Margaret River, Australia’s most westerly wine region, is a little corner of paradise. Strange to think that its beginnings as a commercial wine region only date back to the late 1960s, when Dr Tom Cullity, founder of Vasse Felix, planted vines in the region.
Today, it enjoys a well-earned reputation as one of the great fine wine regions of the world, particularly for its plush and silky cabernets and full, generous chardonnays. The finest wines can stand shoulder to shoulder with the great wines of Europe, albeit still at a fraction of the price. Savvy and knowledgeable wine buyers around the world are making the most of the spoils of this remote part of Australia; however, many consumers are yet to discover it. This makes it a very good time to buy!
Order by midday on Wednesday 10th December
As Australia buyer for The Wine Society, I get to spend much more time visiting producers in the field (or rather, vineyard) than just about any other wine buyer in the UK. As a result, I am privileged to have been able to get under the skin of 'what’s hot' in Margaret River, including discovering wineries which have a phenomenal local reputation but who had otherwise never exported their wines.
This Margaret River First Release features seven wines which I feel represent the apex of fine wine quality and value in this special region. From the world-renowned Vasse Felix, to the artisanal South by South West (who've also just been awarded a '5-star Halliday Winery' rating) or LS Merchants, these are the seven wines that stand out for me as must-buys, from the 2023 and 2024 vintages.
The producers
Winemakers like Virginia Willcock (Vasse Felix) and Larry Cherubino (Cherubino Wines) are world renowned and have spent years building their now-outstanding reputations. Vasse Felix were also named the number one winery in the Halliday Wine Companion 'Top 100 Wineries 2025', underlining their position at the top of Australian fine wine.
Yet this is also a region with more than its fair share of smaller producers making phenomenal-value fine wines. Many have dedicated followings within Australia, with fans clamouring for each new release, and 'Super Margs' from South by South West is a prime example of a genuine cult hero. They are one of my favourite discoveries of my wine-buying career. This tiny winery is owned and operated by Livia Maiorana and Mijan Patterson, Super Margs is inspired by Livia’s Italian heritage and the great Supertuscan reds. It’s a brilliant blend of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon, capturing the structural elegance and red fruit of the former and pairing it with the plush dark fruit and silkiness of the latter. We are the only company with access to this highly allocated wine outside Australia and have gradually increased our small allocation over the last couple of years.
LS Merchants also feature in the same Halliday Top 100 list – a remarkable and thoroughly deserved achievement for such a small producer. Dylan Arvidson, a Kiwi by birth, worked vintages in Bordeaux, Tuscany, New Zealand and Australia before settling in Margaret River and founding LS Merchants. He makes an array of styles for the local market and enjoys a stellar following thanks to his ‘mad scientist’ creativity and the reliable quality of his core wines. Cabernet sauvignon is a particular strength and both his entry-level wine and the single-vineyard Jolliffe offer remarkable aromatics and a strong sense of place, each with different levels of complexity and intensity. The lift and elegance of the former, and the depth, silkiness and heightened aromatics of the latter, set them apart.
Larry Cherubino may be better known to Society members as the chief winemaker at Robert Oatley Vineyards. His chardonnays are textural and luxurious, balancing breadth of flavour with freshness of acidity. His southern Italian heritage shines through in his passionate, unwavering pursuit of deliciousness. Cherubino produces some of the most classically ‘Margaret River' chardonnays in the region and they are a pleasure to drink.
Vasse Felix is the founding winery of Margaret River and enjoys an outstanding reputation. Alongside placing first in the Halliday 'Top 100 Wineries 2025', Virginia Willcock was named Winemaker of the Year and viticulturalist Bart Malony won Viticulturalist of the Year in the same competition. Their Estate Margaret River Cabernet is a benchmark wine and is particularly impressive in a vintage like 2023. This year we also introduce the first release of their estate chardonnay, a luxurious delight.
The vintages
At a glance: 2023 produced wines with concentrated fruit, vibrant acidity and real elegance. 2024’s wines are fuller, rounder and more powerful, but still offer ample freshness and structure.
2023 began with a cool start and a slightly delayed spring, but summer settled into warm, dry days and cool nights, ensuring long, even ripening and excellent fruit freshness. The reds have a concentrated core of intense fruit with plenty of freshness and tannic grip to hold everything together. The combination of ripe tannins and vibrant, elegant acidity makes this a genuinely outstanding vintage.
2024 was the warmest and driest vintage on record for Margaret River, and harvest came particularly early as a result. Disease pressure remained very low throughout. Early budburst followed by excellent flowering and fruit set led into spectacular growing conditions. Winemakers had to be on their toes as harvest began around four weeks earlier than usual, testing the readiness and organisation of the wineries. Thankfully, the wines we are offering were picked in the ideal window, so they show generosity, bold fruit and a slightly fuller profile thanks to the warm season, yet still retain ample freshness and vibrant acidity from being harvested at precisely the right moment.
