Article by Nicky Lefebvre first appeared in the Augusta Margaret River Mail Newspaper, Wednesday 13 April 2022 

"EVERYTHING about this wine is exquisite - from flavour to label."

So say the 2022 London Wine Competition judges, who awarded Margaret River region winery Gralyn Estate the highest prize of the event, the coveted 'Wine of the Year'. Judging for the 2022 competition took place at St Mary's Church in London's Marylebone this week, with a record, 300 wines submitted from 36 countries. To be a medal winner, wines must score highly in all three criteria, with a weighting on scores for quality.  The only wine to score 97 points, the Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat NV was also awarded 'Best in Show by Country' and 'Best Wine of the Year by Quality'.

Gralyn Estate was founded in Wilyabrup in 1975 and was the first to open a commercial cellar door in Margaret River in 1978.

Owners and winemakers Scott and Annette Baxter took the helm two years ago from Annette's parents, founders Graham and Merilyn Hutton. Scott Baxter said the secret to the success of the fortified wine came down to the quality of the fruit, the barrel age, and blending and freshening. "Very old brandy barrels are used to store the Artizan, so as not to impart too much oak character, allowing it to develop rancio complexity," Mr Baxter said.” These wines are precious as there is considerable loss each year from evaporation, what's described as the Angel's Share, and this gives the wine it’s power." The wine is produced using the Solera System, a winemaking practice where younger wines are blended in barrels storing older wines, and hence termed non-vintage or NV. The solera in the Artizan Rare Muscat NV dates back 40 years. "We're winning accolades now because Annette's parents had the foresight 40 years ago to barrel age this beautiful wine," said Mr Baxter." They knew it was special, they knew it had its place and they believed that they were on to something for which we're very grateful, because now we're reaping the rewards of their vision and hard work." Gralyn Estate was awarded Gold for both its 2017 and 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.


Image: Scott and Annette Baxter toasting to their success at the London Wine Competition 

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Internationally recognised Master of Wine Andrew Caillard has just reviewed our core range of premium wines for the Vintage Journal. The Vintage Journal is one of Australia's leading platforms for fine wine and Australian wine history. Andrew is a recognised industry authority and we are very proud of this latest review of Gralyn Estate.

We hope that you enjoy the read and perhaps treat yourself to some of Andrew's recommendations. With International borders now open, we look forward to welcoming you back to the estate.

Gralyn Estate - Classic Wilyabrup
"The Lilliputian Gralyn Estate vineyards are wrapped by around 200 hectares of prime grazing and dairying land in the heart of the Wilyabrup sub-region of the Margaret River. The property borders “First Growth” Margaret River producers Cullen, Moss Wood and Vasse Felix. Its limited unirrigated vineyard plantings from 1975 include 2.5 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon and just 0.75 hectares of Shiraz. This is classic Wilyabrup country comprising free draining lateritic gravelly loams over a clay subsoil. The vineyard was established by farmers Merilyn and Graham Hutton."

"Gralyn Estate is now run by their daughter Annette and viticulturist husband Scott Baxter. Most of the publicity surrounds their fortified wine portfolio which is a rare category in Margaret River territory. Gralyn Estate’s cellar door, on the Caves Road tourist route, is also an attractive hitching station for travellers and Perth weekend trippers. The exotic offering of wine styles is clearly harnessed to an eclectic audience of wine drinkers and loyal customers. This review of Gralyn Estate’s reserve and fortified wines, however, reveals a core of very high-quality wines. The 2018 and 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons are an outstanding foil to each other and highlight the provenance of vineyard site and ageing potential. Despite its wine show success and accolades, Gralyn Estate should be better known in fine wine circles." 
Andrew Caillard MW - The Vintage Journal March 2022

