2021 Woodlands Margaret Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

Deep, youthful red-purple colour with tobacco and cedar aromas of an elegantly maturing cabernet.The wine is full-bodied and firmly structured, with power and precision, elegance and drive. Fruit-sweet middle; full bodied and concentrated, with loads of detail and gorgeous flavour that riccochets around the mouth revealing more and more subtleties. Drink to 2041.

96 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, November 2025

The brightness of this cooler vintage is evident immediately on the nose. Lifted dark fruit with a little black olive and bay leaf infusion burst out. It’s a blend of largely cabernet with small contributions of malbec, merlot and cabernet franc. An elegantly framed wine of effortless style. The palate is sublimely integrated with the bright fruit given some nice oak treatment to bring it to life. The fine silky tannins are an important part of defining its palate dimensions. A stylish and expressive wine of great promise. Drink to 2038.

96 points Ray Jordan Wine Review 2027

Margaret is a Cabernet Sauvignon-forward blend named after Heather Watson’s great grandmother, with fruit for this wine is sourced from the original Woodlands vineyard on Caves Road. Hand-picked and sorted, the de-stemmed fruit fermented in stainless steel and matured for nearly two years in French oak barrels of which approximately 40% were new.

About this producer

Woodlands was established in 1973 by David and Heather Watson. It was one of the first five estates to be planted in Margaret River, today drawing fruit from the original vineyard on Caves Road as well as the nearby Woodlands Brook vineyard, both in the northern Wilyabrup sub-region and the latter somewhat further away from the coast.

The vineyards cover 28 hectares and are dry-grown and hand-tended. The original Woodland vineyard is today certified organic, while Woodlands Brook is organic-in-conversion, with viticultural practices at both sites also including nods to biodynamic principles.

Woodlands remains a family-owned producer, with brothers Andrew and Stuart Watson continuing their parents’ work.