Vintage report: Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 & Chardonnay 2022
A spotlight on the region's two signature varieties across a brace of vintages...
A spotlight on the region's two signature varieties across a brace of vintages...
Small yields but superb quality...
Inconsistent quality, with ripeness to the fore. Best reds have concentrated flavours, deep colours and supple tannins, with Shiraz and Grenache standing out. Cabernets may lack elegance.
Outstanding vintage, though quality falls short in Western Australia. Fully ripe wines with good tannic structure and well-developed flavours.
Fruit-forward wines with excellent structure
Classic Australian reds showing clear varietal character offer good value for money this year given the country’s current wine glut
Powerful and stylish Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wines
Elegant wines with a good balance of natural acidity and fruit
A very good year for premium reds, particularly Barossa Shiraz, which shows rich concentration and ripeness
A curate's egg: less than laudable, tiny vintage, but some stellar stuff[
A difficult vintage throughout all regions, producing wines of variable quality
A great vintage and the best for Hunter Valley wines since 1991; yields were low, following drought
Erratic conditions reduced yields and dramatically compromised quality
Erratic conditions reduced yields and dramatically compromised quality
A poor year in the Barossa but very good in New South Wales and Western Australia
An excellent vintage in the Margaret River; South Australia also produced some classic wines
Good Cabernets were produced in Western Australia. Elsewhere the vintage was mixed, with rather light wines
A mixed year but some good wines from Western Australia and Victoria
An excellent vintage in all regions produced textbook wines
An exceptionally good year in South Australia; the harvest in New South Wales was spoiled by rain