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Margaret River

Chardonnay

I loved this wine when it was introduced a few years ago, and I'm warming to it once again. It's from a single site with the heritage clone chardonnay, so it is quite specific. The aroma is absolutely captivating, a maze of complexity, with savoury meringue, brioche and lightly lemony notes all swirling through an engaging aromatic intensity. The palate...

Margaret River

White Blend

This blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc has come up well from this very hot vintage, displaying bright lively fruit aromas and flavours. Aromas of dried herbs and light tropical notes to open. Then a pure and slightly crystalline palate takes you through to a long finish. A wine for immediate drinking.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A most consistent and distinctive chardonnay from Snake + Herring. It's a wine that delivers plenty, with some lovely smoky bacon, stone fruit and subtle quince paste notes on the nose. A little marzipan. And then a palate that delivers texture with a deep intensity. The finishing flourish of savoury notes sends it through to a beautiful long finish.

An intense and quite powerful chardonnay from this warmer year that's been neatly restrained to deliver a most stylish expression of the variety. On the nose, there's a subtle baked apple, stone fruit and slightly savoury lemon meringue combination. The palate is tightly controlled, but there's good flavour intensity that releases through to a sustained finish. That savouriness picks up...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This was a hot and very early vintage, but the vineyard location in the cooler Karridale area has helped control the speed of ripening, and the result is a mighty impressive chardonnay. It’s a concentrated and immensely powerful wine with great depth on the palate after an opening engagement, showing aromas of light cashew and brioche. There is something quite...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Remarkably complex aromas of dominant stone fruit like nectarine with less of the pear and cut lime character you expect. An intense and powerful wine with a distinctive chalky limestone influence on the palate. Lacks the super intensity of the 2020 yet it has great length and focus. Continues the subtle move to Burgundian styles. This is one of the...

Frankland River

Shiraz

An exceptional shiraz that comes off the famous Swinney Vineyard in Frankland River. Beautiful perfumes of cherry and plum, with a little peppery, graphite-like character. The palate has such beautiful weight and vibrancy. You can see it in the colour, which is reddy crimson. And then that complex weave of graphite and plummy cherry characters builds relentlessly before driving to...

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Oh, there is just so much punchy tropical fruit bursting from this thoroughly beautiful example of this blend. Signature notes of passionfruit and gooseberry on the nose with a slightly dusty herbaceousness in the background. The palate is crisp and fresh with punchy bright fruit flowing through to a long finish. Crisp acid to finish.

Blackwood Valley

Chardonnay

This wine is just starting to show some nice, subtle developed characters, but it's still largely a vibrant, fresh, fruit-driven wine. Aromas of cut pear and grapefruit with a little lemony zip. The palate is developing a subtle nutty influence that works neatly with the vibrant white fruits. Excellent wine for drinking over the next couple of years.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Karridale, to the south of Margaret River, is the source of this excellent wine. The nose immediately strikes with a slightly struck-match intensity. Some lemon blossom, white peach, and a subtle oyster shell minerality. The palate is tightly controlled with fine acidity, some deftly integrated French oak, and plenty of that intense fruitiness.

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Riesling

When there's talk of the best WA rieslings, this small patch of dirt in the Ferguson Valley is sometimes overlooked, and it certainly shouldn't be. These rieslings, with their classic purity and crunchy, minerally acidity that bounces along over wet pebbles, defined with a precise tension, are consistently outstanding. This one is a quite beautiful and pretty expression, with lovely...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that strikes immediately with its tension and taut lines. This is southern Margaret River with a fine precision and elegance. The nose initially reveals a spicy cashew and lemon curd character with a restrained creamy custard apple nuance. The palate has a tight minerality with a slightly saline sea spray lift all brought back into line with a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

These chardonnays from Gralyn are now consistently among the top shelf of Margaret River chardonnays. This one captures the season, which was quite warm, and yet the wine produced retains a certain delicacy and refinement. Lovely florals on the nose, with a little struck match and spicy citrus overtones. And then a palate that is the result of wild-yeast ferments...

