Australia

Margaret River

Australia wine regions

About Margaret River

Margaret River is a slim peninsula in the far south-west of Western Australia, with the Indian Ocean on three sides. Its climate is so close to Bordeaux that John Gladstones literally mapped them side by side in 1965 and concluded the same grapes would work. They did. The first vines went in at Vasse Felix in 1967; within a decade Moss Wood, Cullen and Leeuwin Estate were following. Today Margaret River is Australia's other Cabernet capital alongside Coonawarra and the country's premier site for Chardonnay, often blended with Sauvignon Blanc into the regional house style (the SBS). Six unofficial sub-districts run north to south from warm Yallingup down to cool Karridale, with the heartland at Wilyabrup.

Australia wine regions

Vintages

40 · 2005–2024

Rating:

95+

90-94

85-89

80-84

<80

PeakReadyHold

Year	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
Red
White

Outstanding Margaret River Vintages

The best recent vintages rated excellent or exceptional.

Red

2024

Ready

95Exceptional

Mild, dry summer with no major heat spikes. Early reports point to particularly strong Cabernet and balanced Chardonnay with good natural acidity.

2023

Ready

94Excellent

Cool, late season after a wet spring. Chardonnay is fragrant and tightly structured, Cabernet is medium-bodied with fine tannin.

2022

Ready

96Exceptional

Outstanding all-round vintage. Even ripening produced concentrated, age-worthy Cabernet and finely detailed Chardonnay.

2021

Ready

97Exceptional

Widely seen as a great vintage. Cabernet shows classic cassis, cedar and bay with firm fine-grained tannin, built for the long haul.

2020

Ready

94Excellent

Smaller crop after windy spring flowering. Wines are concentrated and elegant, with very good Chardonnay across the board.

2019

Ready

95Exceptional

Warm and dry but moderated by sea breezes. Cabernet is ripe and generous, Chardonnay holds bright citrus drive thanks to cool nights.

2018

Ready

98Exceptional

Widely hailed as a great Cabernet vintage. Long even ripening, low disease pressure and ideal tannin maturity produced wines built for two decades or more.

2016

Ready

94Excellent

Warm, generous season. Cabernet is ripe and plush, more approachable than 2018.

2015

Ready

95Exceptional

Excellent vintage with concentrated Cabernet and pure, focused Chardonnay. Top wines are drinking beautifully now.

2014

Ready

95Exceptional

Cool to mild season with classic balance. Cabernet is structured and fragrant, Chardonnay is elegant with bright acidity.

White

2024

Ready

95Exceptional

Mild, dry summer with no major heat spikes. Early reports point to particularly strong Cabernet and balanced Chardonnay with good natural acidity.

2023

Ready

94Excellent

Cool, late season after a wet spring. Chardonnay is fragrant and tightly structured, Cabernet is medium-bodied with fine tannin.

2022

Ready

96Exceptional

Outstanding all-round vintage. Even ripening produced concentrated, age-worthy Cabernet and finely detailed Chardonnay.

2021

Ready

97Exceptional

Widely seen as a great vintage. Cabernet shows classic cassis, cedar and bay with firm fine-grained tannin, built for the long haul.

2020

Ready

94Excellent

Smaller crop after windy spring flowering. Wines are concentrated and elegant, with very good Chardonnay across the board.

2019

Ready

95Exceptional

Warm and dry but moderated by sea breezes. Cabernet is ripe and generous, Chardonnay holds bright citrus drive thanks to cool nights.

2018

Ready

98Exceptional

Widely hailed as a great Cabernet vintage. Long even ripening, low disease pressure and ideal tannin maturity produced wines built for two decades or more.

2016

Ready

94Excellent

Warm, generous season. Cabernet is ripe and plush, more approachable than 2018.

2015

Ready

95Exceptional

Excellent vintage with concentrated Cabernet and pure, focused Chardonnay. Top wines are drinking beautifully now.

2014

Ready

95Exceptional

Cool to mild season with classic balance. Cabernet is structured and fragrant, Chardonnay is elegant with bright acidity.

Sub-districts

Climate

MaritimeMediterraneanEven temperatureOcean influence

With the Indian Ocean wrapped around three sides, this is the most reliably even climate in Australian wine: no frost to speak of, no real heat spikes, and vintage variation so low it borders on boring. Rain falls generously in winter and almost vanishes in summer, when steady afternoon sea breezes keep the ripening slow and clean.

Terroir

GravelLateriteGraniteFree-draining

The Leeuwin-Naturaliste ridge is ancient ground, granite and gneiss weathered over millions of years into the lateritic gravel that defines the region's best vineyards. These gravelly loams are deep, poor and free-draining, warming quickly and making the vines work, which suits Cabernet in the heartland especially well.

Typical Aromas

BlackcurrantCedarTobacco leafBayStone fruitCitrus

Explore the aroma wheel