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Ray Jordan's 2011 wa wine guide

The best of the west keeps getting better

Robyn Lewis

Ray Jordan's 2011 wa wine guide

Over the last ten years Ray Jordan’s wa wine guide has established its reputation as the leading companion to the wines of Western Australia, first appearing in 2002 as Wine: WA’s Best. The 2010 edition was impressive; the 2011 has again excelled.

Ray Jordan is a wine author of over 30 years' standing, writing weekly for The West Australian and The West Weekend Magazine, and contributing to various magazines. 

He has co-authored a book on Margaret River, hosted a radio wine show on 6 PR, and judged at the Swan Valley Wine Show, Barossa Wine Show, Perth Hills Wine Show, Geographe Wine Show and the Sheraton Wine Awards. Ray was also the winner of the WA Wine Press Club wine writing award and in 2006 was awarded the George Mulgrue Award for contribution to the WA wine industry.

In 2010 he was awarded the WA Wine Press Club Jack Mann Memorial Medal for his contribution to the Western Australian wine industry. He also tweets on wine.

The new edition titled Ray Jordan’s 2011 wa wine guide is again slimmer (254 pp instead of 264 pp, down from 384 pp in 2009) and lighter as well – both bonuses in my opinion – some of the space saving due to the excellent (and updated) pull-out wineries map, which used to be sold separately but is now included in the unchanged bargain price of A$19.95.

For the price of an average bottle of wine, with Ray Jordan’s 2011 wa wine guide you can potentially save yourself hundreds of dollars, a lot of uncertainty, wasted wine opportunities, and time. Oh that every Australian state had such a guide.

Jordan rates Western Australian wines from over 200 producers using the 100 point scale, which he regards as ‘more flexible’ than the wine show’s 20 point system. Jordan’s system is part objective, part subjective, but overall he looks for balance. The wines he covers ‘really are the best of the best, as I get to taste many wines that are not entered into wine shows’ – testament to his high standing and reputation within the WA wine industry.

According to Jordan, the 2010 vintage was ‘yet another excellent vintage for Western Australia’s winemakers. It is the fourth year … that winemakers across the state have had excellent conditions for both reds and whites’.

Although at the time of the book’s going to press, the only finished wines Jordan had seen were the largely aromatic and non-wooded varieties and styles such as riesling, sauvignon blanc and SSB blends (semillon sauvignon blanc), the ‘comments from winemakers in relation to their reds were encouraging’. This was predicted by Jordan in his 2010 edition, with conditions being similar to those of the previous vintage. 

2009 was a hard act to follow, which Jordan described last year: ‘the vintage in Margaret River will go down as one of the best ever with exceptional fruit produced right across the board’.

In this edition, ‘as a general view the 2010 wines display excellent fruit intensity though not to the same degree as 2009 and don’t appear to have the delicacy and sustained length that made 2009 such a great white wine vintage. Having said that, they are still very good wines with terrific power and intensity and will be real crowd pleasers as wines to drink in the shorter term.

In the Great Southern, the 2010 rieslings look to be the best in years … some of the best ever. Winemakers are also lauding 2010 as an outstanding year for chardonnay, especially in Margaret River’.

For reds ‘now we are seeing (the release of) the silky smooth and effortlessly elegant reds from 2008’.

The 2011 wa wine guide gives a (very) brief vintage report for the Swan Valley and the Perth Hills, Peel, Margaret River, Pemberton/Manjimup/Blackwood, The Great Southern and Geographe, and a list of the best major red and white varieties by region. Alternative red varieties now becoming more common in the west include nebbiolo, sangiovese, tempranillo and zinfandel.

Then there is a section on cellaring, and 2 pages on matching food to wine followed by recipes from four of Perth’s top chefs with Jordan’s suggestions of wine matches, some ads and tips on tasting wines, all of which in my opinion would again be better placed to the rear of the book. In general however the advertisements – essential to keep down the price – are largely quarantined from the text so there’s little confusion between Jordan’s copy and the advertorial.

In last year’s edition of the wa wine guide, Jordan reported mixed emotions because of the challenges facing the Australian wine industry – mainly the high Australian dollar and excess supply over demand, the latter exacerbated by the GFC. On the plus side there was a description of the new and growing potential of Asian markets. As we now know, the A$ has continued to rise, and domestic wine demand has flatlined. So, what is the outcome?

While quality to some extent sells itself, the general wine oversupply problem has created downward pressure on prices, exacerbated by the large supermarket chains, who are well aware that consumers have so much choice. Western Australia’s total crush fell by about 25% from around 80,000 to 60,000 tonnes, which Jordan describes as being ‘somewhere near where we need to be. However the reality might be that we need to go even lower.’

‘Some have simply had enough and … pulled out their vines, or at best mothballed the vineyard’, although Jordan does not see things improving in the short term. On a brighter note he considers that ‘those producers who continue to focus on quality wines that are differentiated by provenance, regionality, history … and consistency at least have a fair chance of creating demand and receiving a fair price’.

Regarding Asia, Jordan considers that China represents huge potential for Western Australia’s wine producers: ‘the interest, knowledge and demand is growing and … it is probably only a matter of time before it takes off’. It’s about building relationships, which savvy WA marketers are already developing.

So, to the wines. In Jordan’s words, ‘the outstanding vintages from 2007 through to 2010 have made choosing the best of the west was harder than ever. The quality of these wines is outstanding and clearly represents some of the greatest West Australian wines ever released.’

It’s certainly time to stock up the cellar with good quality wines, if you can afford them.

