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Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

There are many expressions of chenin blanc, from the highly tropical fruity drink-now styles through to wines of more complexity with oak or lees use. In this case, the Margaret River fruit was pressed straight to older oak for wild fermentation and regular stirring. A further 9 months in oak has added textural feel and complexity. Retains the citrus and...

Western Australia

Chenin Blanc

Oh my, we’re on to something here. Chenin blanc has been a part of Houghton from 1937 when Jack Mann created the famous White Burgundy (now White Classic) from Swan Valley chenin blanc. This has been made from old vine Margaret River chenin and is a stunning expression of a variety that continues to reveal new chapters to its playbook....

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

The approach Peterkin takes lifts this chenin blanc into another zone of complexity and interest. Some of the fruit was handpicked and de-stemmed as part of wild fermentation in older French barriques and small amount in amphorae. The texture comes from the regular lees stirring. A heady floral minerally mix on the nose and a palate that displays muted fruit...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Now, this is a pretty smart example of chenin blanc from Margaret River. It’s started with some very good fruit displaying the typical citrussy melon characters. And then 25% was put into oak. It’s been judged perfectly, because while the oak is not intrusive, it does impact on the palate structure and profile, creating a wine of greater complexity. It’s...

Swan Valley

Chenin Blanc

This captures everything you want in this variety, sourced from Conti’s Carabooda Tuart Block. It’s a generous chenin with plenty of tropical fruit flavours and a trace of citrus cut by fine, delicate acidity. Clean and flavoursome, with a slightly tropical pineapple character adding to its appeal.

Swan Valley

Sparkling

Chenin is becoming an increasingly popular variety for sparkling wines. This one absolutely nails it. The fragrance of fresh fruit with a lemon melon twist is captivating. The palate delivers a clean crisp and highly refreshing combination with texture and energy.

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Wow, this is a mighty good shot at this increasingly popular variety. In this case, it’s been fermented in a mix of French oak and stainless steel, but the time on lees is the key to bringing texture and richness to the palate, while the fine natural acidity keeps it true and linear. Spicy citrus and cinnamon character with a...

Swan Valley

White Blend

This is a wonderful blend of chenin blanc, verdelho, chardonnay and sémillon from the Swan Valley. It was such a good season and has produced fruit that is generous, refined and impeccably balanced. There are loads of stone fruits and citrus swirling through it, along with a sort of crunchy, apple-pear-like character that runs deep. Seamless, balanced, and just perfect...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

There's a little bit happening in this naturally fermented lo-fi chenin blanc that comes from a vineyard in Margaret River. A small portion of the fruit was pressed to concrete eggs, and this has contributed to its vibrant freshness, especially on the nose. Time on lees with regular stirring has introduced that textural feel into the mid-palate, but the essential...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

There are now so many really attractive chenin blanc based sparkling wines, and this is another that is right on the money. It’s a clean and crisp style with pronounced apple and pear characters, with a beautifully complexing biscuit character coming from a time on lees. Thoroughly beautiful current drinking.

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

This is a chenin that lets the guys in the Swan Valley know they don’t have it all their way with this variety. The season was kind, and it’s resulted in a thoroughly beautiful example. It doesn’t have the obvious tropical fruits of some chenins, but it still shows fine citrus, light melon and apple characters that capture the variety...

Margaret River

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Year in and year out, this remains one of my favourite sauvignon blanc sémillon blends, albeit with an important inclusion of chardonnay and chenin, which completes what is always an impeccably made wine. It has structure, fruit intensity and tremendous appeal, with lots of lovely, crunchy tropical fruit on the nose and through the palate. It was a warm year,...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

A wine which demonstrates the versatility of chenin, a variety which is increasingly being seen in sparkling wines these days. The colour is quite golden, but the aroma is fresh and lively with a roasted nut and butterscotch infusion into the light tropical notes. A little biscuit crumble emerges with a sliced apple and cinnamon combination.

