Vintage report: Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 & Chardonnay 2022

For Decanter’s inaugural Margaret River vintage report, producers were asked to submit wines from the 2021 vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnays from 2022, which were all then tasted blind.

While the 2022 whites shone, the 2021 reds reflected the cooler and somewhat challenging vintage conditions many faced, including unusual February rainfall.

Should a wine score be indicative of what’s typically expected of the region and variety, or is it fairer and more useful to look at the wine with fresh eyes and no preconceived ideas?

There are champions for both approaches; mine here is not to reprimand wines that don’t speak of typicity, if the hallmarks of a great wine are nonetheless there to be found.

Scroll down to see notes and for the leading Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines from the 2021 and 2022 vintages in Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Ask any Cabernet Sauvignon winemaker from Margaret River how 2021 was and it’s unlikely you’ll receive the same answer twice. Conditions in the Western Australian region were challenging, so sub-regional variation is evident in the resulting wines.

While not being official GIs (geographical indications), six sub-regions – (north to south) Yallingup, Carbunup, Wilyabrup, Treeton, Wallcliffe and Karridale – were proposed in a 1999 paper by the late Dr John Gladstones, a major pioneering influence in the region from the mid-1960s.

In light of the soil and climate differences upon which these six areas were delineated, marginal years such as 2021 highlight that it is impossible to paint the Margaret River appellation with broad strokes.

The Margaret River Wine Association lists 181 wineries producing a Margaret River GI wine, yet just 38 Cabernet Sauvignons were submitted to the tasting for this report.

‘A lot came down to the late stages in April 2021, with the moisture from the early morning dews. If you didn’t have vines set up with good exposure there was disease risk and difficulty ripening,’ says Eloise Jarvis, a consultant winemaker in the region.

Cabernet markers

A classic Margaret River Cabernet is medium-bodied, with firm tannins, energetic acidity, elegant perfume and generous black fruits, cassis, a mint or eucalyptus note, perhaps an umami edge on the palate and a delicate graphite thread.

The majority of 2021s sat firmly in the mid-bodied category, but with more red fruit than black, and many were paler in colour intensity than usual.

2021 is certainly a year that required more work and attention in the vineyard than usual to ensure fruit ripeness, with southern sub-regions facing the most marginal conditions.

Some well-regarded wineries chose not to produce their top cuvée. From those that did, there is beauty to be found.

To see all 70 of Cassandra Charlick’s Chardonnay recommendations click here, and for her 36 Cabernet Sauvignon wines to try here

Instead of intensity and concentration, there’s a finer-boned structure with bright acidity and delicate perfume leading to long-lived wines of complexity, nuance and elegance in the cellar.

‘The 2021 is a more elegant style of Cabernet based on the cooler season,’ says Hugh Mugford, winemaker and viticulturist at Moss Wood. ‘A strong acid backbone will allow it to evolve really well to the secondary characteristics after the 20-year mark.’

At Vasse Felix, chief winemaker Virginia Willcock agrees: ‘I love the more elegant vintages; they age a bit better and more slowly.’

The greatest wines here shine brightly, showing complexity, elegance and finesse, and they will age for a good 20 years or longer.

Margaret River: Decanter vintage ratings

Cabernet Sauvignon

2021: A cooler year with summer rain events proving challenging for some producers, especially those in the southern sub-regions. Still, wines of beauty and understated elegance from those who were proactive in vineyard management 3/5

2020: 5/5

2019: 3/5

2018: 5/5

2017: 4/5

Chardonnay

2022: A fantastic year, on the warmer side. Effortless, though picking dates proved crucial and yields varied 5/5

2021: 4/5

2020: 5/5

2019: 4/5

2018: 4/5

Chardonnay 2022

Meanwhile, there’s no doubt that 2022 was a great year for Margaret River Chardonnay. The Chardonnay tasting for this report drew in almost double the entries of the Cabernet section: a chasm that demonstrates the respective vintage conditions.

Thanks to a Mediterranean climate with maritime influence and ancient, well-draining soils, Margaret River Chardonnay is consistently among the greatest white wines of Australia.

2022 saw a long and wet winter with bud burst [typically occurring about mid-September] late by a week or two compared with the previous year, but a warm summer with a few heat spikes that ensured a fast harvest.

Indeed, at Xanadu Wines, chief winemaker Glenn Goodall recalls that, ‘in 2022 our Chardonnay picking window, for all Margaret River vineyards, was 14 days’, compared with 26 days in 2023.

‘Things ripened quickly in 2022, not just due to weather, but due to low yields,’ Goodall explains. This summer warmth shows in a measured opulence and intensity in the wines.

Julian Langworthy, Deep Woods Estate’s chief winemaker, comments: ‘After the cool but wet 2021 vintage, 2022 was one of our warmer vintages. Vine health was quite high without much disease pressure. There’s a lovely ripeness in the Chardy, but it’s not forced. It was a season that had a tight picking window – if you hit it you were well rewarded with expressive yet rich, poised wines.’

Gingin has its say

The low-yielding Gingin clone is foundational to the identity of Margaret River Chardonnay. ‘The 2022 Chardies are built to last due to intensity and acidity,’ says Goodall. ‘They have a long future ahead of them that is largely attributed to the phenolic structure of Gingin.’

There were no issues with ripening in 2022, so there was little need to utilise malolactic fermentation for adding flesh to the bones. There is a general trend towards larger-format oak and less use of new oak, however some outstanding producers still use a significant proportion of new oak, seamlessly integrating it with high-quality fruit to produce wines of immense longevity.

If there is one takeaway from this 2022 vintage report, it is that quality is consistent. With no appellation rules and much site diversity, Margaret River’s producers are constantly keen to learn more and create the best possible expression of Chardonnay in its Western Australian home.

The top wines exude harmony while expressing place and brimming with excitement, whether their personality charms or challenges.

Margaret River: 40 of the best from 2021 and 2022

Wines are ordered by colour then score.

Related articles

• First Taste: Leeuwin Estate Art Series new releases
• Cullen Wines: 2024 Ancestral Wine releases
• Western Australia: Predictions for 2024