Wine of the Year (and Red Wine of the Year) is Woodlands Shelley-Anne cabernet sauvignon 2008, which Jordan awarded 98/100. Woodlands is a small producer in the Metricup Valley area of Margaret River, founded in 1973 and operated by father and son team David and Stuart Watson. Their cabernets and cabernet blends are described as ‘consistently exceptional’.

Producer of the Year is Cullen, one of the great wine names in Margaret River and indeed in Australia, initially known for Vanya Cullen and her team’s red blends and more recently for their chardonnays. The vineyard is certified biodynamic, and ‘captures the very best of this region’. Vanya Cullen was also awarded Jordan’s Winemaker of the Year, who ‘this year has produced a breathtaking range of wines from the super-premium chardonnay and cabernet merlot through some great stylistic individual wines.’

Cullen’s laid-back restaurant uses organic and biodynamic produce too, and has won major awards in its own right – no trip to Margaret River is compete without a visit.

Best Small Producer of the Year is Bella Ridge from the Swan Valley district, a varied region only 30 minutes from Perth.

Recently established in 2003 by Jodi and Alon Arbel, with Richard Trevillian co-winemaker, ‘this niche producer has made quite an impact drawing widespread praise for its distinctive and stylish wines… a small producer that thinks outside the square, with a hands-on, innovative approach to explore different blends and styles, producing wines with texture, finesse and style. The wines are always interesting.’

The Most Promising Producer is Castelli Estate based in the Great Southern region who ‘has made a stunning debut with an exceptional range of wines sources from wine regions across the state’.  Established on Mt Shadforth near Denmark in 2007 by Sam and Maria Castelli, with winemakers Mike Garland and Andrew Hoadley, Castelli Estate sources the best parcels of fruit from the southern regions of WA and handcrafts the wines.

These include a riesling from Porongurup, chardonnay from Pemberton, a shiraz and cabernet sauvignon from Frankland River, and a botrytis riesling that Jordan describes as ‘one of the best sweet wines I have tasted from WA in a long time.’

Of the varieties, runners-up in the cabernet sauvignon class included Howard Park Abercrombie 2008, Jack Mann 2007, Devil’s Lair 2008, Cape Mentelle 2007 and Deep Woods Reserve 2008.

Smithbrook from Pemberton won the best merlot for the 2008; and Cherubino 2008 the best shiraz: ‘simply sensational’ says Jordan.

Last year’s best wine the Cullen Diana Madeline won the best blended red with their 2008 release: ‘this wine is no less extraordinary yet it is different… the fruit slightly more elegant and refined, and the palate – unbelievably – longer. A great wine that must be the benchmark for the blend in Australia.’

Salitage from Pemberton again won best pinot noir for their 2009, continuing their recent sensational run, with runners-up Wignells, Matilda’s and Abbey Creek, all 2009. Pinot noirs from the south of WA certainly give those of the cooler regions of the eastern states a run for their money, and in my opinion the only reason they are not better known is their limited availability and exposure in the east – certainly not because of any deficiency in quality.

Best rosé was the Paul Nelson Wines Maison Madeleine 2010 made from grenache and mouvedre. The best alternative variety was this year awarded to a red or a white, and was won by a white wine, Churchview The Bartondale Reserve Margaret River Marsanne 2007.

Western Australia is equally blessed with whites. Best chardonnay and White Wine of the Year and ahead of the famed Leeuwin Estate Art Series is Pierro chardonnay 2008.

Best riesling went to Cherubino 2010, best chenin blanc to Bella Ridge 2008, who also won best blended white (oaked) for an unusual chenin blanc viognier semillon blend, the Belle Mere 2007, described as multi-layered, fresh, lively and yet deep.

WA is also making the semillon sauvignon blanc blend (SSB) its own, and this year the Lenton Brae 2010 blend won the best blended white (unoaked) category.

And so on: sauvignon blanc, semillon, viognier, fortified … you’ll have to buy the book to find out the rest. Many wines scored over 90 points, described as ‘outstanding and around gold medal class’, although 85+ is still ‘exceptional, faultless drinking’. Buyers have indeed never had it so good.

However the fact remains that around 80% of wine sold in Australia is in the under A$20 a bottle category, and there is a perception that Western Australian wines are expensive. Jordan says there are many great value WA wines especially in the A$15-20 category, and lists his best of both best whites and reds under A$20 a bottle on page 20. He points out that if you are prepared to pay an extra $5 then you will also find some excellent value wines selling around A$25 for well below their real worth.

Best value wine is Deep Woods Ebony cabernet shiraz from Margaret River, which sells for RRP A$14.95.

The remainder of the book looks at each producer’s submitted wines in more detail by region, with a comprehensive index at the back in case you aren’t sure where they are. The layout and regional colour coding follows the 2010 edition. As in 2010 there are discount vouchers (25) to be used on direct wine purchases, some events and restaurants and subscriptions.

Again the pull out map is a bonus and I rate it the best wine map in Australia.

Jordan concludes his introduction by recommending readers to ‘treat your taste buds to a taste of Western Australia.’ With quality this high, four great vintages and the great buys currently out there, I agree with him that ‘you would be nuts not to’.



Ray Jordan’s 2011 wa wine guide is published by West Australian Publishers (sc; 254 pp, Perth WA, 2009). RRP A$24.95. Available from WA booksellers, wine retail outlets and select cellar doors.

VisitVineyards.com and WinePros Archive subscribers and members have the opportunity to win one of five copies of Ray Jordan’s 2011 wine guide, or a 5-day wine and food escape to Margaret River, and a selection of  Margaret River books, maps and dining experiences. This competition runs to the 28th February 2011.

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