Vasse Felix 1997 Semillon
A very richly structured wine with great depth of flavour enhanced by 100% barrel fermentation in mainly new French oak. Obvious barrel characters from toasty high quality oak are married with tangy citrus fruit on both the bouquet and palate. The mouth-feel is soft yet highly refreshing. The wine has great length and intensity and finishes with pleasant acidity. Drinking well now, but like most regional Semillons will improve in a few years.

Lenton Brae 1996 Chardonnay
This luscious Chardonnay is one of Margaret River's quiet achievers, having won a number of awards. The bouquet is complex and concentrated with stylish melon and citrus fruit characters. The palate is well balanced and constructed with the same fruit flavours and a hint of oak. Like previous vintages, it has lovely mouth-feel and a long, soft finish.

Redgate 1997 Semillon
Light medium yellow in colour, with a tangy tropical fruit bouquet. The palate is clean, with good intensity and balance, abundant mouth-feel and not overly herbaceous, as are some regional versions. Generally a very harmonious wine, with intense classic semillon tones, not unlike a White Bordeaux. Should age well in the medium term.

Redgate 1997 Semillon
This is a big, bold wine from and good vintage in the region. Has a lifted bouquet of plum, black currant and a hint of mintiness. True to style, the palate is powerful and shows excellent tannins and large amounts of intense, spicy cherry and black currant fruit. Slightly astringent finish gives a nice tight feel. Cellar it, since it will grow old gracefully.

Brookland Valley 1995 Cabernet Merlot
The dense red-purple colour is a sure sign that this wine has plenty of weight and power. A classic Bordeaux style blend and a real winner in this region. Ripe black currant, red berry and minty aromas fill the glass. It features concentrated and robust cabernet/merlot flavours, with the merlot softening the tannins for a smooth mouth-feel. Good integration of fruit and oak. Medium term cellaring will be well rewarded.

Cape Mentelle 1995 Cabernet Merlot
Dense purple-red colour. Here is a rich, powerful wine with a bouquet drenched in ripe berry fruit complemented by soft spicy oak. The palate is a burst of ripe berry flavour integrated with soft merlot-derived tannins and a foundation of elegant oak running through to a gentle finish. Like all the Mentelle reds, this one will improve with cellaring, however the structure points toward about a five year limit for the best results.

Vasse Felix 1996 Shiraz
This is a wine that has put Vasse Felix and winemaker Clive Otto on the Australian Shiraz map. It is a rich, generous wine with a nicely balanced oak bouquet. Dense dark berry flavours and spicy fruit on the palate are nicely integrated with vanillin oak. It is a powerful, plummy, silky, concentrated wine with a wonderful lingering finish.

Evans & Tate 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon
A delightful wine from the company's Redbrook Vineyard in Willyabrup. Pungent, deep blood plum fruit aromas are backed by sweet oak, leading on to a wonderful mouth-filling mix of plum and vanilla bean oak. The experience is rounded off by soft, textured tannins. Should be left to age for at least another eight years.

Abbey Vale 1995 Merlot Shiraz
Here is a super Margaret River blend with a difference. The deep berry fruit and plum characters of both grapes give this wine a fragrant, rich bouquet. The fruit characters then re-emerge on the palate, which shows firm structure and soft, well integrated tannins. Great current drinking, but is constructed from two varieties renowned for smooth aging.

Ribbon Vale 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a big, bold wine from a good vintage in the region. Has a lifted bouquet of plum, black currant and a hint of mintiness. True to style, the palate is powerful and shows excellent tannins and large amounts of intense, spicy cherry and black currant fruit. Slightly astringent finish gives a nice tight feel. Cellar it, since it will grow old gracefully.