Wine Development in Margaret River

Well known West Australian Wine Identity John Jens casts his expert eye over Woodside Valley Estate's attempts to defy prevailing opinion and produce premium wines from Gunyulgup, at the northern end of Margaret River, rather than the usually preferred central and southern areas.

In particular, John assesses the potential for premium quality Cabernets and Chardonnays from this largely untested northern area.

THE NORTH-END OF MARGARET RIVER AND CABERNET SAUVIGNON

by John Jens B.Sc.(Calif.) Assoc.Dip.Wine (Roseworthy)

Every major wine writer in Australia is in print stating that Margaret River is producing Australia's best Cabernet or Cabernet Blends. O.K. then, how good is the fruit from the hilly and treed Northern end around Woodside Valley Estate?

In exactly the same way as it took time for Leeuwin Estate to realise that one particular acre of the expansive chardonnay holdings produces finer fruit and for the Cullens to know that a certain patch of their 22 acre cabernet block is superior to the others, the northern Margaret River area is yet to be defined for its varietal quality zones. The potential of a viticultural region is solely based on the best wine that you've seen from that variety to date. Anything else is sheer speculation. It is also interesting to note that when you taste a young wine you can taste both the wine making and the quality of the fruit.

Okay then, how good is the quality of the wine making and the fruit in the Baudin range? From the wine technology viewpoint, the winemaker, Kevin McKay, has been on a successful and steep learning curve with reference to winemaking and equipment. The wines in barrel in the winery currently are stunning and reflect the results of this application. A large proportion of winemakers with access to this equipment still would not be making wine of this calibre. With regards to the fruit, the Shiraz from the Northern End of Margaret River, until recently an unknown quantity, now appears to be absolutely stunning and the fruit off this block appears to match the best of that. With reference to the Cabernet Sauvignon, the current and potential Baudin wines are rewriting the quality parameters for this variety in the Northern Margaret River Belt and the length of flavour and the soft, rich, fine knit and succulent fruit flavours appear to be superb, and especially so given that they are off young vines.

The jury is still out on the ultimate quality of Merlot as well, though it bodes well that Western Australia is producing a significant and disproportionately high number of the most highly rated show and reviewed Merlots in this country currently. All bar one of these standouts are from the Margaret River Region. The 2001 Woodside Valley Estate Merlot would - at least - appear to be in the same quality brackets as these wines.

THE QUALITY PERSPECTIVE OF CHARDONNAY IN THE NORTHERN MARGARET RIVER REGION

by John Jens B.Sc.(Calif.) Assoc.Dip.Wine (Roseworthy)

Every keen wine writer in Australia is on record as stating that Margaret River is producing Australia's greatest Chardonnay. Jeremy Oliver, alone to my knowledge, has qualified this with reference to Victoria`s 1996 Giaconda release. (He has since significantly reduced his points on that wine).

To-date all of the Premium Chardonnays have been in the central and southern regions of Margaret River and those further north have not been taken as seriously. It appears that all this is about to change. As an example, this Chardonnay has all of the strength, length, viscosity and power, of its more southerly neighbours, the factors that made them famous. It would appear that along with the sheer intensity and length of the three red premium wine grape varieties, the Chardonnay from this vineyard will re-write the quality expectations for the region.

Woodside Valley Estate released 'The Le Bas' Chardonnay in March 2003.