12 Woodlands Wine including a 5 Cabernet Sauvignon vertical with the marvellously reviewed 2020, 2019, 2018 2017 & 2016s:
The Eleanor 2020
Ray Jordan’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Wine andWine of the Year
&
The Huon Hooke Real Review #1 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon from 2020 …and the single highest pointed wine of the 83 in that category.
Plus 4 Museum Releases:
Chloe Anne Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
95 Points James Suckling
96 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Ruby Jane 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Xavier 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
98 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion
&
Clementine Eloise Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Ray Jordan’s Wine of the Year.
99 Points, Ray Jordan Wine Of The Year
95 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Hosted By the Watson Family
Lunch: 12-3pm, 12 Wines & 4 Courses $185
Masterclass: 4-6pm, 12 Wines with Nibbles $95
Dinner: 6:30pm, 12 Wines & 4 Courses $185
Sunday August 18th
The Wine List & Menu
1st Course
Wilyabrup Chardonnay 2023, Our Price $34
Flutters around ripe stone fruit, pineapple, nougat and baking spices, with cedary oak adding a touch of sweetness across the fuller-bodied palate. There’s a juiciness here, a certain tang to the acidity, much needed to keep the riper flavours in check.
91 Points Jane Faulkner, The Wine Companion
Smoked ham and parsley terrine, petit greens, seed mustard
2nd Course
Woodlands Brook Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $51
Complex and lifted aromas of struck match, grapefruit pith, melon skin, just-ripe nectarine and grilled nuts. There's lovely complexity here. Generously flavoured, mouth-filling and multi-faceted. There's a drive of citrus and stone fruit along with crunchy acidity and some textured grip. The oak wraps itself around the fruit superbly and delivers a wine of power, sophistication and real drinkability.
95 Points Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
Woodlands Brook Chardonnay 2021, Our Price $51
Lifted aromas of grapefruit pith, struck match, nectarine, melon skin and grilled nuts. Textured, layered and mouth-filing, with lashings of white peach, mandarin, grapefruit pith and taut acidity. Long, complex and multi-faceted.
95 Points Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
Potato rosti, mussel and dill vinaigrette
3rd Course
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2021 Our Price $34
All the regional aromas and flavours at play, from violets, wakame, cassis and chocolate to mulberries, with a distinct ironstone character too. The fuller-bodied palate comes strewn with tannins, the texture of cocoa powder, and somewhat drying on the finish. Just needs a bit more time in bottle.
93 Points Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
Clementine Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot 2020 Our Price $51
The blend of 66/20/8/6% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/malbec/petit verdot. This is well modulated, each variety in sync to make this complete and harmonious. The upfront fruit flavours, mainly cassis and mulberries, are tempered by lots of savoury inputs – the nutty, cedary oak, the waft of menthol, baking spices and an earthy fragrance, even a freshly whittled pencil, remember that? Medium bodied with densely packed tannins and textural if not a little raspy. Very good.
95 Points Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
Margaret Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec 2020 Our Price $66
78/13/9% cabernet sauvignon/malbec/merlot. A lovely Margaret with its heady aromas of violets, cedary oak, mulberries, nori and Dutch licorice. It feels cool across the fuller-weighted palate, lots of tannins yet shapely and fine bolstered by oak tannins, too. A pop of fruit sweetness comes up and the acidity pulls it all together through to a long finish. A complete wine now but will last some distance.
96 Points Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
Margaret Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec 2019 Our Price $66
Good colour with a purple tint; gamy, tomato-bush and stalky aromas, showing some mellow developed complexity and some vegetal undertones. The wine is chewy and dense in the mouth with a hint of roasted meats. The tannins are rather chewy on the finish and aftertaste but it comes into its own with protein, even a piece of cheese makes a big difference.
95 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Seared quail, melted beetroot, tadziki
4th Course
Eleonor Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Our Price $200
Super concentrated and powerful core of fruit is held tightly by fine firm tannins, tight grained oak and a vibrant natural acidity. Blackcurrant, graphite and oyster shell with some nice bay leaf lift on the nose especially.