Margaret River

Sparkling

A delicious and appealing crémant sparkling wine made from 100% chenin blanc, a variety that is increasingly being made into sparklings. It's fragrant and fruity with a bright light palate. Crisp acid, a touch of baked bread and a squeeze of lemon, all work to create an ideal aperitif style wine.

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

A slight departure from previous vintages. This has a small amount of new oak to augment the older oak traditionally used. It’s the best yet, with lovely white nectarine and other subtle stone fruits. It has a beautiful palate with a fine natural acidity. This has a small amount of ’22 vintage which was the start of the solera system...

Great Southern

Riesling

This is another take on chenin, confirming its versatility for different expressions and styles. In this case it's been pressed to oak puncheons where it spent eight months. The ‘22 vintage delivered powerful and richly flavoured fruit, so the oak has been easily taken up. Lots of stone fruit with a faint lemon rind lift. It's a wine that is...

Swan Valley

White Blend

This is a combination of Swan Valley chenin, verdelho, chardonnay, and semillon. And it's captured so much about what this style should be. There's flavour, there's mouth feel, and there's vibrancy and freshness. This is certainly one of the better wines I've seen under this brand. And if you said you were spending $25, that would be perfectly fine. Love...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Peterkin has made a mighty good sparkling chenin with this 2021 vintage. For me, the maturation on lees is the key, as it balances the higher natural varietal acidity creating a wine of texture and richness while losing nothing of the vibrant primary fruit characters of the variety. Distinctive Granny Smith and citrus tang with a crunchy finish.

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Here's another example of the versatility of chenin blanc. In this case, making a delightful sparkling wine. It was partly barrel-fermented and then bottle-fermented in a largely méthode traditionnelle way. It's created a wine of freshness and vibrancy, with beautiful fragrant fruit aromas and a palate that is dry, clean, crisp and almost refreshing. It has a lovely, fine, lingering...

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

One of the best of these sparkling chenins yet from Stormflower. There is a delicacy here, but the fruit has intensity and length. Light creamy tropical fruits with a citrussy edge on the nose. The palate is light and finely balanced with a persistence through to a long finish. Don’t serve it too cold.

Margaret River

Chenin Blanc

Oh, so easy to drink. This is a chenin from a small patch in the Pierro vineyard that is now quite mature. It’s a flinty dry style with slightly muted aromas but a palate that displays a driving apple and pear character with the lift of fine citrus and an ever so subtle grassy edge. Gradual flavour build-up then releases...

Margaret River

White Blend

A blend of sauvignon blanc, semillon, and chenin blanc with a small amount of shiraz adding the colour. As the name suggests it’s all naturally done with hand picking of organically grown fruit, wild yeasts, no preservatives or additions and then bottle before the initial fermentation finishes. It creates a lively slightly fizzy deliciously flavoured current drinking wine. Don’t worry...

Western Australia

Sparkling

One of the many excellent sparkling wines coming from the Perth Hills. This one is based on chenin blanc, and the colour is coming from just a little bit of shiraz. As the name suggests, the wine was fermented in the bottle, followed by the time-consuming task of hand riddling and disgorging. It’s emerged really nicely with notes of strawberry...

Pemberton

Sauvignon Blanc

I’m not sure how Cherubino has made a wine of this quality in such a hot year. But here you go. A sauvignon blanc from Pemberton which was naturally fermented and matured in French oak for eight months. Nutty stone fruit aromas and then a palate where the balance between the oak and fruit nails it. Textured and rich with...

Margaret River

Sparkling

A natural fermented sparkling wine using wild yeasts with no additions. The fermentation just happened and the result is a lightly fizzy wine ideal for drinking over the next 12 months. It was made with sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and shiraz o give it the pink colour. Don't worry about the cloudiness. It's all part of it. Nice wine.

