Margaret River is known for its sublime Cabernet blends, and Brookland Valley’s Cabernet Merlot is a benchmark example. It is richly aromatic with sweet dark fruits and plum pudding. Oak is liberal on the palate, and the finish is long and complex.
Brookland Valley Winery was established in 1984, nestled in the very heart of Margaret River. Minimal intervention makes for wines that are quintessential expressions of this very special Australian terroir.
Estate-grown, hand-picked, open-fermented, matured in French oak for 13 months. A wine of elegance and finesse, reflecting the ‘do nothing' philosophy in its crafting. It's only medium-bodied, but the perfume of the bouquet tells you something's up and it's the purity of its cassis fruit that has the syren call allure on the finish of the long, lingering palate.
97 points, Wine Companion (September 2018)
Red and black fruits, perfume of mint, and gauze bandages (not in a bretty way, as such), mocha too. Medium bodied, good amount of tannin, has grip and texture, tobacco and a dry finish of solid length. Satisfying.
93 points, The Wine Front (January 2019)
Margaret River
Located three hours south of Perth, Margaret River is Western Australia’s most prestigious wine-growing region. Serious vineyard development began only in the late 1960’s following the publication of a report by John Gladstones in 1965 stating that the area had a similar climate to Pomerol or St Emilion, with low frost risk, plenty of sunshine and equable temperatures within the growing season promoting even ripening. Margaret River’s climate is warm and maritime, with some cooling influence provided by southeast trade winds. The soils derive from granitic and a gneissic rock over which laterite has formed. The region can be divided in three sub-regions: the cooler south between Yallingup and Karridale with predominantly lateritic gravelly loamy sands and sandy loams; the warm and sunnier Willyabrup in the centre with predominantly gravelly loams, but some gritty sandy loams and granitic gravels; and Margaret River in the north with similar soils, but slightly cooler temperatures. This is entirely consistent with style; the wines from Willyabrup being more generous than the highly structured wines of the north and the elegant styles of the south. Margaret River is best known for high quality Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blends and top notch Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. Over the years, the region has established an astonishing reputation illustrating a consistency in quality and a strongly focused winemaking culture.
