variety and style.

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.

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...

Porongurup

Riesling

Consistently one of the best WA rieslings over many years, and even in a hideously hot season like 2024 the cooler climes of the Porongurup work their magic to produce a quality wine. More in the spicy minerally zone than pure citrus, as evident on the nose and the precise palate. Retains a fresh vibrancy with a lingering pleasing finish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is quite a sophisticated chardonnay for this price. It’s a leaner and more tightly framed wine than you might expect, yet the fruit intensity and prettiness of 2023 emerges. Slightly citrus and a light steely minerality with a chalky acidity provides the keen focus. Lively finish completes a tidy wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Immediately strikes with the greater intensity and more focused precision which is part of the linear structure of this wine. It’s deeply complex already with a minerally, and slightly citrus and savoury combination. That heightened chalky minerality really says chardonnay at the highest level. There is power and drive here, yet it’s delivered with such sophisticated elegance. This is a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There's much to like about this classy chardonnay, but it is that bracing minerally and slightly saline acidity that defines what is a sort of house style. It is finely balanced with a very long palate profile packed with a mix of cashew, brioche and savoury characters. Beautiful wine.

Swan Valley

Verdelho

Much like the chenin in this range, this was fermented in stainless steel and given extended time on lees, contributing to its textural feel. At the same time, the vibrant citrus and tropical notes remain clearly defined, flowing into a palate that is delightfully flavoursome and pure. There is a pristine clarity to the fruit. Terrific current drinking, with a...

Pemberton

Chardonnay

This was still very tight at the time of tasting but as it breathed it opened up to reveal all that intensity and power in a deeply concentrated and supremely elegant palate. It's a fine style with an opening of lemon butter and subtle minerality. The palate has a controlled chalky character which contributes to its tight linear feel. It's...

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...

Pemberton

White Blend

This is consistently one of my favourite SBS releases each year. Interesting thing is that it's made up of three clones of sauvignon blanc, which have been co-fermented with about 15% semillon. The beauty and power of the '26 vintage is clearly on show here. It's a wine of intense fruit aromatics with some nice spicy citrus savoury elements. The...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Creamy, medium-bodied, intensely flavoured chardonnay showing a high degree of complexity with wonderful balance. The aromas show a fairly typical creamy stone fruit, nectarine-dominant combination, with just a faint hint of smoky gun flint. It had some time in barriques and puncheons, and a small amount of wild yeast fermentation, and regular lees stirring over seven months has built something...

Swan Valley

Verdelho

This old block of verdelho is now nearly 130 years old and it produces remarkably good and consistent fruit. And in this great Swan Valley year it ratchets up another gear. Bursting with tropical favours, which are intense but not overt. The acid is crisp and defining to carry the palate to an incredibly long finish. As good as any...

Western Australia

Chardonnay

A fragrant light bodied wine with just a faint edge of oak adding complexity. Has a nice lemony, melon character on the palate with a clean crisp finish. Ideal current drinking wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Has the delicate stamp of the vineyard DNA. It was fermented in a mix of new and older French oak, providing some nice textural and aromatic characters. There's a minerally thread with traces of sea spray heightening the minerality and linear structure. An elegant and refined chardonnay.

Swan Valley

Verdelho

These old vines were planted in the Swan Valley in the nineteenth century and are among the oldest producing the State. Not the varietal punch of previous vintages but instead there is a fine minerally linear feel, still with palate depth and intensity. Has a zingy mouthfeel with a minerally citrus tang adding to the long finish. Give a bit...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There is a beautiful energising purity about this chardonnay. Fine minerally fruit with a citrus tang worked with some nice nectarine and lemon rind. The oak is neatly infused but it is the fruit that presents so well. Has a such a delightful texture and flavour combination with just a faint hint of struck match complexity.

Margaret River

Semillon

This is a really zingy semillon positively bursting with intensity and spritely lemon zest-infused fruit. Displays a light, grassy edge to the intense lemon tropical notes. Refreshing and mouthwatering palate lifted with a flick of natural acidity. An extra year in the bottle has allowed this pick up a little more texture, and it's drinking mighty well now.

Mount Barker

Chardonnay

This is a slightly lighter, medium-bodied chardonnay from Mount Barker that's been given a little barrel fermentation to bring complexity and texture into the mid-palate while retaining that vibrant, lively and quite crunchy freshness. Subtle cashew and lemon meringue characters lead to a palate that is fine and quite delicate, threading through to a sustained, long finish. Delightful drinking over...

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...

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...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a terrific example of chardonnay from this close-planted block. The aromas have a pronounced lemon crème brûlée character with a slightly saline influence. The palate is tightly wound with a degree of youthful tension, yet there is real power here that will start to release with ageing. Impressive.

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

Chardonnay

Another outstanding wine in this fabulous lineage of Pierro chardonnays. It was a slightly warmer year, yet the wine presents with subtlety and refined elegance. Mealy, light quince paste and crumbly brioche characters and a little nougat. It is remarkably complex even now. Incredible depth and concentration, but with that elegance and linear mouthfeel. These wines age brilliantly.

Great Southern

Riesling

A blend of riesling and gewurztraminer from Frankland River. Needless to say, that with these varieties it is a highly aromatic wine…well the name says it too, doesn't it. An interesting merging of citrus, lemon rind and orange blossom on the nose. Then the palate reveals a slightly mandarin and lemon peel character. Wine of tremendous flavour.

Swan Valley

White Varietal

This has been a consistent hit for Riverbank. The fruit comes from a low-lying vineyard in front of the winery. Aromas of pear and citrus with some spicy elements. It’s made without oak and is designed as a fresh, current-drinking wine with lively acidity. This one has nice texture and an excellent flavour profile.

Swan Valley

White Blend

A really delightful blend of chardonnay and semillon. Sure, it's a little unusual as a combination, but it works really well in the Swan Valley. Semillon gives it that fine cutting edge with a little lemon zip, while the chardonnay adds strength and palate weight. Nice citrusy aroma with some melony fruit, followed by a palate showing beautiful, juicy, ripe...