Winestate Magazine’s annual Wine of the Year awards have just been announced and we are thrilled to be recognised as joint-finalists for Australian Winemaker of the Year 2022 and Wine Company of the Year 2022! 

This is wonderful recognition for our small family owned Estate which was established in 1975 by Annette’s parents Graham and Merilyn Hutton. It’s a true pleasure to continue to craft the award winning wines you like to drink! 

Look out for the print edition of the Winestate Annual available on newsstands in January, featuring our top ranking wines.

#gralynestate #wilyabrup #margaretriver #westernaustralia #winestatemagazine

Winestate Magazine has just released their Cabernet and Bordeaux Challenge results and we were fortunate to have four wines rank highly in their respective categories. Winestate Magazine has been the definitive guide to Australian and New Zealand wine since 1978, with independent panel reviews. Wonderful recognition for our 2001 and 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, scoring 98 points and judged equal top alongside iconic wines such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild.

A sensational class! “These are cracker wines with fine serious tannins perfectly matching varietal expression fruit,” said one judge. “A pleasure to judge,” said another

Gralyn Estate Margaret River
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
"A very mature wine; still has a great colour and still in excellent condition with meaty/cigar box aromas and a beautifully evolved flavour profile."
98 points (equal top wine)

Gralyn Estate Margaret River
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
"A fabulously aged cabernet that is drinking beautifully now. Obvious smoky/savoury/bacon bone characters on the nose that carry on to the palate."
98 points (equal top wine)


Gralyn Estate Margaret River
2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
"A beautiful velvety smooth wine offering lots of everything - sweet fruit, good oak, lovely bottle age and an attractive savoury element." 
96 points

Gralyn Estate Margaret River
2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
"Earthy mocha characters obvious on the nose with a beautifully aged palate sitting in the savoury spectrum with excellent tannins." 
94 points

FORTIFIEDS
The latest issue of Winestate Magazine also features their annual fortified tasting.
We received high praise for our new release Pedro Ximenez with 94 points and our Artizan Rare Muscat and Museum Rare Muscat, which both recieved 98 points and equal top placings.

“Another group of exceptional wines,” enthused one judge. “This is Australian history in a bottle!” “The older wines have amazing, aged material which is a privilege to enjoy,” said another. “Do yourself a favour and get a bottle to try. These wines are made by producers who are passionate about producing this style. Awesome!”
Judges comments 

Gralyn Estate Margaret River
Museum Rare Muscat
"Another very beautifully aged Muscat with a fabulous intensity of Christmas cake-like aromas and flavours and a long and lingering after taste." 
98 points (equal top wine)

Gralyn Estate Margaret River
Artizan Rare Muscat
"This vibrant nose shows a powerful lift of raisins, spices, florals, toffee and chocolate with a fresh palate that is not too dry and not too sweet but just perfect!" 
98 points (equal top wine)

Gralyn Estate is open daily for tastings and sales.
Caves Road, Wilyabrup
10.30am-4.30pm

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 

The results of the 2022 London Wine Competition have just been released overnight. Gralyn Estate has been announced the overall winner, with our Artizan Rare Muscat awarded 97 points and Wine of the Year!

The Artizan Rare Muscat won Wine of the Year and also topped three prestigious categories - Gold Medal with 97 Points, Best in Show by Country, and Best Wine of the Year by Quality, a tremendous accolade for this storied wine.

"1300 wines from more than 36 Countries participated in the 2022 London Wine Competition. To be an award winner at the London Wine Competition, you will need to have a top-quality wine that offers both the trade and the consumer great value for money. It takes a lot to win big at the London Wine Competition. No wonder, the 2022 London Wine Competition saw a wine that checked all the boxes and grab the title of the Wine of the Year."

"Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat is a fortified wine and a specialty of the Estate’s legacy of wines. It is made from the Muscat varietal. This wine is produced using the Solera System. Within this winemaking practice, younger wines are blended in casks storing older wines. This process makes a blend of differently aged wines which results in no fixed vintage date. Blended over the years, these high-quality wines all hold a little bit of a legacy within them. Wines made within the Solera system are termed non-vintage or NV."

"The award winner at the 2022 London Wine Competition, Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat, is matured in old oak casks and is a limited release. Everything about this wine is exquisite  — from flavour to label. It is rich and sports intense flavours of raisin and toffee. This exquisiteness also reflects in the intricate label which is an original artwork by Merilyn Hutton."

Judges Comments - 2022 London Wine Competition

A South West winery has been recognised on the global stage, taking out one of the premier categories at the 2022 London Wine and Spirits Competition. Wilyabrup’s Gralyn Estate was recognised with the Wine of the Year award for its Artizan Rare Muscat, which was the only wine to score 97 out a possible 100. Gralyn also took out the best in show by country category.

The renowned competition seeks to “judge drinks in the same way consumers buy them” in which entrants are marked on quality, value for money and packaging and design.

Gralyn Estate owner Scott Baxter said the honour was owed to his wife’s parents. “We’re winning accolades now because Annette’s parents had the foresight 40 years ago to barrel-age this beautiful wine,” he said. “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 also awarded gold for both its 2017 and 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon at the London Wine and Spirits Competition.

This year a record number of wines was submitted, 1300 from 36 countries. The spirits category also had a record number of entrants with about 2500 spirits brands from more than 80 countries vying for gold, silver and bronze medals.

Chief executive of the Beverage Trade Network, Sid Patel, said the competition was of a higher calibre compared with previous years. “We were blown away not just by the standard of wines and spirits entered but by the numbers of producers and import in the 2022 competition,” he said.

Story by Brianna Redhead - Article first appeared in the Busselton Dunsborough Times 8th April 2022