Swan Valley

Rose

Opens with an invasion of bright light red fruit aromas. Lots of raspberry and strawberry things happening. The palate is light with good flavour. A deliciously appealing rose style with a modern restrained tweak to make it interesting.

Great Southern

White Varietal

There's not much of this variety in Australia so it's nice to see something like this one pop up. It has a slight spiciness which shows on the nose but the palate is rich in stone fruit and creamy, nutty characters. A little contribution from oak maturation is evident on the palate. Nice fine acidity adds a final flourish.

Pemberton

Sauvignon Blanc

A beautiful savvy from the Channybearup vineyard in Pemberton. Made in the fume style which means natural fermentation with maturation in oak for four months. There's a nutty fruit-driven aroma with a decent splash of citrus. The palate is generous and intense with a degree of complexity you expect from this fume style.

Great Southern

White Blend

This is a variety just starting to make an impact. It's from the Riversdale vineyard and was fermented in used oak. It has a pale copper-like colour. The nose is spicy with an apple and pear combo. On the palate you get a fine leaner profile but one revealing good intensity on its light frame. Nice aperitif wine.

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.

Pemberton

Sauvignon Blanc

I've been a bit of a fan of this wine since I first saw it a few years ago. It's made in the fumé style, which means after natural fermentation it was matured in French oak, in this case for 4 months, but at the same time it retains its fine linear freshness with a minerally citrus note on the...

Pemberton

Sauvignon Blanc

Crunchy apple and pear characters burst from the glass. This is savvy with a little extra, which comes from the partial barrel fermentation. Gee, it makes quite a difference, transforming that bright and fresh fruit savvy into a wine of great sophistication, but still a lot of fun.

Margaret River

White Blend

A bright and distinctly fruit driven blend of sauvignon blanc, semillon and verdelho. It’s a blend that works really well, producing a deliciously appealing white wine offering loads of vibrant tropical character, balanced with a gentle squeeze of lemon and a subtle minerality on the finish.

Pemberton

Chardonnay

Runner-up White Wine of the Year 2024 A stunner from Cherubino capturing the essence of Pemberton. It comes from the excellent Channybearup vineyard. On the nose you get a flinty, grapefruit and honeysuckle nuance with deeper grapefruit and nectarine influences. The palate delivers with a degree of delicacy yet there is power here…real power that takes it through to a...

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

Sauvignon Blanc

Captures the perfect conditions of the ‘23 harvest. Crunchy and vibrant gooseberry and citrus merge to create a wine that screams for current drinking. It's juicy and lively with a fresh zingy finish. A faint flinty edge completes a very good wine.

Margaret River

Sauvignon Blanc

Just a little barrel fermentation has transformed this from the normal fruit-bomb style into a wine of sophistication and style, while still allowing the punchy savvy fruit to display its virtues. Typical characters of passionfruit, gooseberry and a little snow pea are lifted with a little of the lemony oak influence. A really attractive wine to drink while it is...

Pemberton

Sauvignon Blanc

Cherubino Pemberton sauvignon blanc 2024 ($39) Cherubino sources this savvy from the excellent Channybearup Vineyard in Pemberton. It’s a lightly framed wine but has a delightful crunchy vibrancy with the influence of a small amount of barrel fermentation and three months in oak bringing it to life. Nice fine minerality with a lightly tropical, citrus and guava complexity. Nice wine....

Great Southern

Sauvignon Blanc

This restrained vintage required a deft touch when it came to the addition of oak, especially with fume styles like this one. Fortunately, these guys know what they are doing and have produced a highly drinkable young savvy will a compelling mix of lemon zest and light toasty cashew. Crisp long palate with a nice finish of oak.

Great Southern

Chardonnay

Wondrous things happen when you leave a sparkling wine for an extended time on lees. In this case, a 100% chardonnay sparkling wine has been turned into a beautiful expression of the style and the variety. It's just starting to show some influence from time on lees with a slightly toasty character emerging, but it’s still driven by considerable primary...