A Landmark Vintage: 2023 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon

BY ANGUS HUGHSON | JANUARY 15, 2026The serenity of
Margaret River is always striking for first-time visitors, as it must have been
for the early vignerons who explored the region in the 1960s. There’s natural beauty in spades, with more
than a hint of surf culture, but also a nostalgic appeal. Vineyards and farms
are dotted between vast tracts of tall forests, bordered by white sands and
aquamarine waves. The occasional appearance of great white sharks reminds us
that this part of the world remains untamed and a little wild, which is an important
part of its charm. You can find biodiversity at every turn in Margaret River,
as the environment is brimming with life. Vineyards take up only a small part
of the overall region, with national parks, untouched bushland and farmland
breaking up the viticultural patchwork.Natural energy
and fruit brightness are hallmarks of Margaret River’s wines. Whether a function of said
biodiversity, the unspoiled natural environment or its seaside location, there
is a tangible and very special quality about wines from this corner of
Australia. Similarly, the local winemakers carry a unique flair and can-do
attitude that has served them well over recent decades.At the time of my
most recent <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/the-yin-and-the-yang-of-western-australia-may-2024">Margaret River
report</a> in
2024, it was the excellent 2022 Chardonnays and 2020 Cabernet Sauvignons that
stole the show. The weather in subsequent vintages has been out of the
ordinary, with a string of dry summers. The key question is how these
conditions impacted fruit quality and winemaking styles. What do these changes
tell us about the future of wines from this isolated corner of Australia?<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1768495186653-Margaret+River+Landscape_Vinous.jpg">Margaret River's natural landscape is dotted with local grass trees, some of which are up to 2,000 years old. Shifting SandsIn some ways,
Margaret River is perplexing. On the one hand is the region’s well-deserved reputation for
outstanding Chardonnay, renowned for purity and brightness of powerful fruit in
a modern, mid-weight, acid-driven style. Many of the plantings here are the
local Gingin clone, which is typically affected by millerandage and
originates from historic Californian vine stock. Burgundian clones are becoming
increasingly common, notably the Montrachet-sourced P58.On the other hand
are Margaret River’s
stylish Cabernet Sauvignons, historically known as fine, perfumed expressions
of the variety. These wines are highly unique due to the region’s maritime climate on the Australian
mainland. Here, the local and historic Houghton clones reign supreme and
underpin most of the region’s top
red wines.These two marquee
varieties share the spoils, aided by metronomic seasonal patterns (the last
truly challenging vintage was in 2006). But while the climate is generally
quite dependable, the story is, of course, much more complex. For example,
tropical storms originating from northwestern Australia will occasionally
barrel down the coast and drop significant rainfall, as occurred in 2021 more
than once. But whatever the growing season brings, this remains one of
Australia’s most
aspirational wine regions, with its eyes firmly (and reasonably) set upon the
global stage.While the
vintages of recent decades have been relatively placid for vignerons, there are certainly signs of
change. Margaret River has occasionally been home to leafier expressions of
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnays with dominant acidity. Over time, local
winemakers have embraced these styles and honed their skills to create highly
individual wines, although what were typical seasons are now becoming much less
common.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1768495285597-Budburst_Vinous.jpg">Budburst at the historic Brookland Valley vineyard, which overlooks Wilyabrup Brook. Statistics from
recent years show a remarkable stretch of dry conditions from 2023 to 2025, in
particular 2024 and 2025, where below-average rainfall was matched with
above-average mid-summer temperatures. Lower-than-average rainfall has
increasingly become the norm, as has the absence of frosty seasons—some winters
have not been cold enough for Chardonnay to go into full dormancy. That said,
we are not talking about desert-like conditions, as Margaret River has
historically been a temperate region. For example, the mean mid-summer
temperature in 2024 and 2025 was 21.9 °C, similar to Bordeaux. So, the question is whether
these drier and warmer conditions are a challenge, an opportunity or both?The first answers
can be found in 2023, which is a hallmark vintage across the board. The year
started well, with a genuinely cold winter that saw the best dormancy period in
years. This was particularly useful for Chardonnay, which requires lower temperatures
to fully rest between vintages. Spring rainfall was lower than average but
adequate, although the cold weather delayed budburst and flowering by up to
three weeks. However, the rain was more than adequate, and spring brought a
fairly uneventful flowering, with only scattered light showers in November.
This resulted in yields a little above average, as well as good canopy
development. The summer was temperate and, most importantly, very dry. Only 2
millimetres of rain fell, so there was minimal disease pressure. Crucially,
there were no extreme heat spikes, allowing the fruit to march towards harvest
in pristine conditions. Old vines were particularly advantageous in 2023, as
their deep root systems ensured a lack of dry stress.For Jacopo Dalli
Cani, Chief Winemaker at McHenry Hohnen, there was another powerful factor at
play: “​​Excellent diurnal temperature variations were a constant feature across
January, February and March. I believe that was one of the key factors for