Image: Scott and Annette Baxter  March 2022

2018 Gralyn Estate Reserve Chardonnay, Margaret River Western Australia
Pale colour. Classic grapefruit, white peach aromas with marzipan, grilled nut notes. Well concentrated, creamy and minerally with lovely ripe grapefruit, white peach, apricot flavours, attractive mid palate viscosity and fresh indelible acidity. Finishes al-dente firm with attractive mineral length. This is textbook Margaret River Chardonnay showing superb complexity and torque. Sourced from the Wildberry Vineyard, Wilyabrup.
Now – 2028 13.4% alc 96 points

2013 Gralyn Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River Western Australia
Medium deep crimson. Fresh developed blackcurrant, roasted walnut, vanilla, marzipan aromas with subtle bush-garrigue notes. Inky deep and gravelly in structure with lovely cassis, dark plum fruits, fine cedar, firm tannins and integrated mocha oak notes. Finishes claret firm, sweet-fruited and minerally. Nearly ten years old, but still youthful, buoyant and fresh with a touch of cigar-box complexity. Impressively balanced and preserved. What a surprise!
Now – 2035 13.2% alc 97 points

NV Gralyn Estate Rare Tawny, Margaret River Western Australia
Medium deep tawny colour. Fresh espresso, toffee roasted hazelnut, mocha, marzipan, aniseed aromas. Richly flavoured and complex with toffee, crème brulée, roasted coffee, roasted hazelnut, liquorice flavours, a hint of rancio, fine chalky textures, superb mid-palate density and fresh linear aniseed notes. Finishes chocolatey and round with the alcohol driving the flavours to the back palate. A reference WA style.
Now – 2040 19.0% alc 95 points

NV Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat
Medium deep. Intense dried plum, raisin, paneforte, caramel, crème brulée, shellac aromas. Complex, concentrated and evolved with plentiful sweet prune, raisin, caramel, treacle, roasted cashew nut flavours, fine loose knit chalky textures, lovely mid-palate viscosity and fresh persistent aniseed notes. Very long treacly, after-taste. A stand-out Western Australian Muscat with extraordinary density and potency.
18% alc 96 points



Image: 97 points - 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Nice write up in the West Australian Newspaper this week with the recent success of our Artizan Rare Muscat. 

Story by Taylar Amonini for The West Australian, Busselton Dunsborough Times
South West winemakers say it’s time for Australians to “rediscover fortified wines” after a Margaret River vineyard scooped a trio of national wine awards.  Hot on the heels of the 11th trophy win in the 2021 ANZ Boutique Wine Show for their Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat… The team snapped up a double gold medal at the Global Fine Wine Challenge and Gold at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, with their Rare Muscat, further cementing it as one of the pre-eminent names in Australian fortified winemaking.

Wine writer and consultant Erin Larkin said the Margaret River winemakers were at the forefront of the resurgence of fortified wine in Western Australia. “Gralyn Estate have been pushing the fortified cart for decades and I think that’s really significant and important.”

On the back of winning its 11th Trophy at the Boutique Wine Awards in Sydney last month, the Artizan Rare Muscat has just scooped up another two awards further cementing its reputation as one of Australias great fortified wines. It has received a Double Gold medal at the Global Fine Wine Challenge and a Gold medal (95pts) at the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards.

The string of awards on the Artizan Rare Muscat matches us against the best in the country and those that are the best in the country are amongst the best in the world. We are winning accolades now because Graham and Merilyn were laying material down nearly 50 years ago with the foresight that they truly believed in the fruit that they were growing and the wine that they were making.

“This is rich with classic mature fortified muscat flavours, with notes of dried figs, dates, rum-soaked raisins, toffee, coffee grounds, brandy-soused plum pudding and dark spices, with hints of clove, cinnamon and brown cardamom. Those flavour cascade onto the viscous palate, with toasted walnuts and treacle joining in, the fortifying alcohol gently cutting through the richness, giving this lift through the back palate, flavours persisting for minutes.” 
Rory Kent - Young Gun Of Wine 2021

We are moving into the season Birak. The Noongar Calendar recognises this as the first summer and the season of the young.

