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 Artizan Rare Muscat has just taken out top Trophy honours at the 2021 ANZ Boutique Wine Show for best fortified wine. We are immensely proud of this wine having received this prestigious trophy for the second consecutive year.

The Artizan is one of Australias great fortifieds, developed from a solera dating back more than 40 years. Very old brandy barrels are used to age this wine, giving it rancio complexity and power. A small amount is bottled annually to retain freshness. 

Available to taste and purchase from our Cellar Door or buy online via the website.

“A decadent glass of fortified, rippling with raisin, fig, date and coffee notes, this is rich and unctuous, leaving endless layers of flavour to linger on the palate. A perfect accompaniment to the Christmas table." 

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

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

 

Nice feature on our Artizan Rare Muscat by Young Gun of Wine recently…

“A decadent glass of fortified, rippling with raisin, fig, date and coffee notes, this is rich and unctuous, but with the fortifying alcohol lifting the sweetness, leaving endless layers of flavour to linger on the palate.”

“Made from a solera that dates back nearly 40 years, 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.”

Read the full review behind one of Australia’s great wine styles, via Young Gun Of Wine website

https://younggunofwine.com/wines-we-love/gralyn-artizan-rare-muscat

Image: Young Gun of Wine - Wines We Love

Friday saw the last of our Cabernet Sauvignon vines pruned and wrapped. As we move into Spring and temperatures rise, our vines respond with amazing vigour. A carefully curated program in our vineyard, focuses on soil health, microbiology and organic principles, to maintain vine health. We look forward to seeing this season unfold…

Visit us, we are open daily
10.30am - 4.30pm
Caves Road, Wilyabrup

We are thrilled to be featured in the latest Gourmet Traveller magazine shining a light on the best experiences in Margaret River… Thanks Samantha Payne for visiting us and sharing our story… Spring Issue out now, pick up a copy and read the full article… 

‘The River Wild’ - A trip to Margaret River promises a wine and food lovers Paradise as the region experiences a resurgence following last years upheaval writes Samantha Payne.

Margaret River’s community and hospitality industry have always been tight, there’s new life flowing through the area as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen everyone come together to support one another and focus on what makes the area special.

The realisation that Margaret River would be closed to international visitors - and the rest of Australia - was a significant blow to locals, who rely heavily on tourists, the pause allowed them to think honestly about the services and produce they were providing to the public.

Scott and Annette Baxter from Gralyn Estate know better than most the power of community support. Annette’s parents, who first opened Gralyn’s door to the public in 1978 - becoming Margaret River’s first commercial cellar door - were largely unknown in the region before that.

The history of camaraderie within the area is what they’re celebrating with the upcoming reopening of the original cellar door space in September. “Annette and I are proud to carry the Gralyn Estate story forward, introducing another generation of visitors to the estate.” says Scott. “We are both excited to share our little piece of Margaret River history, giving guests an idea fo what it would have been like back in 1978, tasting the first wines in the then-emerging Margaret River wine region,: he says. Sometimes when change is thrust upon us, it is about embracing the old and bringing it to life in a new way.

Visit us, we are open daily #gourmettraveller