WOODLANDS

Margaret River, Australia

Philosophy & Site

Born from a love of Bordeaux Cabernet blends- and a dream to create a stellar wine of their own - David and Heather found the place they were dreaming of. Heather had grown up in southern Margaret River, and on a trip back to the region in Easter 1973 David and Heather found a small property for sale. The property was located on Caves Road in Wilyabrup. The soil was loam over gravel and clay, with slopes in every direction forming it's own unique valley, with a water course running through.

The property was called "Woodlands" and was to become one of the first five vineyards of the Margaret River region.

Winemaking

Despite early success, by 1989 Woodlands had almost ceased production. Cabernet Sauvignon fruit was sold to keep the dream alive, while the other varieties were unsold.

After discussion with his great friend Peter Anderson, David created a "right bank" blend comprising equal parts Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2015 the first Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from Woodlands Brook - 20 barrels of powerful wine - and too good to blend away.

Andrew and Marie lived on the property, and their daugher happened to be born that same year, so the wine took the name "Clementine".

A new Woodlands blend was created, using dry grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. The fruit was gravity-destemmed then hand sorted berry by berry. Fermentation and extraction lasted between 11 to 22 days. The wine was aged for 18 month in French barrels, of which 17% were new, before being blended and bottled

Not just a vineyard, and not just a name, Clémentine is the result of a love story.

We Say

‘Woodlands exudes history and the winemaking exemplifies New World Bordeaux blends, the wines have fantastic depth of flavour, sweet fleshy fruit and savoury oak spices all wrapped around juicy coastal acidity. These wines absolutely deserve the recognition, following, and awards they have garnered over the years”

They Say

“The winery holds a prestigious 5-star rating. Their estate-grown Cabernets are regularly highlighted as elite examples of the region.”

Halliday Wine Companion