Wendler goes West

Margaret River wines ... Big names and garagiste operators ... Doctors and their vines ... "Bigness" beckons ... Wine writer Gabriel Wendler's month in the bush 

During the Christmas vacation my wife and I explored Margaret River in southwest Western Australia, one of Australia's most geographically isolated viticultural regions.

In 1984 Len Evans accurately predicted the ... 

"... quality of wines coming from this corner of the continent is such that it cannot be much longer before Margaret River wines are as renowned as they deserve to be." 

In that year there were 24 recognised wineries in Margaret River. Today there are well over 100, many of them small to medium artisan winemakers producing single vineyard wines sold only through the cellar door or mail order - in a loose sense de facto garagiste practitioners. 

Small scale viticulture in the Margaret River-Busselton region commenced in about 1830. However, it was not until 1966, that Dr John Gladstones, a University of WA agronomist, reported that the Margaret River area demonstrated excellent potential for commercial viticulture. 

This spurred the establishment of foundational vineyards; Vasse Felix (1967), Moss Wood (1969), Cape Mentelle (1970), Cullen (1971), Sandalford (1972) and Leeuwin (1974).  

Moss Wood like Vasse Felix, Cullen and later Pierro (1980) were all established by medicos. Dr Tom Cullity of Vasse Felix remembered that when he planted his vineyard in 1967,  "Margaret River was a dead town, dirt poor economically". 

The locals were sceptical about "some rich, Mick doctor from Perth who was going to turn the world upside down" - which is what eventually happened - a "fairy tale rise to national wine prominence", as James Halliday described it.

Today, numerous varieties of grapes are grown in the region - Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Semillon appear to be predominant.

I focussed on an investigation of small single vineyard artisan makers. Margaret River accounts for only three percent of wine production in Australia, but 20 percent of premium wine sales. 

In my experience the quality of wine produced in Margaret River, by both large and small producers, is uniformly excellent.

I have fond taste memories of Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon in particular, the 1988 vintage.  

Josh Jones, the convivial and knowledgeable wine and business manager at Moss Wood, treated me to en barrique tastings of the recent vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, which confirmed why the Moss Wood label has a quasi-cult following among wine enthusiasts.

Quite apart from the wine, there's also the beauty of the region, the stunning quality of its produce at regular farmers' markets, olive oil, truffles, seafood, charcuterie, and the famous Millers Dairy ice cream at Cowaramup. 

Summer at Gnarabup Beach 

We rented a bush cottage for a month adjacent to Gnarabup Beach – a short drive from the village of Margaret River.

The Indian Ocean beaches in the southwest are superb - in particular,  at Gnarabup, Hamelin and Bunker Bays. Dazzling emerald-green water, soft, deep, shroud-white sand. 

The "big" news in Margaret River was that the Endeavour Group (BWS and Dan Murphy's) is to purchase Cape Mentelle from the French luxury goods giant LVMH. 

Cape Mentelle was a dual Jimmy Watson winner for its 1983/4 Cabernet Sauvignon. 

One cannot help feeling a sense of "Bigness" in WA - the big State, four times the size of France, big scenic ocean views, ancient, big, tall trees, all worth the big effort to get to the southwest to enjoy her cornucopia. 

Gabriel Wendler is a Sydney barrister and Justinian's wine correspondent