Pride, Passion & Purpose

When Woodside Valley Estate Principal Peter Woods first heard of the exploits of French explorer Thomas Nicholas Baudin, it sparked an enduring fascination with the remarkable Frenchman and his role in the charting of Western Australia coastline. The explorer's deep passion and sense of purpose reflects Peter's own attitude and approach in realising his dream of developing a range of unique and outstanding premium Margaret River wines.

It began with an individual approach to site selection. From the outset the goal was to create a distinctive terroir as the first step in the pursuit of excellence in wine quality. The decision was made to do what few have done before - turn a rocky, wilderness, south-facing hillside block into a dream vineyard. The success of this transformation was confirmed when Agriculture Western Australia rated the vineyard as a 'model' for student reference and when the Wine Industry of Western Australia awarded it the 2003 Most Outstanding New Vineyard in their annual Awards for Excellence.

The first wine released under the Woodside Valley Estate label was the 2000 Baudin, an exceptional Cabernet Merlot named in tribute to the great explorer, which clearly reflected the meticulous care, craftsmanship and attention to detail included in every step of the winemaking process at Woodside Valley Estate. This first release has garnered a cache of exceptional reviews and competition wins, the most recent being a Commended Medal in the 2005 Decanter World Wine Awards, and it continues to perform well at tastings. (Visit Reviews for more information or Latest Happenings for the highlights since the launch of the Baudin Collection).

The 2001 Baudin Collection continued the naming tradition with each of the three varietals added to the collection named in honour of a crewman or scientist aboard Baudin's expedition. The Bonnefoy Shiraz (or Bonnefoi), acknowledging the contribution of Louis Charles Gaspard Bonnefoy de Montbazin, a midshipman on the Geographé. The Bissy Merlot, acknowledging the contribution of Frédérik Bissy, an astronomer appointed to the Geographé; and the Le Bas Chardonnay, acknowledging the contribution of Alexandre Le Bas de Sainte Croix, a captain and second in command on the Geographé.

Woodside Valley Estate has combined the best elements of tradition and innovation to create a collection of individually handcrafted, yet distinctly Margaret River in origin wines that reflect the care and attention to detail taken at every step between the vineyard and the table. Pride, passion and purpose - a true representation of Woodside Valley Estate. Pride in our Margaret River origins, a passion for wine and the West Australian wine industry and purpose, to create truly iconic and individual wines from the best fruit the northern Margaret River has to offer.