Change was in the air at the 2024 Margaret River Wine Show as last year’s Chairman Nick Ryan had moved on after completing his tenure to be replaced by Oakridge Chief Winemaker David Bicknell. And every year judges are swapped in and out which can change the complexion of the final results. Wine shows are never perfect measures of quality but neither are critic scores. The ultimate test for a wine show, though, is whether the wines that have been championed are outstanding examples of region and variety, and this was achieved in 2024. It was especially pleasing to see both classical and niche varieties for the region achieving gold medals and trophies.

While many outsiders would assume that Margaret River starts and finishes at Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, it seems the opposite is true with Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Albarino and Syrah all distinguishing themselves. The flavoursome Deep Woods Estate Single Vineyard Albarino 2024 took out the trophy for Best Alternative White just pipping the more savoury tripe.Iscariot Karridale Chenin Blanc 2023. tripe.Iscariot managed to flip the result with the perfumed Sœur Cabernet Franc 2023 taking out the Best Alternative Red trophy. McHenry Hohnen continued its run of trophies at the show winning the trophy for Best Shiraz/Syrah with their 2023 vintage.

One of the special elements of the Margaret River Wine Show is the focus on Rosé which this year saw fifty show entries, surely a regional show record. The reason for the high number of wines, and in turn winemaker focus, is the prize, a tailored pink jacket from Sydney’s P. Johnson, which is now the hottest property in Margaret River. Judging is also held at the White Elephant at Gnarabup in the afternoon light. Mild temperatures this year were perfect for judging the four finalists, the eventual trophy winner being the slick Fishbone Tempranillo Pinot Noir 2024 which had just enough savoury appeal to pip the competition.

But the real stars of the show were unsurprisingly Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, particularly from the 2022 and 2023 vintages respectively, which shined very bright. 2023 was a temperate season without pressure from the weather allowing winemakers to choose their picking times for Chardonnay which has created beautifully expressive wines with generous levels of flavour and balanced acidity. There were a number of standout wines and it was not easy to pick an eventual winner. The trophy-winning Flametree SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay 2023, which is still available for sale, is superb with both power and finesse – it will age extremely well. Other wines that stood out were Evans & Tate “Ellens Estate” Chardonnay, Nocturne Single Vineyard Chardonnay, Stella Bella, Devil’s Lair, Fermoy Estate Reserve and Driftwood Estate Single Site, with McHenry Hohnen Burnside Vineyard slipping in for a high silver medal.

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon class was equally strong with the trophy-winning wine just pipping the Flametree Chardonnay for Wine of Show honours. Devil’s Lair performed very strongly last year so it was not surprising to see the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon crowned in 2024. Other wines in the hunt were the Stella Bella Luminosa, Deep Woods Hillside, Deep Woods Reserve, Xanadu and the Blackstone Paddock. The 2022 vintage overall is still a little tight, unevolved and no doubt will build beautifully over the coming years.