Blackwood Valley

Chardonnay

From what was a pretty good year for whites, comes this excellent chardonnay. Lightly lifted notes of white peach and nectarine with a neat twist of lemon. The palate is lightly framed but has good intensity with notes of roasted almond, lemon rind and quince. It’s balanced and poised with a precise palate profile. Shorter term wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a generous, full, powerful chardonnay from this warm year. It was handpicked, whole bunch pressed, then wild fermented in oak before a further 10 months maturation. The nose shows those distinctive lemon meringue, stone fruit, and citrus notes, while the palate delivers more chalky lemon curd flavours. Striking. A perfect balance of oak and fruit.

Swan Valley

Chardonnay

Chardonnay in the Swan Valley can often be underestimated, and yet when you see a wine like this, you've got to question why. This is terrific wine from the Baskerville Vineyard of Upper Reach. The aromas show the influence of barrel fermentation. It's quite spicy, with some nice roasted cashew, stone fruit characters and a subtle creaminess. The palate is...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Mandoon's southern vineyard at Karridale is the source of this excellent chardonnay. Whole-bunch pressed into French barriques, with natural ferments, has contributed to a wine that is both texturally pleasing and preserves a fine linear thread. Light stone fruit and cream with subtle nutty quince-paste aromatics. The palate is delightfully vibrant, with zingy acidity lifting and sustaining the wine through...

Western Australia

Chardonnay

Such a good value for money chardonnay delivering a beautiful mix of flavours showing nectarine and edgy citrus to balance. It's a fruit-driven wine but a little subtle oak adds the final flourish to complete it.

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Chardonnay

This is such an appealing chardonnay, ideal for drinking over the next few years. It’s rich in flavour and beautifully poised and presented. The fruit comes from the Talisman Vineyard, which is well known for high-quality fruit. The nose has a slightly citrusy, pithy character, with some nice, richer lemon meringue-type notes. The palate is creamy and rich, with a...

Margaret River

Fiano

Juniper has been championing this variety most famous for the wines it produces in Southern Italy and Sicily in particular. Has a creamy, nutty, and slightly citrusy character with a complex lift of lemon rind. It's textured with a crisp acidity providing precision and direction through to the finish.

Margaret River

Rose

Peterkin has grabbed Burgundy by the scruff of the neck with the use of dominant pinot and about 15% chardonnay and then given this his own tweak and spin. The result is mighty good. The varieties were treated separately with wild ferments in oak. I love its delicacy but at the same time its texture and flavour with a pomegranate...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Ashbrook has put a lot of time and energy into elevating its chardonnays, and it's certainly paying dividends with another excellent wine from a season which, despite the heat, produced some first-rate chardonnays. There are plenty of tropical fruit characters here with hints of lemon rind and fresh quince, and then the palate integrates the oak and fruit perfectly, harnessing...

Mount Barker

Chardonnay

Strikes immediately with complex and intriguing notes of faint struck match against a background of grapefruit, vanilla bean and tart nectarine. The palate texture has been created with a mix of oaks of different ages and formats with partial malolactic fermentation. Has a subtle cracked seas-shell character permeating against the dry savoury minerality. Shows the virtues of the Mount Barrow...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A beautifully composed chardonnay from this warmer year. Slightly earlier picking before the heat arrived has resulted in a wine of considerable finesse and elegance. Aromas of citrus and grapefruit lead to subtle stone-fruit notes. Earlier picking gives the palate a lovely, delicate edge, while the wine retains the deep-seated power and fruit concentration that are part of its character....

Porongurup

Riesling

This is such a beautifully complete and expressive riesling from the Porongurup. Diletti is a master of his craft, and in this finely balanced, deeply intense riesling, those skills are well to the fore. The palate has a spicy, minerally, citrus combination which leads into a wine that is fine and linear, with a high degree of tension but wonderful...

