Margaret River icon wines: Latest releases

The 2025 harvest is over in Margaret River, and while there’s still plenty of action in the winery, now’s the time of year when many new wines are released.

Margaret River’s two iconic varieties are Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the flagship releases are highly anticipated.

The quality of recent and upcoming new releases speak for themselves, and though many of these scores are high, they are well-earned.

Vintages range from 2021 to 2024, as there is no prescribed programme in the region for ageing and/or releasing wine.

The freedom enables diversity, economic considerations, and a wide berth of winemaking choices. Museum releases have not been considered in this line-up.

Scroll down for the notes on the latest releases from the icon wines of Margaret River

Regional overview: Wilyabrup

Wilyabrup is in the central area of Margaret River, and reaches from the coastline inland, flanked by Yallingup to the north and Wallcliffe to the south.

This is the heart of Cabernet country, and where many of the founding wineries of Margaret River are located.

Moss Wood

The first vines were planted at Moss Wood in 1969, making this the second-oldest estate in Margaret River.

The family-owned and run winery has been in the hands of Clare and Keith Mugford since the mid-1980s, with their sons, Tristan and Hugh, continuing the family legacy as winemakers and viticulturists.

The 2022 vintage was a warm and dry year. Keith says: ‘The warm season ensured consistent ripeness, so the wine displays the vineyard’s typically dark fruit aromas.

‘The palate certainly has the expected key feature of concentrated but balanced tannin, all enhanced by the prettier fragrances which we attribute to the cooler final weeks in March. Very few have been better.’

Woodlands Wines

Less than a kilometre south, Woodlands is another estate established early in Margaret River’s history.

First planted in 1973 by David and Heather Watson, the business has grown over time with additional plantings and vineyard acquisitions, but still crafts its iconic Cabernet Sauvignon from these original vines.

The family-owned winery is now in the hands of the next generation, sons Andrew and Stuart. The 2020 Margaret is the current release, and the warmer year shows substantially more approachability to the wine in its youth with invitingly plush fruit.

However, I predict the cooler characteristics of the new 2021 release will show their full potential with more time, as the fine backbone of structure is there.

Cullen Wines

Cullen Wines is another founding Margaret River winery. Winemaker, viticulturist and general manager, Vanya Cullen is the daughter of Wilyabrup agricultural pioneers Diana and Kevin Cullen.

The oldest vines (planted in 1971) are mature and dry-grown, and the winery has been one of Australia’s leaders in organic and biodynamic practices.

These new releases are some of the youngest, yet the wines have some of the longest lifespans amongst the region’s icons, retaining freshness and energy.

While 2023 was an outstanding year for Margaret River, the 2024 harvest was unprecedented with regards to timing – it was the earliest on record – heat, dryness and pace.

Vanya says: ‘The wines are looking great, in particular, the Chardonnay surprises because of its delicacy. The 2024 wines are all very fine, aromatic and fragrant; while all of the 2023s are incredibly textural.’

Vasse Felix

Dr Tom Cullity planted the first Vasse Felix vines in 1967, and the Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend that bears his name is inspired by his vision and original plantings.

The cooler conditions in 2021 were challenging for some, but the best reds from the vintage are abundant in perfume and detail.

‘The 2021 has grown into itself, and suddenly it has a beautiful, silky succulence,’ explains chief winemaker Virginia Willcock, who has been at the helm since 2006.

‘It still has that lovely dry framework at the finish, but it’s almost like the tannins of the Malbec and the oak have brought the palate out and framed this beautiful plumpness, with length and depth,’ she adds.

The Heytesbury is the winery’s flagship Chardonnay, with the Single Site offering a site-specific expression.

Regional overview: Wallcliffe

A little further south, Wallcliffe is where the other main cluster of Margaret River’s most famed wineries is located.

Boodjidup Creek is a waterway that runs out to the Indian Ocean. Several top vineyards and wineries are centred around the creek.

Leeuwin Estate

Leeuwin Estate is one of Australia’s most accoladed wineries and is now three generations deep. The initial vines were planted in 1975 by Denis and Tricia Horgan, after consultation and mentorship from Napa’s Robert Mondavi.

The 1981 Art Series Chardonnay was highly recommended by Decanter in a blind tasting, an accolade that thrusted the winery onto the international stage.

The Chardonnay programme at Leeuwin has been in the spotlight for decades; however, increased attention and investment in the estate’s Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz production in recent years is starting to reap rewards.

Voyager Estate

Next door, Voyager Estate is certified organic, and its chief winemaker Tim Shand joined the ranks in 2022.

The MJW is named after the estate’s late patriarch, Michael Wright, with the 2021 vintage a testament to the organic and viticultural resources and careful fruit selection from the North Block and the Old Block.

The southern Wallcliffe vineyards can be risky for Cabernet in cooler vintages, as Shand explains. ‘There’s no hiding with Cabernet, and to me it comes back to viticulture,’ he says.

The 2021 vintage saw a long hang time for this fruit, and the result is clear. There’s plenty of oak here, but the fruit can handle it, and this has a long life ahead of it.

Stella Bella

Stuart Pym and Janice McDonald took over the Suckfizzle Vineyard – Margaret River’s most southerly vineyard – in 1996, establishing the Stella Bella label in 1999.

Stella Bella’s flagship wines have risen in recognition over recent years, and it would be remiss to bypass them as some of the most prominent iterations of the Margaret River’s iconic varieties.

The Luminosa, in particular, is a vineyard that produces wines of power and clarity, as seen in the 2023 reds.

McHenry Hohnen

The three single-site Chardonnays produced by McHenry Hohnen are unique and provide a fantastic opportunity to taste a few different subregional specifics.

The estate’s wines have evolved with the maturity of the vines, largely biodynamic vineyard management, and with winemaker Jacopo Dalli Cani at the helm for almost 10 years.

‘These Chardonnays are some of the best we have produced,’ he says.

‘In 2023, Mother Nature gave us a very nice gift. The fruit looked great, it had a lot of power, and the chemistry was right in check. The Chardonnays took the new oak and the solids well that year, turning into very complex, rich, but balanced wines.’

Margaret River icons: Latest releases

Related articles

• Vintage report: Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 & Chardonnay 2022
• Margaret River whites: Beyond Chardonnay
• On the road with Larry Cherubino