Halliday Wine Companion 2024 Results
Happy Halliday release day! Every year the Halliday Wine Companion tasting team set out to define Australia’s best wines. Long-time Halliday contributor Jane Faulkner focused on the Margaret River region, and dubbed Deep Woods as producing “some of the country’s finest wines”, evident in the eight wines which received 95+ points. When speaking about Deep Woods Estate, Jane said:
“The original 14ha vineyard on the Yallingup property is planted mostly to red varieties and Chief Winemaker Julian Langworthy says it’s where the best fruit comes from, especially Cabernet Sauvignon... A Jimmy Watson Trophy winner and Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year in 2019, it’s no surprise that Julian also crafts outstanding Chardonnay, thanks to thoughtful winemaking and excellent fruit sourced from local growers, ditto Rosé and more. He says Deep Wood’s goal is to make contemporary, compelling, yet distinctly Margaret River wines with an international proposition. The aspiration has been realised.”
A highlight from the Halliday Wine Companion 2024 results is our newly released 2021 Single Vineyard Cabernet Malbec, awarded an incredible 96 points, described as, “At once powerful yet contained with the varieties…beautifully matched.” Produced in limited quantities, this wine is available online here.
Another standout was the 2022 Estate Rosé, comprised largely of Tempranillo and Sangiovese, which was awarded 95 points. Jane wrote, “A copper blush followed by a bouquet of red roses, herbs and summer berries. Tastes of those fruits plus toffee apple with some charry radicchio. It has texture, depth and pizzazz, slipping down easily with a lively fresh finish.”
The Reserve wines are retaining their legacy, with both the 2021 Reserve Chardonnay and 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon awarded 97 points alongside remarkable reviews. Reviewing the 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Jane wrote: "So much going on in this powerful wine, yet it is beautiful with fine-grained and plentiful tannins". We have four bottles of this award-winning remaining to purchase as part of a Reserve Cabernet Museum pack here. Jane also describes the tasting experience of the 2021 Reserve Chardonnay as, "Let your hair down as the palate gives way to an exhilarating ride full of flavour, with fine acidity extending the length. It’s moreish, detailed and very impressive." Although the 2021 vintage is sold out, we are offering our members the opportunity to purchase the 2022 Reserve Chardonnay as a pre-release here.
Congratulations to Chief Winemaker Julian Langworthy, Chief Viticulturist John Fogarty, Senior Winemaker Andrew Bretherton, Operations Winemaker Emma Gillespie and all of the winery and vineyard team members on this fantastic result.
Read through all our Halliday reviews below.
Deep Woods 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
SOLD OUT
“The reserve has its own DNA, with fruit off the original 1987-planted estate vines. Structured and compelling with a core of mint choc-coated fruit, baking spices and licorice. So much going on in this powerful wine, yet it is beautiful with fine-grained and plentiful tannins and a finish lingering oh-so-long.”
- 97 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2021 Reserve Chardonnay
SOLD OUT – PRE-ORDER 2022 RESERVE CHARDONNAY HERE
“Whoa, this comes out all guns firing. A powerful wine that has excellent fruit as its core but morphs quickly towards a savoury spectrum: flinty, funky and wild. Let your hair down as the palate gives way to an exhilarating ride full of flavour, with fine acidity extending the length. It’s moreish, detailed and very impressive.”
- 97 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2020 Single Vineyard 'G2' Cabernet Sauvignon
SOLD OUT
“Fruit comes off the Gibb Road vineyard, specifically a west-facing slope on ironstone-rich gravel. This is stupendous. Powerful, rich and detailed. Nothing is out of place. Pristine fruit all mulberries and blueberries dusted in baking spices and yes, ironstone. The tannins are something else – shapely, long and the mouth-watering acidity pulls everything into one long thread of joy.”
- 97 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2021 Single Vineyard Cabernet Malbec
“At once powerful yet contained with the varieties (percentage split unknown) beautifully matched. While the classy cabernet aromas and flavours come through, they are rendered more savoury by the malbec and oak. The fuller-bodied palate is alive and vibrant, flavours build and the tannins have presence, all textural and ripe. The finish lingers long as will this wine as in at least two decades.”
- 96 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2022 Estate Rosé
“A copper blush followed by a bouquet of red roses, herbs and summer berries. Tastes of those fruits plus toffee apple with some charry radicchio. It has texture, depth and pizzazz, slipping down easily with a lively fresh finish.”
- 95 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2020 Estate Sauvignon Blanc
“Partial barrel fermentation adds another dimension to the citrus, snow pea and passionfruit of the wine, the rich, varietally precise bouquet marking a multi-layered palate that takes barely a split second to fill every part of the long, lingering palate with its grapefruit and nectarine flavours. As usual, exceptional value.”
- 95 Points, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2022 Single Vineyard Chardonnay
NOT YET RELEASED
“Partial barrel fermentation adds another dimension to the citrus, snow pea and passionfruit of the wine, the rich, varietally precise bouquet marking a multi-layered palate that takes barely a split second to fill every part of the long, lingering palate with its grapefruit and nectarine flavours. As usual, exceptional value.”
- 95 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2021 Estate Cabernet Merlot
NOT YET RELEASED
“This reveals itself gently as it’s not a showy wine but it is elegant and lovely. Delicate aromas, a core of sweet fruit tempered by savoury inputs of woodsy spices, menthol and powdery yet super fine tannins with bright acidity driving the long finish.”
- 95 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2022 Estate Shiraz Et Al
“The 'et al' here are malbec and tempranillo, so this is a spicy, savoury and juicy red. It is immediately appealing with dark red fruits mixed with red licorice and warm spices. Fuller bodied but not weighty, with grainy tannins and an appealing rusticity.”
- 92 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2022 Ivory Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
“The intensity of the fruit in this blend, a totem pole of the type, underlines the sheer quality of the fruit that comes from the southern part of the Margaret River. Citrus, passionfruit and minerally acidity take no prisoners in the mouth or aftertaste.”
- 91 Points, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Deep Woods 2021 Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon
NOT YET RELEASED
“A ripper red, especially for the price, and it’s not all about fruit as there’s spice, warm earth and cocoa, too. The lighter-framed palate fills out with fine tannins. Not overly complex but has drinkability writ large.”
- 90 Points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 2024