Fruit from Frankland River. Matured in French oak barriques (10% new) and blended with 2% barrel-fermented viognier prior to bottling. Savoury, meaty and slick, as many shiraz viogniers can be. The ironstone gravels of Frankland River impart a ferrous/blood character on the wines, which is evident here through the finish. Structured and firm, this is very good because it plays within a medium-bodied frame, while having very good flavour concentration. Not an easy thing to achieve!93 Points, James Halliday

Like a smooth jam session, this wine is a rich medley of ripe plums, red berries and lovely spice flavours with a long lingering finish.

Margaret River Syrah is noteworthy because of its fragrance and attractiveness in its youth. Aromas of juicy black cherries and boysenberries with a grind of black pepper. The palate possesses a fine grained texture comprising of ripe tannin which adds to the structure and depth of the wine.White pepper, black cherries and an eastern mosaic of spices greet on the nose, brought to yield by a soft palate of fleshy tannin and coating red and black fruits.

Blackwood Valley Wine Region, WA Tasting: Super rich, with plenty of intense berry fruits.Blackberries and dark cherries intertwine with raspberry and spice. Fruit-first, and a very attractive wine. Firm tannins that aid in structure and complexity, while remaining silky and highly approachable. Subtle earthen notes, with tobacco and cigar box. Winemaking: The fruit here comes from the Boyup Brook Vineyard. Small, concentrated berries are the source of the depth, structure and complexity of this wine. Fermented in open-tops and plunged twice daily until optimalextraction and maceration was achieved. Pressed off the skins and allowed to finish ferment in stainless tanks, before being racked to barrel and aged for around 8 months in older oak. Precise blending of the two varieties took place to achieve the desiredcharacter of this wine.

HOUGHTON C.W. Ferguson Cabernet Malbec, Great Southern

Made by iconic winery Howard Park, the fruit for MadFish Gold Turtle Shiraz is sourced from the South West of the state where Shiraz thrives. This wine has sweet berry and spice characters complemented by a touch of white pepper and well handled French oak. Lovely!

Grape variety - 100% Shiraz. Oak maturation - 40% new and 60% older French. notes. Colour - Deep red with purple hue. Aroma - Concentrated with bacon fat, pepper, lifted florals and incense. There’s an underlying meaty-gravy complexity with balanced oak, mulberry and plum. Palate - Full with a dense texture and fine grain tannins. The palate is loaded with pepper, beef gravy, potpourri, black raspberry, mulberry and plum. A complex, savoury and elegant wine that’s more Syrah than Shiraz Food matches - Seared prime beef and roasted root vegetables or Fillet of venison with wild mushrooms. Peak drinking - Drinking well now but will show further integration over the next 8 - 10 years. Viticulture - The Home Block Shiraz vineyard comprises 0.7 ha of open lyre, minimal irrigated vines planted on ironstone gravel over deep friable loam. Judicious shoot and bunch thinning is always used to maintain a very light crop which was hand picked in early March of 2021. Harvested at 12.5º Baume the fruit exhibited intensely concentrated flavour and colour. Winemaking - The hand picked fruit was harvested early in the morning and processed straight away. 5% whole bunches, including stalks were placed into the bottom of the fermenter before filling. The remaining fruit was de stemmed into the small open fermenter with heading down board, which keeps the cap fully submerged between drain and returns. After nine days of fermentation, the fruit was pressed into a blend of new and used French Burgundian barrels. Storage and Bottling - Maturation lasted 11 months before the wine was carefully blended and bottled. Bottled under screw cap to retain freshness in a premium Burgundy bottle. Held in bottle for approximately 1 year prior to release.

Vasse Felix produces fine Margaret River reds with great balance and style. This traditional blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon shows sweet mid-palate fruit with liquorice and spice and good tannin structure. Fantastic French oak integration enabling soft tannin complexity and a lovely length of flavour.

Margaret River is an under appreciated region for Australian Shiraz, and it's hard to see why with Cape Mentelle's Shiraz showing a vibrant core of blueberry, mulberry and hints of raspberry. It is well balanced with cocoa and savoury oak. The palate yet, is fine, elegant and focussed, finishing with chalky and structural tannins.