Cape Mentelle's John Durham is a chap with rather more than a passing knowledge of the best wines coming out of Margaret River.

John has distinguished himself as head winemaker at Cape Mentelle since 1984 and in that time has produced some of the region's most memorable reds and whites. He's also had a chance to taste the best efforts of his colleagues over the years.

Admittedly, John's first choice of favourite Margaret River wine was one that we have featured here before, the brilliant Cullen Wines Cabernet Merlot. (You may recall Vanya Cullen chose John's Cabernet Sauvignon as her MR wine of choice in this column last year. We wonder if there's some kind of collusion going on!) But he leapt to his next choice moments later in choosing the Devil's Lair Chardonnay.

No slouch in the Chardonnay making department himself, John should know what it takes. Indeed, the Devil's Lair usually ranks in the top five in the region, which is presently considered Australia's premier producer of the variety.

Offering up a mighty aroma of butterscotch toffee and hints of grapefruit, the wine is very much in the big, luscious style of top Margaret River Chardonnays.

It has intense passionfruit characters, with hints of citrus, grapefruit and toasty oak on the palate and finishes with a crisp dry acidity. It is consistently a powerful wine with good depth and complexity. Mid-term cellaring only enhances the experience.