The battle for the top honours in this year’s wine of the year judging was a shootout between cabernet and chardonnay.
Western Australia’s wine producers have risen above the pack to release an extraordinary range of outstanding wines throughout the year.
And they’ve done it against a background of challenging export and domestic market conditions, rising costs and interest rates, and reduced spending capacity.
I have assessed close to 1,000 wines from all WA wine regions during the past seven months: from the value-for-money end to the outstanding super-premium benchmark wines.
Many of these have been included in my annual WA Wine Review, now available in bookstores and in digital form online.
Established in 1973 by David and Heather Watson, Margaret River producer Woodlands is celebrating 50 years in the business, so it’s fitting it has won wine of the year for its stellar Woodlands Eleanor cabernet sauvignon 2020.
It’s a fabulous example of Margaret River cabernet sauvignon made with more than a little Bordeaux influence. Winemaker Stuart Watson has been pumping out outstanding cabernets and this one is the equal of any he has made.
Time may well judge it the best. It is sourced from the first vines planted by the Watsons and is a tremendous example of the season and the style Woodlands has been crafting.
To take the title of wine of the year, the Woodlands cabernet had to compete with five other short-listed wines, which also scored 99 points.
It should be no surprise that the battle for the top honours was a shootout between cabernet and chardonnay.
The other superstars were the Cullen Wines Full Moon Fruit Day Vanya 2020; Moss Wood cabernet sauvignon 2020; Xanadu Reserve cabernet sauvignon 2020; Leeuwin Estate Art Series chardonnay 2020; and the McHenry Hohnen Rolling Stone 2018.
The strength of these varieties in WA is a testament to the natural environment and the people committed to best-practice viticulture and winemaking to get the most out of it.
The combination of excellent – albeit in some years quite small – vintages, evolving viticulture, clever winemaking that bridges old world and new world approaches, and an appreciation of modern styles is resulting in a truly outstanding collection of WA wines.
The dominant force remains Margaret River, but Frankland River is starting to push it all the way.
In fact, in some ways Frankland is providing some of the most exciting styles of recent years as producers come to grips with how to maximise its natural advantages of soil and climate.
The region’s versatility is highlighted by its ability to make world-class Bordeaux and Rhone-style wines side by side, along with remarkable expressions of German and Austrian rieslings and contemporary expressions of famous Italian varieties.
The other award-winning wines include an outstanding pinot noir, a merlot and a syrah, showing the rich diversity and quality of WA wines.
It normally takes me a few days to climb off the fence and decide the winner.
This year, I was getting mighty sore up there as it took the best part of two weeks to finally select my top performer.
In fact, I set up a quasi-mini tasting panel to get some other thoughts.
I am thankful that they agreed with my assessment.
These are outstanding wines on a world scale, and the encouraging thing is they are continuing to evolve; with some taking them in new directions while others enhance tried-and-true paths.
This week, I have highlighted three of the best wines of the year, including the wine of the year.
WINE OF THE YEAR - Woodlands Eleanor cabernet sauvignon 2020 ($199)
Comes from the oldest vines planted on the Woodlands vineyard. It’s a tremendous example of the season and the style that Woodlands has been crafting. Super concentrated and powerful core of fruit is held tightly by fine firm tannins, tight grained oak, and a vibrant natural acidity. Blackcurrant, graphite, and oyster shell with some nice bay leaf lift on the nose. Delivers all that I thought it would from this outstanding red wine vintage.
Score: 99/100
Cellar: 35 years
BEST VERDELHO - Faber verdelho 2023 ($27.50)
It’s hardly a surprise that the verdelho of the year should come from the Swan Valley. This was a 10-out-of-10 year and these classically aromatic varieties from the region are as good as has been made. Griffiths is a champion of this variety.
Score: 95/100
Cellar: Eight years
BEST SHIRAZ - Deep Woods Reserve Shiraz 2022 ($85)
Julian Langworthy and his winemaking team have created something special with this wine. It comes from a single block in Wilyabrup planted back in 1972, so it’s one of the oldest in the region. An excellent season has produced fruit of fine balance and poise. The nose is fragrant with a spicy, licorice and plummy, blackberry thing happening. The palate has a grainy texture, which is simply compelling. The flavour profile extends effortlessly to a very long finish. I love this wine. One of the best.
Score 98/100
Cellar: 15 years
- Ray Jordan is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected wine journalists, contributing to newspapers and magazines over more than 40 years. In 2017 he co-authored The Way it Was: The History of the early years of the Margaret River Wine Region
