Ray Jordan's Best of WA - The Award Winners
8 Top Whites and 10 Top Reds presented by Western Australia's most read wine writer, Ray Jordan.
Join Ray Jordan at Lamont’s Cottesloe for a tasting experience like no other! Taste 18 of Ray’s award winning WA wines at either our lunch or masterclass events.
Producers featured include…
Cullen | Faber Vineyard | Ferngrove | L.A.S. Vino | Moss Wood | Myattsfield Vineyards | Nikola Estate | Picardy | Sittella | Swinney | Talisman | Vasse Felix
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Sunday, March 22nd
Hosted by Ray Jordan
Lunch: 12-3pm | 18 Wines and 4 Courses | $185.00
Masterclass: 4pm-6pm | 18 Wines and Kate Lamont Canapés | $95.00
Ticket price includes a copy of Ray Jordan’s 2026 WA Wine Review!!
This book contains reviews of more than 600 wines from the State's wine regions, with hundreds more available online at rayjordanwine.com.au.
Ray Jordan - Australia’s “most read” wine writer.
Ray Jordan is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected wine journalists, contributing to newspapers and magazines for more than 40 years.
Author of the 2023 to 2026 (current release) WA Wine Review, and its previous title, WA Wine Guide from 2000 to 2022.
His first articles were published in the early issues of national wine magazine, Winestate, in the late 1970s when he worked in Sydney as a newspaper correspondent. From 1989 to 2023 Ray wrote more than 3000 columns as a regular newspaper wine columnist. He currently writes a regular column for the special business publication Business News and is a contributor to the wine platform Wine Pilot.
In 2017 Ray co-authored The Way it Was – A History of The Early Days of the Margaret River Wine Industry and previously wrote Wine in the Blood: Australia’s Family Wine Estates, published in Mandarin and English.
Ray has also judged at the Swan Valley Wine Show, the Barossa Wine Show, the Perth Hills Wine Show, the Geographe Wine Show and the Sheraton Wine Awards.
In 2011 Ray was awarded the WA Wine Press Club Jack Mann Memorial Medal for his contribution to the WA wine industry. His love of wine is as strong as his love of the blues, and tasting the thousands of wines that cross his bench each year allows him to indulge in both.
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Welcome to the WA Wine Review 2026, the fourth edition of this annual publication and digital portal showcasing the best wines produced in Western Australia.
This book contains reviews of more than 600 wines from the State's wine regions, with hundreds more available online at rayjordanwine.com.au.
Because wineries provide me with the full range of their releases, I am able to assess many wines that are never shown at either national or regional wine shows. In the main, these are the famous wines from the best-known and high-profile WA wineries that have contributed to the global reputation for WA wines.
Over the past four decades, much of the focus on WA has centred on Margaret River.
These continue to excel and reach to new heights. However, other regions are making their mark in a big way as they continue to refine and define their styles, exploring new varieties and clones to create distinctly individual expressions.
I have been writing about wines for more than 40 years, and I am continually amazed that each year the quality continues to increase, not just from the established names, but also from new and emerging producers. These are among the most exciting to watch as they signal an industry that is growing its reputation on quality rather than quantity.
The reviews of these wines were conducted over several months, with new vintages submitted as they became available. Those exceptional wines were also set aside and re-tasted to determine the best ones in each category. I can tell you that it was an enjoyable but challenging exercise.
The best wines are a testament to creative and rigorous winemaking and viticulture that reflect a total commitment to quality. A quality that has never been better.
SPECIAL FEATURES
This year we have several important features about the industry.
Veteran wine journalist Ken
Gargett looks at WA grenache against a national perspective.Cassandra Charlick has spoken to Jack Mann Memorial Medal winners Jeff and Amy Burch about their life in the wine industry.
A special feature on the Perth Hills highlights the wines and producers in this wonderful little area on Perth's doorstep.
Other features include a retrospective look at 50 years of Moss Wood cabernet, the emergence of Cullen's Vanya as a great Australian cabernet, the first 10 vintages of Vasse Felix's Tom Cullity cabernet sauvignon malbec, and a look at exciting Swan Valley-based producer Vino Volta.
In 2024, WA lost industry pioneer Dr John Gladstones, and this year, Crown Perth will honour this great man with the opening of the Gladstones Wine bar, which will appropriately feature the best in WA wines.
To mark this important event, a special review of the Houghton Gladstones cabernet sauvignon through the years is included in this book.