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

This is a light bodied savvy, but one with plenty of fruit intensity delivered with precision and focus. Lift of passionfruit with a light herbaceous character engages on the nose. On the palate the minerally acidity lifts the fruit, presenting a thoroughly beautiful example of the fresh vibrant fruit driven style.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a beautifully crafted entry-level chardonnay into Bruce Dukes' full suite of wines. Bright white peach and nectarine tones on the nose, a little nutty nuance and a splash of citrus. It's classically chardonnay. And then the palate has a nice creaminess about it, but it's held with control, thanks to fine, limestone-y acidity and a little bit of...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Here is a really impressive chardonnay offering plenty of those generous flavours but delivered with a deft touch of finesse. Aromas of white peach and grapefruit with a little brioche complexity. The palate has lots of drive with deeply flavoured fruit supported by some nice oak treatment. The lively minerally acidity sustains a long finish with a slight savoury flourish.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is the first release of this wine. It’s from the Gingin clone off some heavier soil, and it produces generous, rich and ripe fruit. It has a nice creamy savouriness, with a combination of ripeness and crisper acidity. The palate displays a savoury, textural character with that distinctive saline character. Had nine months in oak, which underpins the fruit...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine of style and sophistication sourced from Margaret River. It's been whole bunch pressed and barrel fermented before spending time on lees. The rich inner sanctum of creamy stone fruit, quince paste, and a little grapefruit is overlaid with a slightly roasted nuttiness and nectarine character. It's a complex wine with a chalky acidity providing focus and direction through...

Margaret River

White Blend

Crunchy, vibrant, juicy, flavoursome. These are just some of the terms you might use to describe this delightfully friendly blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon. On the nose, the passionfruit, gooseberry, citrus thing is so engaging, and then the palate has a real zingy crispness about it, slightly crunchy, with a clean, crisp, refreshing finish. Ideal to drink now or...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Now, here’s a chardonnay if you like them rich, flavoursome and concentrated. This one’s loaded with slightly toasty ripe fruit, but it’s held perfectly with some fine acidity. Generous flavours of stone fruit cream with a little toasty brioche. The palate has a crunchy minerality that cuts through the ripe stone fruit characters of nectarine and white peach. A well-presented...

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Riesling

Here's a riesling distinctly influenced by the classic wines of Germany. It opens with the normal citrusy, lemon-scented characters on the nose. But then the palate is quite delicate, with a little residual sugar and lower alcohol contributing to its lively, keen lines. It has a nice slatey, minerally edge running through it. And the flavour is quite beautiful. It's...

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Riesling

This is riesling, but riesling with a difference. It was all wild fermented in oak, and it's created an altogether different expression of this variety. You're not getting those lively, edgy citrus and floral notes, but instead you're getting slightly more savoury, spicy influences. And the palate delivers with more textural complexity. It shows the versatility of riesling and how...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This comes from the Allingham vineyard at Karridale, just south of Margaret River. It is a supremely elegant and expressive chardonnay from a cool southern site. There is a distinctive chalky, flinty character that defines modern Margaret River chardonnay, combining power with finesse. Wild yeast fermentation occurred in mostly larger-format Burgundian oak, with lees handling and bâtonnage during maturation. The...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

These chardonnays from House of Cards have been elevated in recent years to another level. This is a wonderful example of the style and the vintage. It was whole-bunch pressed and fermented in a mix of 52% new French oak and some concrete. A further 11 months in oak enhanced its layered richness and complexity. Notes of butterscotch and quince...

Margaret River

White Blend

This blend really speaks to Margaret River. The combination continues to work extremely well, delivering flavoursome, highly aromatic wines with impressive palate vibrancy. There is a pleasing textural feel, with a small amount of oak fermentation adding complexity and weight. A most attractive current drinking style.

Margaret River

Semillon

A balanced and textured example of what Margaret River can do with semillon. There's richness here, but it's balanced with a fine, precise and defining acidity. I love the purity and freshness evident on the nose. There are some slightly toasty characters complementing the vibrant lemon fruit characters. A rich and flavoursome palate brimming with plush fruits, complemented by a...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The fruit, which comes from way down at Karridale, shows the intensity and purity this subregion is known for. Pear and lime with a little lemon zest present on the nose. Then the palate threads with deft precision through to a long fine finish. Has a chalky minerality with subtle roasted cashew characters.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a cracking good chardonnay. A little winemaking involvement with battonage, wild yeast fermentation, time on lees and a mx of different format oaks has worked well with the intensity of the fruit. The nose is quite beautiful with aromas of nectarine and white peach with an edgier grapefruit nuanced in the background. The palate shows delightful texture but...