Six wines from Margaret River   

Margaret River Wines Limited
Woodside House, Woodside Park, Catteshall Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1LG
Tel: 01483 791714   Fax: 01483 791702
E-Mail: sales@margaretriverwines.co.uk Website: www.margaretriverwines.co.uk   

This is a small outfit importing some interesting boutique wines from the Margaret River region of Western Australia. They’ve restricted their activity to just three producers, Adinfern, Beckett’s Flat and Churchview Estate. I tried six of them and came away impressed with the quality. They are available to private customers by the case quantity: prices range from about £90 up to £129 per dozen.

Beckett’s Flat Chardonnay 2002 Margaret River, Australia
Fermented in new French oak. Very forward, ripe nose of tropical fruit and figs, with coffee and spice notes. The palate is savoury, spicy and quite structured with concentrated, rich fruit and quite a bit of oak. It’s a big, oaky Aussie Chardonnay, but quite classy with it: if you like the style this is a winner. Very good/excellent 90/100 (07/04)

Beckett’s Flat Shiraz 2003 Margaret River, Australia
Appealing savoury, spicy, almost tarry nose with elegant red fruits. The palate has nice weight, spicy tannins and good acidity. Typically Australian but nicely balanced: an impressive wine, with prominent but well-judged oak. Very good/excellent 91/100 (07/04)

Adinfern Shiraz 2002 Margaret River, Australia
An open, sweet, ripe nose is slightly jammy with subtly vanilla-laced black fruits. The palate is sweet and supple with alluring fruit. Initially a little oaky, it emerges with some more floral, violet-like notes after a while – this is clearly a big style, but the quality is there. Very good/excellent 90/100 09/04

Churchview Estate Premium Range Riesling 2003 Margaret River, Australia
Fresh, perfumed nose of lemon and lime. The palate displays concentrated lemon and lime notes with a lovely fresh intensity. Good balance here with a savoury, almost structured character. Lovely stuff. Very good/excellent 90/100 (07/04)

Churchview Estate Premium Range Marsanne 2003 Margaret River, Australia
Very ripe, slightly sweet rich fruit on the nose: it’s quite tropical, with a herby edge. The palate is bold, rich and quite viscous with dense herb-tinged fruit. Quite alcoholic in a low acid style, but this could be a perceptual effect caused by residual sugar. Very approachable. Very good+ 88/100 (07/04)

Churchview Estate Premium Range Cabernet Merlot 2002 Margaret River, Australia
Ripe open nose of pure blackcurrant fruit with a subtly smoky, spicy edge. The palate shows generous blackcurrant fruit with a savoury, chalky, slightly herbaceous character. Nicely balanced and expressive, this is an astute commercial wine. Very good+ 88/100 (09/04)

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