I hope you enjoy the WA Wine Review 2026, and don't forget to check out rayjordanwine.com.au for more online reviews.
Happy drinking.
The Wine List & Menu
On Arrival
2018 Sittella Grand Vintage Azelee Eloise Berns Rosé
There's a lovely, brilliant pink colour to open, and then the nose reveals subtle red fruit, cherry, and raspberry notes that merge seamlessly with more bready autolysis characters. The palate is deeply flavoursome and intense, with both structure and finesse. The extra time in the bottle has allowed this to pick up further layers of complexity and richness while retaining that fine, controlled brightness and energy through to a long finish.
96 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
1st Bracket
2025 Ferngrove Cossack Riesling
There have been some marvellous rieslings from this small vineyard in the Great Southern. This one shows the typical restraint and spiciness with a deceptive build-up of intensity on the palate. Distinctive lemon zest and spice on the nose, and a fine, delicate palate with precise acidity. Drinking beautifully now, yet with the inherent qualities to handle extended cellaring.
96 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2025 Picardy Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
If you think you’ve seen just about every example of sauvignon blanc and sémillon from this state, think again. This is an outstanding take on a blend that can sometimes be ho-hum, but in the right hands can be something special. Here, three clones of sauvignon blanc are co-fermented with 15% sémillon. The result is compelling: delightful lemon aromatics, subtle gooseberry and grassy notes, and a touch of dried herb. The palate is deeply intense yet carries a lovely airy feel. An SBS I’d happily bring to the table for any occasion. Cracking good wine.
95 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2025 Talisman fumé sauvignon blanc
This fumé style savvy has been really well made in that while it’s been wild fermented in old chardonnay barrels, the degree of oak influence has been held in perfect balance. At the same time, it’s created a wine of richness and texture and layers of flavour with a slightly lemony nutty character and a fine savoury minerally finish. This is the type of wine that shows the versatility of sauvignon blanc, and it will age well.
95 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2nd Bracket
2024 L.A.S. Vino CBDB Chenin Blanc Dynamic Blend
Each year, Peterkin produces one of the most interesting takes on chenin blanc. In this case, it went through both barrel and amphora after wild fermentation, then received fortnightly lees stirring. The result is a wine that retains the beautiful aromatics of chenin with a slightly citrusy melon and apple tropical character, but then builds in a texture which combines richness and steeliness, delivering the wine with great poise and flair. This is a really interesting take on chenin blanc.
96 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2018 Faber Vineyard Verdelho
his is a thoroughly exquisite mature verdelho from the Swan Valley. It shows the remarkable versatility of this wine and this variety. The extra time in the bottle has allowed it to develop a lovely toastiness that’s evident immediately on the nose, adding to the rich, textured feel on the palate. It still retains a delightfully fresh acidity, sustained through to a very long finish. A great example of what this variety is all about.
96 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2024 Nikola Estate The Impressionist
This is an excellent wine from a single vineyard in the Geographe area. It's made entirely from the Italian arneis variety and displays a lovely mix of light florals, restrained stone fruit, dried herbs, and a light citrus note on the edge. It's light-bodied, but there’s an intensity of flavour that carries and builds through to its sustained finish. A little fine minerality on the finish completes an excellent wine.
95 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay
Yes, there is that distinctive acid line that defines Heytesbury, but this year more generous and opulent fruit fills the palate. From the Gingin clone, with 52% new French oak and wild yeast fermentation. Aromas strike with urgency: powerful notes of savoury honeycomb, stone fruit, and floral fragrance. The palate is textured with a lovely lightness of touch that carries powerfully through to a very long finish. One of the very best in this illustrious line.
98 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
3rd Bracket
2023 Picardy Pinot Noir
Well, well, well. I expected the ’23 pinot from Picardy to be pretty special, and it is. Actually, it’s better than special. Aromatics are fragrant and alluring, with bright red fruits, a subtle truffly raspberry and cherry mix, and a touch of limestone nuance. The palate is simply sublime. This is pinot noir that helps define the variety in Western Australia. There’s power, effortless power, but it’s delivered with such finesse, cascading across the palate before flowing through to a very long finish.
97 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Merlot
A standout merlot that confirms Ribbon Vale as one of Australia’s best sites for the variety. Dark fruits and lifted florals dominate the nose, while the palate shows generosity and effortlessness supported by structure and poise. There’s depth and vibrancy here, carried with elegance. A wine of great expression with the potential for extended ageing.
