Category Archives: Margaret River

Shaw + Smith Chardonnay Summit 2012

Or workshop. But I think summit sounds far more exciting and important. Yesterday, Michael Hill Smith MW and David LeMire MW dropped by Brisbane with a swag of Chardonnay covering the Adelaide Hills, the Mornington Peninsula, the Margaret River, Tasmania … Continue reading

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2010 Fraser Gallop Estate Chardonnay

With all the (rather undifferentiated) applause for more austere styles of Australian Chardonnay I wonder where the Margaret River sits now. Hopefully we won’t see the regionality of a wonderfully defined expression of the grape prematurely picked out in the name of … Continue reading

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2011 Fraser Gallop Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Clive Otto and Kate Morgan are making some cracking wines at Fraser Gallop. I’ve been guilty of considering Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blancs mostly in terms of refreshment rather than quality but this is good enough to make me reassess that … Continue reading

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2010 Woodlands Chardonnay

Margaret River 13.5% Screwcap $23 “Do you likegreen eggs and hamI do not like them,Sam-I-am.I do not likegreen eggs and ham.Would you like themHere or there?I would not like themhere or there.I would not like themanywhere.” Sometimes I believe it … Continue reading

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2009 Devil’s Lair Chardonnay

Margaret River 13.0% Screwcap $45 Texture, texture, texture. It’s the most important feature of this wine, even though there is great complexity of flavour. An appealing roundness in the mouth without sacrificing a backbone….sort of like a circle with a … Continue reading

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2010 Blue Poles Viognier

Margaret River 12.0% Screwcap $20 Interesting to see that the ABV is a bit lower in this new release of Blue Poles’ “Dry White”. Mind you, they’ve always made a Viognier that is more about finesse than opulence. I find … Continue reading

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2009 Blue Poles Teroldego

Margaret River 14.0% Screwcap $30 Teroldego is a variety that I suspect few of us are overly familiar with. There’s a worthwhile rundown on the grape at the Blue Poles website so I’ll leave a sketchy history out of this review. … Continue reading

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2010 Brookland Valley Verse 1 Chardonnay

Margaret River 13.5% Screwcap $18 I had a brief but torrid fling with this wine during the 2006 and 2007 vintages. I really was very enamoured. We got together a couple of times for the 2008 but were estranged the … Continue reading

Posted in Chardonnay, Margaret River | 4 Comments

2009 Vasse Felix Chardonnay

Margaret River 13.0% Screwcap $27 I can’t say that this is a wine which imbued me with any real fondness. At $27 I think there are a lot of better places to look. The bouquet is of bread, lemon curd … Continue reading

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2008 Fire Gully Shiraz Viognier

Margaret River 14.5% Screwcap $23.90 The Shiraz for this wine was co-fermented with about 9% Viognier and it isn’t hard to spot, influencing texture, aroma and flavour. Violets, apricot jam, cooked tomatos, pepper, brown spice and concentrated cherry berries. It’s … Continue reading

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