Some friends/colleagues and I took a trip to Margaret river and over the course of three days we were fortunate enough to visit Vasse Felix, Moss Wood, Wills Domain, Pierro, Stella Bella, Leeuwin Estate, Cullen, Cherubino (and Masseria), and Domaine Naturaliste.
If forced to pick I’d say:
Vineyard of the Trip: Leeuwin Estate
White of the trip: 2004 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay
Red of the Trip: 2020 Vasse Felix Tom Cullity
Highlight of the Trip: Guided tasting with Bruce Dukes at Domaine Naturaliste
More detailed notes on vineyards/wines in the comments.
Photos (in order): Tasting in the Art Gallery at Vasse Felix, the cellar at Vasse Felix, some (pinot?) mid pieage at Moss Wood, a barrel room at Moss Wood, smoked tofu with Torbay asparagus, saltbush and brown butter at Wills Domain, a barrel room at Pierro, Stella Bella cellar door view, the art gallery at Leeuwin Estate, the lunchtime view at Leeuwin Estate, the vineyard at Cullen, the view from lunch at Masseria/Cherubino, the cellar door at Domaine Naturaliste.
by KennethParcellsworth
9 Comments
God, do I love Bruce. What a bloke.
SO nice to see an Australian post on this sub 🙂
**Vasse Felix:** We kicked off our Margaret River trip with a tasting in Vasse Felix’s art gallery with estate sommelier Evan. All of the wines were fantastic at their respective price points. Outside of the great wines and gorgeous space, the highlight of this tasting was Evan; he gave the best presentation/tasting/tour I have had at a winery. I would highly recommend going.
Standout wines: 2020 Tom Cullity, 2022 Sauvignon Blanc (QPR), 2023 Heytesbury Chardonnay
**Moss Wood:** We were lucky to get a in-depth tasting and tour at Moss Wood which is generally closed to the public (unless you are a Moss Wood member). It was amazing to seen the winery in action during vintage; we got to taste some chardonnay from the barrel in the Mugford’s personal cellar and sit-in on some pinot noir pieage. Definitely a must see winery (if you can get in).
Standout wines: 2023 Ribbon Vale Elsa, 2023 Chardonnay, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
**Wills Domain:** We enjoyed a gorgeous lunch here, I would highly recommend having a bit here. We also had a 2021 Paladin Hill Chardonnay and a 2015 Cuvée d’elevage Cabernet Sauvignon, which were both lovely wines.
**Pierro:** Pierro’s sales manager gave us a tour through the vineyards and the winery and we got to see them pressing and fermenting a number of different wines. We were lucky enough to have a quick chat with Nic and Mike Peterkin before going through a tasting. Pierro is always well worth a visit, such gorgeous wines, especially the whites.
Standout wines: 2021 Fire Gully Sparkling Chenin Blanc, 2023 LTC, 2023 Chardonnay (a strong contender for white wine of the trip)
**Stella Bella:** A cute little cellar door. For many of us, this one was the unexpected, but pleasant, surprise of the trip due to the QPR value of the wines, particularly the cab sauvs.
Standout Wines: 2018 Stella Bella Cab Sauvignon (QPR)
**Leeuwin Estate:** Wow what a place! We stopped here for a tasting and lunch, both which were phenomenal. We did a tasting with Janette in the downstairs tasting room with a full view of the estate’s art gallery (whose paintings you might recognise from the Art Series labels). Afterwards, we headed upstairs for an incredible six-course prix-fix lunch with a view. Just an all-round amazing experience, an absolute must-visit vineyard and restaurant. At Janette’s recommendation, we had a 2004 Art Series Chardonnay and a 2013 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon with lunch, which were stunning.
Standout Wines: 2022 Brut, 2024 Art Series Riesling, 2021 Art Series Chardonnay, 2021 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Art Series Chardonnay, 2013 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon
**Cullen Wines:** The Cullen estate is beautiful from the vineyards to the gardens to the tasting room and restaurant. Their ecologically focussed approach is also commendable. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed with the wines. Everything I tried was elegant, well-structured, and balanced, but the wines consistently lacked intensity, complexity, and any kind of depth of flavour. Given that these wines are lauded by those with far more knowledge and experience than me I would definitely give them another chance and the other amenities make the vineyard worth a visit.
Standout Wines: none
**Larry Cherubino (and Masseria Restaurant):** The staff were fantastic, the wines were fun and had great QPR, and we got to have a little chat with Larry Cherubino himself. Afterwards we headed next door to their Masseria Restaurant, which does fantastic Italian food and couldn’t be situated in a more gorgeous spot. The stracciatella and Cherubino Margaret River Chardonnay alone makes it work a visit.
Standout Wines: 2021 Ovale Rosé, 2023 Margaret River Chardonnay, 2022 Ovale Cabernet Franc
**Domaine Naturaliste:** This visit was definitely the highlight of the whole trip. Winemaker Bruce Duke led us through an extended tasting of his wines. All of his wines were delicious, approachable yet complex, and just so much fun. His wines perfectly showcase how winemaking is a blend of both art and science. Bruce couldn’t have been a more generous host. He is hands down one of the most knowledge, warm, and kind people I have met in the industry. Domaine Naturaliste will be a must visit for me every time I come back to Margaret River. Just Phenomenal. Also, Bruce write the most elegant, efficient, and spot-on tasting notes.
Standout Wines: 2023 Floris Chardonnay, 2022 Artus Chardonnay, 2023 Rachis Syrah, 2021 Morbus Cabernet Sauvignon
Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve developed a minor obsession for Margaret River and would love to do a wine tour there one day.
Vasse Felix red for the win
Domaine Naturaliste is one of the few “natural wine” producers that i love and respect.
(Yes, many producers are technically “natural” by definition but people who advertise that tend to be a bit shit, Bruce is a stark exception to this).
Ahhh, absolutely love to see this on the sub, I live nearby and MR produce some of the best Aussie Chardonnay’s and Cab Sav. Thank you!
Good to know Bruce dukes still hitting home runs these days. I still have some 12s, 13s and 17s in my cellar somewhere. Back then I was still in sales and we almost became his importers
Yay south west wines! LS Merchants is doing it pretty great as well. A bit of a different model to these other guys as he leaves the growing to the vignerons but sources amazing fruit