highly aromatic, powerful Chardonnays that retained great natural acidity and
site-specific flavours.” White wines were picked at will under dry conditions
in February and into March. For the red wines, a few isolated showers fell in
March, which energised the vines toward the end of the growing season.Consistent with
long-term patterns, heavier rain returned in the second week of April, followed
by a couple of weeks of warm weather and patchy showers. For most
quality-conscious growers, this rainfall was not a problem. Some, such as
Cullen Wines, had chosen to pick their fruit early. For others, the fruit had
already developed thick, tannin-rich skins to protect themselves from
precipitation. The rain did negatively affect some cooler sites and
high-yielding Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. According to well-known local
winemaker Larry Cherubino of Cherubino Wines, “Sites that ripened early came in
extraordinarily well. Those that had to push into late April or early May just
didn’t make
it.” For Bruce Dukes, local consultant and Chief Winemaker at Domaine
Naturaliste, riding out the rainfall was risky but yielded great outcomes: “It was
certainly a fortune-favours-the-brave scenario,” Dukes told me. “By
waiting and risking the crop, we achieved some of the most amazing Cabernet I
have worked with in the last 35 years.”For the red wines
from Margaret River, including Shiraz, Merlot and local stalwart Cabernet
Sauvignon, 2023 is a vintage of rare synergy. The moderate conditions helped to
retain pristine, effortless aromatics with fabulous purity, while the lack of
rainfall provided fruit density, tannic structure, and the characteristic local
energy and fruit vibrancy. That little touch of rain at the end of the season
may have been a blessing rather than a curse, imbuing the wines with a lovely,
even flow and a sense of balance. After all, bigger is not always better. For
producers not tripped up by the final weeks of the growing season, 2023 is a
year of the highest quality, a once-in-a-decade vintage that is sure to thrive
in the cellar. Both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are beautiful, but the
reds just shade the whites.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1768495582841-Corymbia_Vinous.jpg">The Corymbia vineyard, bordered by natural bushland and the Calgardup Brook. In some ways,
2024 was similar to 2023. A cool, wet winter helped to replenish groundwater
supplies. Rain remained plentiful until early October, when the growing season
hit the ground running with above-average temperatures. The bone-dry weather
continued for all the way through harvest, leading to smaller bunches and
below-average yields. Temperatures remained above average through the spring
and summer, with numerous heat spikes, the worst of which were in February. The
warm spring brought an earlier-than-normal budburst, which thankfully saw
picking begin in mid-January. Much of the white harvest was done prior to the
February heat spell, and red grapes were picked soon thereafter. In the end,
2024 was the warmest and driest vintage in Margaret River’s history, and a tough one for
winemakers in terms of choosing when to pick. Processing fruit and fermenting
juice also presented timing challenges in a highly compacted vintage, with the
usual ten-week harvest compressed into five weeks. However, there was one
significant silver lining, and that was the abundance of the Marri blossom,
which only occurs around every four years. For dry vintages in particular, the
native silvereye birds can be a menace, causing significant damage to fruit.
Thanks to the Marri blossom, which kept the attention of silvereye away from
the rapidly ripening fruit, this was not an issue in 2024.As most of the
2024 red wines are yet to be released, it is difficult to fully assess how
quality will play out but suffice it to say that the 2024s will be very
different from the 2023s. Barrel tastings showed many wines with excellent
power and colour, but they are a little muscular and lack the finesse of 2023.
Perhaps the 2024s will settle down with some more time in barrel and bottle.Given the season,
it would be easy to deem 2024 a write-off for Chardonnay, but nothing could be
further from the truth. Despite challenging conditions, the vines showed
excellent resilience, and winemakers who embraced the full-flavoured vintage
rather than trying to tame it were highly successful. The advantages of the
Gingin clone and its adaptability to warmer conditions are again on display,
with many of the top wines significantly or wholly reliant on this unique
genetic material. The wines are certainly more broad-shouldered than the
modern, streamlined Margaret River style, but they are no less delicious.
Perhaps this is a snapshot of Margaret River’s
future.































I tasted the vast
majority of these wines in Margaret River during my visit in September 2025,
with follow-up tastings in Sydney.© 2026, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr>You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/australian-syrah-the-quest-for-refinement-jan-2026">Australian Syrah: The Quest for Refinement</a>, Angus Hughson, January 2026<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/barossa-and-clare-valley-the-champion-and-the-contender-aug-2025">Barossa and Clare Valley: The Champion and the Contender</a>, Angus Hughson, August 2025<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/the-second-coming-of-australian-chardonnay-jun-2025">The Second Coming of Australian Chardonnay</a>, Angus Hughson, June 2025<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/mclaren-vale-pushing-the-refinement-envelope-apr-2025">McLaren Vale: Pushing the Envelope of Refinement</a>, Angus Hughson, April 2025<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/the-yin-and-the-yang-of-western-australia-may-2024">The Yin and the Yang of Western Australia</a>, Angus Hughson, May 2024

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