97 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Myattsfield Vineyards Tempranillo
This Perth Hills-sourced tempranillo is positively scrumptious. It captures so much about this Spanish variety and the style that’s made it so popular. The fruit is delightfully supple, with fine, understated supporting tannins and just a smidgen of oak. It’s medium-bodied and loaded with dark fruits, including blackcurrant, dark cherry liqueur, and a slightly spicy raspberry lift. Colour is bright and buoyant, and the palate just sings. This, to me, is the quintessential Australian version of tempranillo.
95 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Talisman Malbec
Malbec has been a winner at Talisman over a number of years, and I’d have to say this one is as good as any I have seen. It captures all the ripe, generous fruit that you expect from this variety, and it delivers it with the supple tannins and the support of some nice oak, plenty of vibrant red fruits, a little bit of spice and a slightly chalky character that gives structure. It’s seamless and smoothly integrated, and brings another dimension to this variety.
96 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Nikola Estate The Mark Shiraz
This is a Frankland River shiraz from the Acacia vineyard. It shows ironstone and dark plummy fruit, with blackberry and dark plum richness. It’s deep, concentrated and plush, with firm yet fine tannins. The oak is largely Taransaud five-year seasoned oak. It has a textured, plush mouthfeel with a chalkiness that provides definition and balance. It’s brilliantly bright with powerful drive through the palate, focused and intense. There’s also a little sage bush and dried herb character in there, along with an ironstone thread.
98 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
4th Bracket
2023 Swinney Farvie Syrah
Syrah. Wow, deep colour and a powerful aroma announce a wine of power, poise and presence. Deep black and dark red colour with touches of purple. There is a sweet and beautiful spicy freshness and energy that bursts from the glass. This wine is about feel, and there is a saline minerality and alkaline character, combining with an almost glazed shimmering sheen. It is a wine that is both detailed and expansive, with layered, revealing textures and flavours burning within. The fruit is from dry-grown vertically trellised vines on the Powerbark and Wilson’s Pool vineyards. And the detail comes from the handpicking berry sorting approach before gravity feeding the two demi muids with a 55% whole bunch component.
99 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Swinney Farvie Mourvèdre
Oh yes, I love this wine. It has a beautiful perfume and brightness evident on the nose and the palate. This is bush vine mourvedre. The structure and palate poise are exceptional. The rustic edges are slightly knocked off. Meaty chorizo, but it’s subtle. Has a slightly ironstone rusty nail thread running through it with a tense dry tannin feel in the mouth. It was matured in a single 1600-litre vat that has no direct oak impact. The attention to detail is demonstrated by the management of the bush vine canopies, allowing attention to each bunch with the resulting uniformity of fruit. Traces of blue fruits with a subtle licorice and tarry character. Slightly more supple and revealing than the grenache and less open and opulent than the syrah.
99 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Swinney Farvie Grenache
A remarkable grenache that captures much of the winemaking and viticultural philosophy with this wine sourced from the bush vine Wilson’s Pool Vineyard. The fruit was hand-picked, berry sorted and gravity-fed to French oak fermenters where 30 % whole bunches and wild fermentation have accentuated the bright spicy characters. The oak continues to play a more subordinate role with a greater percentage of whole bunches being used these days. Coupled with the earlier picking approach it captures the coolness and crunchy freshness style that is becoming the hallmark of the style. The palate is unlike any other Australian grenache with its precise arrow-straight acidity fired with telling accuracy to a target that eventually reveals deeper succulent fruit flavours. It is still tightly wrapped with firmness and tension. A wine of a touch of brash youthfulness and serious intensity.
99 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2023 Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon
Okay. I've tasted every one of the Diana Madeline vintages, and I can say absolutely that I have never had a better one than this. Opens with a highly scented perfume that lifts exotically from the glass. Then notes of bay leaf and black olive fill out a little before more ethereal notes of violet and glazed cherry emerge. The palate carries the typical firm thread of tannin that marks the style, but there is a warm wrap of fleshy, succulent fruit. Structured and vibrant with an underlying energy. A wine of tremendous energy and verve. Great wine.
99 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
2022 Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec
This is a superb wine. It’s elegant, balanced, and beautifully presented. Lifted cedary black fruits with perfumed violet and light red berry notes. The palate is beautifully integrated and woven with fine, silky chalky tannins and fine-grained oak in support. The red fruits emerge to add appeal on both the nose and the palate. A wine that is both pretty and powerful, with refinement and elegance. Perhaps the most seamless and perfectly integrated of all the Toms.
98 Points - Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine