2024 Flametree SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay, Margaret River

95 points Gold at Margaret River Wine Show

Blossoming wattle, silver fern and blush nectarine. Hot tin, beeswax and grated nutmeg. There is a mosaic of spring flowers and shrubbery, all whilst being held by almond flour and oatmeal aromas. Acidity is elegant beyond measure, no squeaks or shrill points, just an effortless flow of refreshing citrus. Oak supports the buoyant fruit by cradling it, supportive yet cuddly and soft. So is Cliff Royale’s mastery in the balancing act of texture, line and poise. Some lemongrass and pine nut creaminess on the finish. This business here is all in the detail, the right touch points of building power and maintaining the energy line. A glamour in all sense of the word, this will start your heart a flutter. Once again it’s a steal for the price. Drink now or will cellar for another 6-8years. Save this wine for when you get that winning crayfish catch. Drink 2025 to 2033.

97 points Shanteh Wale for Wine Pilot, October 2025

Another cracking chardonnay that excites for its energy and vibrancy as much as the level of detail within. It’s well composed with mouth-watering, heart-fluttering, flinty, match-strike aromas, and a pink grapefruit and lemon flavour profile with nutty, spicy oak that’s superbly integrated. It’s savoury, moreish, tangy and juicy. Just bloody delicious and classy as. Drink 2026 to 2035.

96 points Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion March 2026

Pungent struck-flint aromas come at first sniff, classy oak is evident, with an assortment of nutty nuances, while the palate is refined and subtle with a quiet intensity that builds along the line, from entry to finish. Lively grapefruity acidity underpins the liveliness of the wine, which has substantial weight and richness as well as refinement. Oak plays a major role at this tender age, but it's a very smart wine that promises to reward keeping. Drink 2025 to 2035.

95 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, September 2025

The 2024 SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay continues on the proud tradition of this wine in its delivery of spicy reduction on the nose, rich fruit on the middle palate and the bright, saline acidity that the vineyards in the Wallcliffe area seem capable of each season. While this feels a little more restrained than last season, the difference in impact is minimal, and it is only the fruit flavors—here, a little richer than 2023—that give away its seasonal identity. Drink 2025 to 2034.

94 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, January 2026

Established by the Towner family in 2007, Flametree built its reputation quickly by winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy with their very first red wine and establishing themselves as a serious Margaret River producer from day one. Winemaker Cliff Royle selects fruit from growers across the region's distinct subregions, with the S.R.S. — Sub Regional Series — representing the pinnacle of that selection.

This Chardonnay draws on two sites in the southern part of the Wallcliffe subregion, south of the Margaret River town site. The first component is old, low-yielding Gingin clone material at Chapman Grove, the second is close-planted, high-density Leeuwin Block 20 cuttings at Edinger Estate. Both sites benefit from excellent soil structure and aspect that protects fruit from warm afternoon heat during the critical ripening period.

The 2024 was the warmest and earliest vintage on record for Margaret River: warm, dry and fast-paced, with fruit quality exceeding expectations despite the compressed season. Fruit was hand-picked in the cool of the early morning, refrigerated overnight and whole bunch pressed into French oak puncheons the following day. Wild fermentation was conducted in 33% new French oak puncheons on high turbidity juice before ten months of maturation. Neither malolactic nor lees stirring were employed.

Lifted and expressive. Grapefruit, white peach and dried pear on the nose, with flinty, struck-match complexity and a savoury oyster shell and saline character that defines this wine's signature style. The palate is rich and precisely structured, with lively acidity, nutty spiced oak and a long, tangy finish. Moreish and immediately engaging, with the structure to develop beautifully over the next five to ten years.

Drink from 2026 through to 2035.