2022 Cape Mentelle Wallcliffe Sauvignon Blanc, Margaret River

This is intense. It’s flavoursome and rich yet the bracing acidity cuts through, sabre-like. Hints of tropical fruits – especially Chinese gooseberries and pawpaw – lemon, too, with an appealing beeswax note. It has texture via lees and a vivacity thanks to the acidity. It’s a serious offering – best with food.

95 points Special Value Jane Faulkner winecompanion.com.au

This is a wine that’s been dialed back a little from earlier versions but still remains true to the style of using oak with sauvignon blanc. Oak fermentation and the use of a concrete egg all help in the composition to create a harmoniously balanced wine of layered complexity and richness. The technique highlights the minerality while retaining the mix of tropical and stone fruit characters that make it so appealing. Will handle cellaring.

95 points Ray Jordan rayjordanwine.com.au

Cape Mentelle Wallcliffe Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River is a stunning, barrel-fermented white that redefines the potential of this classic varietal in Australia. Far from the simple, fruit-forward style often associated with Sauvignon Blanc, this wine is rich, textural, and complex — a true expression of both place and craftsmanship. Cape Mentelle, one of the founding wineries of Margaret River, continues to craft wines that combine modern finesse with the purity and character of the region’s coastal vineyards.

The grapes are sourced from select sites within the Wallcliffe subregion, where ocean breezes, gravelly loam soils, and a long, temperate growing season produce fruit of remarkable intensity and balance. The juice is fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barriques, a portion new, and matured on lees with regular stirring to build texture and savoury depth. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc that balances bright citrus energy with creamy complexity and mineral precision.

In the glass it shows pale straw with green hues. The aroma is beautifully layered, revealing grapefruit, lemon zest, and white peach, along with hints of fennel, flint, and lightly toasted hazelnut. The palate is full and silky yet vibrant, with flavours of citrus, stone fruit, and gentle spice supported by crisp acidity and a long, saline finish. The oak is seamlessly integrated, adding texture without overpowering the wine’s freshness.

It pairs beautifully with grilled seafood, roast chicken, asparagus, or goat cheese, and it also complements richer dishes such as scallops, creamy pasta, or herb-roasted vegetables. Delicious now for its balance and intensity, it will develop gracefully for up to ten years, gaining savoury and nutty complexity.