The Western Australians are dominating the Australian wine scene at the moment

It’s easy for us to miss on the east coast, most Australian states are parochial in their wine drinking and wine interests thus awareness of what is happening outside of Victoria doesn’t get much traction. We were just as unaware of their recent success until Perth based importer, retailer and writer John Jens sent us some of the research he had done recently on the success of WA wines from such a small proportion of the nation’s production. They produce just 2.9 per cent of the nation’s Cabernet and 2.1 per cent of the Chardonnay which makes their success even more impressive.

Of the seven, major capital city wine shows in Australia, Chardonnay from Margaret River have won five of the seven in both 2016 and 2017. While we produce some exceptional Chardonnay in our local region, Margaret River wineries tend to produce a style that is quite similar to those around Geelong; barrel fermentation, aging in oak, lees contact/stirring and Malolaction fermentation.  These are all techniques that build a little more weight, generosity and richer texture, they certainly have captured more attention than our local examples which may be due to the region boasting roughly three times as many wineries as Geelong and a more unified approach to explaining the region and its wine styles. The 2016 Chardonnay from Clairault has been a recent revelation for us, it boasts elements from all of the techniques dis played above without any one of them dominating the wine too much. It is composed, seamless and immaculately balanced for its price point ($25).

A nice comparison would be with the 2016 Chardonnay from Marcus Hill on the Bellarine Peninsula, a wine that was in my opinion the wine of the Geelong Wine Show last year, it is a little more opulent and open knit than the Clairault but a worthy comparison of the styles on each side of the country. Cabernet Sauvignon is where the West excels compared to Geelong, and if the stats are anything to go by, they excel compared to anywhere in Australia having won all seven Capital City Best Cabernet trophies in 2016 and five of the seven in 2017. The balance of a warm climate moderated by the sea breeze is a key component of the grapes success.

Margaret River Cabernet isn’t quite as elegant as those from the Yarra Valley, but nor are they as full-bodied and rich as most South Australian regions. They tend be medium- to full-bodied with fine earthy/gravelly tannins and a balance of ripe red and black fruits as well as florals and earth notes that draw you in. The Watson family are well known for the wines they produce at Woodlands Estate; one of the region’s best producers, but they have recently started producing a second label wine “Watson Family Wines”, which is a blend of Estate and purchased fruit. Across the board the wine offers tremendous value for money giving a glimpse at their style and those of the region. As with the whole range, the Cabernet ($19) is made for early drinking so the tannins are subtle and refined, the fruit is ripe showing off typical blackcurrant and red berries.