The Noongar calendar includes six annual seasons, each representative of the environmental and seasonal changes that occur around us. They contain deeper insights into the subtle and distinct transformations in the plants, flowers and animals around us.

Birak (December - January) sees the rains ease up and the warm weather really start to take hold. The afternoons are cooled by the sea breezes that prevail from the southwest. There is an almost clockwork style of easterly winds in the morning and sea breezes in the afternoon.

For the animals, there are many young venturing out, whilst some are still staying close to their parents. Reptiles are looking to shed their old skin for a new one.

This is Wadandi Boodja - Saltwater People’s Country 

Image: Gralyn Estate is a sanctuary for a kangaroo mother and her 'joey' along the banks of the Wilyabrup Brook

Our vineyard is looking vibrant in its final stages of flowering and in the next few weeks we will see berry formation. 

Organically and sustainably farmed, using regenerative techniques and microbiology we nurture and enhance our soil to build resilient vines. Our vineyard has never looked better. Biologically active soils interact with the vines roots to supply mineral needs on demand to improve overall crop nutrition. We see this at harvest time in the flavour and intensity of our fruit. Great wine really does start in the vineyard. Watch our latest video...

Leading Australian wine writer Huon Hooke recently reviewed our 2018 Reserve Chardonnay for The Real Review, awarding it 96 Points!

You can read and watch the full review below, Thanks Huon.

"Light yellow, bright colour. Passionfruit and tropical aromas, a tinge of grapefruit, some slaty mineral notes, quite pungent and passionfruity, with an undercurrent of chewy tannin on the aftertaste. There is a shrillness to the wine and a definite Gingin clone style to the fruit. Delicious." Drink 2021 -2028
96 Points - Houn Hooke, The Real Review

The 36th Annual International Chardonnay Tasting was held at Cullen Wines on Saturday benchmarking Margaret River Chardonnay against the worlds best. Guests were treated to 24 remarkable wines from the 2017 vintage followed by a long lunch in the vineyard.

Thank you Cullen Wines for hosting such an amazing event and showcasing our 2017 Reserve Chardonnay.

We have released the last remaining cases of this award winning wine for purchase online via the website or visit our Wilyabrup Cellar Door.

Shop - 2017 Reserve Chardonnay

Our 2001 Shiraz Cabernet has done it again! Equal top wine in The World’s Greatest Shiraz Challenge in the latest issue of Winestate Magazine.
[September 2021]

This award winning shiraz blend has aged gracefully - achieving 5 Stars and 98 points in both The 2015 and 2021 World's Greatest Shiraz Challenge. In the latest competition it was equal top to Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace - a great accolade for an 'aged' Margaret River wine from one of the region's smallest, but most highly regarded boutique wineries. 

SHOP - 2001 Shiraz Cabernet

"A beautifully matured wine. Makes you think of a comfortable old leather chair. It is generous and brooding and drinking very well right now."
98 Points Winestate Magazine - Worlds Greatest Shiraz Challenge 2021

“An exceptional group of concentrated wines.” Agreed the judges. “I have not seen a better flight of shiraz and syrah wines with such a lovely level of elegance and concentration.” said one judge. “These are not over extracted and show beautiful balance of expensive, appropriately handled oak, with the expressive fruit.” “Again the aged wines showed their pedigree, fabulous wines of great character and consistency.” Said another.
Judges comments, Winestate Magazine - Worlds Greatest Shiraz Challenge 2021

“Lovely example of the great Aussie blend. It is still amazingly bright and alive, beautifully complex with a perfect, seamless palate.”
5 Stars Winestate Magazine - World’s Greatest Shiraz Challenge 2015

“An awesome class of iconic wines. Here we see delivery of harmonious, intense wines with length and complexity but above all - drinkability!”
Judge, Winestate Magazine - World's Greatest Shiraz Challenge 2015