‘Concentration and generosity’ define Margaret River Chardonnay

Margaret River has grown to become the benchmark region for Chardonnay in Australia, with “concentration and generosity of fruit” defining its style.

Kangaroos play musical statues among the vines in the Margaret River

Speaking during a tasting at the London Wine Fair of some of the top examples of Chardonnay from the region, including Vasse Felix, Moss Wood and McHenry Hohnen, winemaker Kath Oats, who hosted the masterclass, said:

“Margaret River Chardonnays are getting really popular now for their elegance and freshness, purity, acidity and power. While there are a diverse range of styles made in the region, what unites them is their concentration, generosity of fruit, acidity and a grapefruit character that adds freshness.

“The climate is so generous here that the wines are wonderfully concentrated. Margaret River Chardonnay will always be medium to full-bodied in character.

“It’s hard to make a more restrained mineral style here and if you fight against the fruit character, it takes away from what makes the wines so special.”

1966 was a turning point for the Western Australian region when Dr John Gladstone conducted an in-depth climate and soil study and identified the key areas suited to making high quality wines.

“Temperatures are much cooler at night than during the day, which allows for the perfect conditions for growing cool climate Chardonnay. The region boasts some of the oldest granite soils in the world, which are infertile and weathered and perfect for grape growing,” Oats said.

“The majority of producers use the Gin Gin Chardonnay clone, which crops low and creates bunches with small, intensely flavoured berries that retain their acidity. The common use of the Gin Gin clone has created a distinctive Margaret River style,” she added.

Margaret River accounts for just 3% of Australia’s volume sales but 18% of its value sales for wine, with the majority of wines there falling into the premium category, which consumers seem happy to pay the extra money for.

A trend is emerging in the region for producers to press their Chardonnay straight to barrel to add complexity and depth to the wines, creating a “struck flint” character, according to Oats.