MARGARET RIVER REGION 2024 VINTAGE CABERNET TASTING

On Friday 9 May, vignerons and winemakers from across the Margaret River region gathered at Vasse Felix once again for the annual Regional Cabernet Tasting, exploring unfinished barrel samples from the 2024 vintage. This collaborative tasting featured 94 samples from 44 Margaret River producers, offering valuable insights into the 2024 vintage across the region.

This year’s guest speakers included Ian MacDonald, Home Vineyard Manager at Vasse Felix and Andrew Bretherton, Head Winemaker at Juniper Estate.

Ian spoke of the 2024 vintage as the earliest, hottest, and driest on record, with 1993 being the most comparable year. Despite the extreme conditions, it was described as a dream season from a vineyard management perspective – with low disease and pest pressure and excellent marri blossom, resulting in minimal netting. However, heatwaves during flowering and fruit set led to lower yields and concerns with acid retention. The vintage demanded close attention to tannin ripeness and harvest timing, but Cabernet proved its resilience, reinforcing its reputation as the star of Margaret River – producing wines of power, elegance, and finesse even in testing conditions. The exceptional wines in the room offered proof.

Andrew reflected on his first vintage at Juniper Estate, describing it as a steep learning curve in a demanding season. In such conditions, a careful and considered approach in the winery was essential. He highlighted the importance of adapting viticultural practices for heat resilience and noted that despite the challenges, the 2024 wines displayed vibrant fruit, freshness, perfume, typicity, and approachability. Andrew encouraged the room to reflect on the season with pride and view it as a valuable opportunity for learning and growth.

Attendees also had the opportunity to taste a fascinating clonal trial presented by Richard Fennessey from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA. The wines – made under identical conditions from the same site – showcased a diverse range of Cabernet Sauvignon clones. The distinct characteristics expressed by each clone offered a remarkable insight into their individual contributions to style and structure.

Thank you to all who contributed to this year’s tasting. It’s a privilege to come together as a region to share insights and celebrate the distinct character of each vintage. We look forward to continuing the conversation at the next one.