99 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com.au
98 Points Erin Larkin - James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion (January 2022)
Ruby Jane Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Our Price $198
Deep ruby red colour. Blackberry, coffee, and vanilla aromas. Rich, dense and weighty on the palate with powerful black fruit, cedar shavings and a deep meaty undertone. The tannins are in abundance but so finely grained they sit in the background but the power of them is beyond doubt considering the amazing length here. Patience is your only challenge here
96 Points Stuart Knox, The Real Review
Xavier Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Our Price $220
98 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion
98 points, Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2022
98 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Here, today, it is tightly coiled, spicy, and concentrated. The savoury, biscuity oak we often associate with good quality Bordeaux is here in spades, and it encases the kaleidoscopic flavours that lie possible beyond. However, in 10 years, this wine transforms into a powerful and expansive wine of depth, grace, and evocation. From one of Margaret River's greatest all-time vintages, this is a wine for the ages
98 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion
Chloe Anne Sauvignon 2017, Our Price $200
This is a powerful cabernet with rich aromas of dark berries, as well as assertive, cedary oak and subtler, leafy tones. Some chocolate, too. The palate has well-curated, fine tannins and delivers red and dark-berry flavours in a long, unwavering style.
95 Points James Suckling
Clementine Eloise Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Our Price $253
The latest cabernet is a sensational wine. One of the most beautifully elegant of these super-premium top-drawer Woodlands cabernets. This was a vintage known for its hefty tannins, yet the management in the vineyard and winery has harnessed these to be part of an elegant wine of blissful refinement. Perfumed notes of black fruit and violets. The palate is so beautifully woven with effortless power and palate length. The chalky mouthfeel adds further appeal.
99 Points Ray Jordan
Angus a la minute, roasted tomatoes, salsa verde, leafy greens
Woodlands in Context
Founders David Watson and wife Heather had spectacular success with the cabernets he made in ’79 and the early ’80s. Commuting from Perth while raising a family became too much and for some years the grapes from Woodlands were sold to other Margaret River producers. With the advent of sons Stuart and Andrew in ’02–05 (Stuart primarily responsible for winemaking), the estate bounced back to preeminence, expanding with the purchase of the 17ha Woodlands Brook Vineyard in ’07. The top-end wines primarily come from the original Woodlands Vineyard, where the now-certified organic vines are 50+ years old.
James Halliday, Wine Companion
Established in 1973 by David and Heather Watson, Woodlands is one of Margaret River's first five wineries. Woodlands produces wine from its two vineyards, both located in the Wilyabrup Valley of Margaret River. The original Woodlands Vineyard is located on Caves Road, while the Woodlands Brook Vineyard is located two kilometres to the northeast. Woodlands' Vineyards are dry grown and maintained by hand using organic and traditional methods. Wines produced include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Merlot blends, and Chardonnay. All Woodlands wines are made on site by the Watson family.
The Real Review
“The Watsons maintain a focus on traditional
winemaking with minimal intervention.”
For nearly two decades, its Cabs were considered among Australia’s best. The winery’s 1981 Andrew Cabernet Sauvignon, named after their son, was the first Margaret River wine to receive a national red wine trophy, winning best red wine categories at competitions such as the National Wine Show of Australia, the Perth Wine Show and the Mt. Barker Wine Show.
From 1992 to 1999, the Watsons took a break from winemaking to send their two sons to school in Perth, selling their fruit to local premium wineries. When Andrew and his brother, Stuart, came of age, they, too, chose to live in Margaret River.
Woodlands was reborn, and the brothers didn’t miss a beat. With Andrew in his current role and Stuart as chief winemaker, the Watsons maintain a focus on traditional winemaking with minimal intervention. The family vineyards are dry-farmed, and they’re on track to be certified organic in 2018. A second vineyard, Woodlands Brook, purchased in 2007, will also likely receive the designation.
Cabernet Sauvignon shows up in several Woodlands blends, like the Margaret bottling. The winery’s top Cab follows the tradition of being named after a family member each year. Andrew describes its style in two words: “elegance and intensity.” It encompasses everything that’s great about top-notch Margaret River Cab.
Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast
David & Heather Watson
THE SECOND GENERATION | 2002
Stuart Watson took the reins as Winemaker in 2002 and Andrew Watson joined Woodlands full time in 2005. Stuart and Andrew carry on the family love for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends. (Woodlands)
Woodlands Today
Woodlands now has an annual production of 12000 cases, specialising in red wine, and remains owned and operated by the Watson family.
In 2010 David and Heather were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Margaret River Wine Industry Association.
In 2016 David & Heather were the joint recipients of the prestigious Jack Mann Memorial Medal. The medal is awarded annually to those who have made a significant contribution to the WA Wine Industry. Woodlands’ premier wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon, is still made from the same planting originally made by David and Heather in 1973. Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon continues to garner awards and critical acclaim, including being listed in the Langton’s Classification of Fine Wines.