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There has been a great deal written about the wonderful climate and situation of Margaret River in Western Australia. Many of our features over the years have highlighted the wines of this beautiful region with its benign maritime climate, similar to Bordeaux, but with less harvest rainfall. So you can imagine our delight in tracking down a parcel of Western Australian wines that included a significant proportion from Margaret River. After several months of negotiations we have at last taken delivery these high quality wines. This has enabled us to produce an in depth focus on the region and introduce the wines of five new estates: Happs, Evans & Tate, Arlewood, Umamu and Chapman Grove. The locations are shown right, together with Clairault and Fermoy, who we featured last year. The eagle eyed will also see Driftwood and Barwick Estates, which will appear later in the year. Each of these producers merits a fuller description than we have space for in this offer. We recommend visiting their web sites so you can find out more of the estate history, philosophy and of course the wines themselves. Margaret River produces just 4% of all Australian wine but 25% of its fine wines. The overall standard is very high and these wines rightly command a premium price, even at the cellar door. However, this purchase means we are able to offer a range of boutique wines, rarely seen in this country, at superb prices. In addition, if you make your own selection from the wines in this offer, we are giving free delivery. Or you can save even more with our red and white Sampler Cases. Though it is a long way away, this wonderful region is well worth visiting. In the meantime, don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy the fruits of some boutique estates, whose wines would not normally make it to Sydney, let alone the other side of the world.
 PLAN B, ARLEWOOD ESTATE, Margaret River www.planbwines.com ‘Everyone needs a Plan B’ is the strap-line for this alternative range from Garry Gosatti of top producer Arlewood Estate. Working with Bill Crappsley, veteran of 43 vintages, the aim was to return to a world where producing (and drinking) wine was fun and enjoyable. They now source their own grapes from Frankland River, but the first wines, including this stunning Merlot, were made with grapes from Arlewood Estate itself. With his ‘back to basics’ approach, Bill has crafted a remarkably rich and complex Merlot, which bears comparison with some of the best of St. Emilion and perfectly demonstrates why Margaret River is such an exciting wine region. AU1714R Arlewood Estate Plan B Merlot 2004, Margaret River 14% £9.99
There is so much to write about this innovative, family estate that we recommend visiting the web-site, where detailed notes on the wines are complimented by some interesting background to the region. Briefly, Happs was established in 1978 by Erl Happ, who planted the first vineyard near Dunsborough where the winery is located. Later, in 1994, the Three Hills vineyard was planted at Karridale in the much cooler south. Blending grapes from the two vineyards together with an almost obsessive attention to detail in the winery has created an exciting and refreshingly different range of wines, the quality of which has led to numerous gold medals, the award of Best Small Producer in Western Australia in 2006 and a top 5* rating from James Halliday. AU1596P Happs Fuchsia Rosé 2006, Margaret River 11.5% £6.49 AU1645R Happs PF Red 2005, Margaret River 14% £6.49
AU1484R Happs Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Margaret River 14% £9.49
X&Y from Evans & Tate, Margaret River
AU1696W X&Y Chardonnay 2006, Margaret River 14% £9.99 AU1805R X&Y Shiraz 2005, Margaret River 14.5% £9.99
With its first vintage in 2005, Chapman Grove is one of Margaret River’s newest producers. Established by former wine retailer Ron Fraser, the estate has 32ha of vineyards in the cooler south of the region. The later ripening, coupled with the skills of award-winning winemaker Bruce Dukes, creates wines with distinctive aromatics and good complexity. And the quality is such that this small, friendly estate has already been awarded the top 5* rating from James Halliday. This is a fitting tribute Ron’s commitment and enthusiasm. AU1665W Chapman Grove Semillon Sauvignon 2005, Margaret River 13% £6.25 AU1775P Chapman Grove Rose 2005, Margaret River 13% £6.25 Chairmaine Saw purchased this small estate, east of Margaret River in 2004, and used the Manju Estate name for his first vintage, before changing it to Umamu. Saw was raised in both Eastern and Western cultures and chose the Umamu name (a palindrome, that is, a word written the same forward and backward) to reflect the estate's commitment to ‘Balance and Contentment’. The vineyard is farmed organically with great respect for the terroir, and the wine is made from hand-picked grapes by Bruce Dukes, winemaker for Chapman Grove. AU1655W Manju Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Margaret River 13.5% £5.49 CLAIRAULT WINES, Margaret River www.clairaultwines.com.au
AU1443R Henry Creek Shiraz 2003, Margaret River 14% £7.99
MARGARET RIVER SAMPLER CASES
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Margaret River Estates
HAPPS THREE HILLS, Margaret River 
The PF stands for Preservative Free, as this blend of mainly Grenache, Merlot and Pinot Noir has been made without sulphur dioxide or any other preservative. The purity and balance of the grapes combined with careful winemaking ensures the wine's stability and longevity. It is an inky purple colour reddening to the rim. Powerful, lifted aromatics of mint, damson and fruit cake. Without the sulphur it really does smell different. Smooth and full bodied with silky tannins and rich, black cherry, damson and mint flavours. A pure, distinctive wine, perfect for those allergic to sulphur, to drink or keep to 2011. 
Evans & Tate was one of the first major estates in Margaret River and was recently purchased by McWilliams Wines. Though a large producer, the quality is generally high – rated 5* by James Halliday – and we were particularly taken by a new brand, X&Y, from which these are the first offerings. Aimed at the ‘young savvy wine consumer looking for exceptional value’ the wines, made by experienced winemaker Matt Bryne are really very good. The grapes come from Jindong, south of Busselton, a warmer sub-region and this has given the wines a bold, rich character that is not normally associated with Margaret River, but is impressive nevertheless.
CHAPMAN GROVE, Margaret River 
Clairault, though established in 1976, was in fact one of the early pioneers in Margaret River. It was the sixth property to plant vines in the Wilyabrup sub-region and now extends to 120 acres of premium varietals. The property was named after the 18th century French mathematician 
AU1433R Henry Creek Cabernet Merlot 2003, Margaret River 14% £7.99
