Margaret River Terroir

“Margaret River is the closest thing to paradise of any wine region I have visited in my extensive search for knowledge.” - Jancis Robinson, MW

Average annual rainfall	1160 mm
Temperature Range	7.6°C (46°F)
Soils	Derived from ancient lateritic gravely loamy sands.
Climate	Maritime (low frost risks and optimal humidity conditions)
Vintage	February to May

Margaret River is located on an ancient granite peninsula 360 kilometres south of Perth. The region extends 90 kilometres north to south between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin along a 27 kilometre wide coastal ridge.

Bordered to the west and south by the Indian and Southern oceans, the area’s rugged coastline is a transient twist of limestone cliffs, crystal clear bays and pristine white sands. Inland, karri, marri and jarrah forests rise high into the Australian sky, sheltering native flora and fauna in the darkness of the forest floor, whilst further below a labyrinth of meandering limestone caves hold the secrets of an ancient past.

It may be the maritime climate, it may be the soil, it may even be the clones of the varieties chosen, but whatever it is, the wine loving doctors who founded the Margaret River wine region in the late 1960’s on the advice of America's Professor Harold Olmo and Western Australia's own Dr John Gladstones, found themselves in a viticultural paradise. There are now over 5,000 hectares of vines scattered over this isolated outpost in the south of Western Australia, with its rugged grandeur, massive trees and untamed coast.

CLIMATE

Overall the climate is similar to that of Bordeaux in a dry vintage: hence the widely regarded high quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The region is strongly influenced by its proximity to the coast, more so than any other major Australian wine region. Margaret River has the lowest mean annual range of only 7.6 degrees Celsius and the most marked Mediterranean climate. Only 200 mm of the annual 1160mm of rain falls between October and April.

The low variation in temperature means an unusually even accumulation of warmth and the possibility of spring frosts is extremely rare. The avoidance of extremes in temperature, a dry, warm growing season and near perfect humidity levels give even ripening conditions and assist to produce grapes of consistently high quality with intense flavour.

THE SOIL

The region has a range of soil types from well drained gravelly loams to more sandy loams that are highly flavoured for the production of ultra-premium and super premium grapes and wine. The soils allow grape vine roots to penetrate and survive characteristically dry summers. Most of the region’s vineyards are located on sloping sites which are highly permeable, and shed moisture quickly. This produces low yielding vines and grapes with a high concentration of flavours. The region’s wines are subsequently known for their depth of colour, intensity and robust full flavours combined with the Margaret River varietal character.

BEST GROWN VARIETIES

Margaret River is one of the world's magical areas for chardonnay, producing powerfully intense wines of great length and elegance. They take longer than their Australian peers to evolve, but when they do, they are universally agreed to be Australia's finest. The region is perhaps even better known for its cabernet sauvignon and cabernet blends.

They are arguably the nation's best and are renowned for their incredible depth of fruit flavour, layers of complexity, extraordinary length and performance in cellaring. Shiraz, a relatively rare variety in Margaret River, does particularly well in the more northern half of the region producing rich, powerful wines.

VINTAGE

Vintage occurs between February and May, depending on the weather and the resultant ripening. The region uses a combination of hand picking and machine harvesting to ensure the fruit is removed in a timely manner at optimum ripeness.