2022 Discovery Syrah
It’s old school here with a focus on great fruit, whole berries with no crushing before a cool and open ferment which is gently hand plunged according to need. Post pressing, the cuvee enjoys 10 months maturation sur lie with in seasoned 228 L Burgundian oak casks. Occasional battonage in barrel assists in the development of texture and flavour complexity. The soft tannins of Syrah finding sympathy with the low tannin seasoned French oak and poised succulence. Aromatic and medium tannin density, make this engaging.
92 pts Mel Moore-Wine Pilot “Fragrant aromas of blue and black fruits - blueberry, blackberry, black plums - fuse with violet florals and some deeper liquorice notes in this cooler, maritime climate Syrah version of Shiraz. A vanilla bean note from oak adds richness, the wine is supple and ripe, and although 14% alcohol hides it well within a medium-bodied and quite elegant frame. The tannins are plush and ripe too, and with a juicy fruit-filled finish, this excellent value wine is poised for ideal drinking throughout summer – perhaps slightly chilled - and into the cooler months”
92 pts Anette Lacey MW-Wine Pilot “This Syrah has the most luminous depth of purple in the glass, its hypnotic. Exotic spice wafts swirl up to your nose, cardamom, white pepper and black cherry intensity. More an understated, medium bodied style with compact cherry ripe tannins and slurpy acid – all juicy and vibrant, where the hint of leaf keeps things fresh juicy. Classy Syrah.”
2023 Floris Chardonnay
The elder flower and white jasmine elements of Gin Gin chardonnay is attractive characters. This cuvee seeks to highlight these floral characters via the “white elements” liberated by lightly toasted Voges oak barrels. A white plus white juxtaposition. The wine is grown sur lie for 10 months in 30 % new oak, and battonaged every 2 weeks, until September, after which the battonage was monthly. Just Released.
2023 Rebus Cabernet Sauvignon
Somethings going on here. I don’t know what caused it, but I like it. One of the nice things about wine is the story trapped within. Something to do with lean gravel soils and maritime climate … 96 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% splash of aromatic (blue purple spectrum) Cabernet Franc, all matured for a full year in 35 % new French oak barriques, mainly from the Troncais, Jupille and Allier forests. I have found these forest selections to have gentle tannins and are supportive of aromatic lift.
93 pts Ray Jordan “So you want to know how good 2023 was for red wines in Margaret River? Well, check this thoroughly engaging pure vibrant fruit-dominant Cabernet. Bursting with punchy red fruits with overtones of violet and cherry. The palate is medium-bodied with a seamless oak and fruit integration. Just a beautiful wine for drinking in the short term.”
2022 Artus Chardonnay
The palate weight, structure, texture and wonderful succulence of Gin Gin clone, in Karridale are different in personality when compared to the Dijon clones used in Purus. The different composition of the fruit required different wine making techniques to achieve natural balance in the wine. The “pure white hearts” of the Gin Gin chardonnay juice are wild fermented, with unrestricted malolactic fermentation which is required to tame the bristling natural acidity. To balance this intensity, the 40 % new barrels require moderate toast levels, and the wine is battonaged in barrel every couple of weeks. The intention is to capture the provocative personality and drive, over polish. After 10 months sur lie maturation, Artus seems to express flinty and funky elements amongst stone fruits and brioche. An artistic translation.
97 pts Ray Jordan” Adds another dimension to Dukes’ Purus chardonnay. The aim is to capture the rich texture of this variety and express it with a deeply layered complexity, while retaining that keen fresh minerally thread. Savoury butterscotch and crème brulé swirl through an engaging palate defined by a keen acid and a little grapefruit to close. Just a beautiful wine”
95 pts Suckling - Montgomery "Deeply scented and complex aromas of lemon confit, shortbread, gun smoke and ocean spray. The textural, medium-bodied palate has focused acidity, giving notes of lime curd, butterscotch, graphite and cheese rind. Generous with an underlying tension. Drink or hold."
Gold, 95 pts Decanter World Wine Awards, London “ Strident steely citrus and taut mineral notes preside over refined oak. Focused and finessed with a creamy texture and a counterbalancing bristle of tense acidity.”
2020 Morus Cabernet Sauvignon
Morus is pure Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon, featuring our heritage (Roache selection) of Cabernet Sauvignon. The relatively small berries have svelte skin tannis, pronounced mulberry aromas and flavors and a fine acid backbone. To complement the fruit, Morus matures for 16 months in 57 % new 225 L Frenck oak, mainly from the Troncais, Jupille forests with a dash of Bertrange for its ethereal structure.
97 pts, Ray Jordan “A wine that twists and turns with new nuances and riches at every turn, before it comes together and straightens to its long finish. This is the pure essence of Margaret River Cabernet with loads of dense concentrated black fruits coated with subtle blue fruit fragrances. The palate reveals layers of chocolate and blackcurrant with nuanced black olive and graphite showing a little oyster shell minerality. As it breathes, it opens revealing more. A super wine.”
96 + Parker pts, Wine Advocate “The 2020 (Morus) marks the first time that Morus is sealed under Stelvin, and it does have an impact on the wine in the glass. The vision is sharper, the flavours more distinct, the oak more clear to perceive. It tightens up all the edges, and I believe it is better for it. Admittedly, it may need a decant to bring it around to the open-weave approachability of the previous vintages, however, the freshness of the fruit is a thing to behold. The fruit is 100% Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon, 35-year-old Houghton selection clones. From 2016 – 2020 the vineyard remains true to the cuvée. Erin Larkin
