2024 Margaret River Chardonnay

COLOUR
Pale straw, with a subtle green tinge.

CELLARING POTENTIAL
Enjoy the youthful vibrancy and freshness within the first 5 years, or with added bottle complexity for up 15 years.

NOSE
Lifted, concentrated and limey, with subtle overtones of spicey but restrained French oak.

PALATE
Long and concentrated, with a backbone of fresh, zesty acidity and briny minerality. The mid palate is generous, with flavours of brioche, cashew and limes lingering on the palate.

This wine was sourced from the Wylco vineyard some 15kms south east of Witchcliffe in the Karridale subregion which is in the south of the Margaret River wine region.

Hand picked on February 9th, which is particularly early, and in keeping with the early 2024 season.

The grapes were chilled in cool room overnight and then gently whole bunch pressed directly to a combination of old and new Latour French Oak barriques.

Fermentation commenced naturally after 2-3 days, and was undertaken at temperatures in the range of 18º-25ºC. Following fermentation the barrels were topped and allowed to sit for 2 months before the addition of sulphur.

The wines were matured using minimal batonage and then blended, and bottled in December 2024.

VINTAGE
2024

GI
Margaret River / Karridale

WINEMAKER
Richard Rowe

PICKING
Hand Picked February 9th 2024

BOTTLED
Mid December 2024

VEGAN STATUS
Vegan Certified with Vegan Australia.

Alc:% 12.8
pH: 3.08
TA: 8.10g
Malic: 2.31gms/litre
F/T SO2: 35/100ppm
Barrels: Matured in 30% new Latour (French oak) barriques for 9 months

Our Chardonnay was picked on February 9th, making this one of the earliest picks from this site in many years.

The 2023 winter was wet, followed by a warm and very dry spring and summer.

Above average temperatures, no rain and ideal growing conditions resulted in an early budburst. There was no disease pressure and abundant  blossom from the adjoining marri trees (Corymbia calophylla) provided the Silvereye birds with plenty of nectar. This meant they left our precious grapes alone.

Fruit ripening was even, although quicker than in other years, and the dry conditions resulted in smaller crops with concentrated aromas and flavours.

Despite the warm season, we have produced a wine with finesse, freshness and a lovely natural acidity. This is a testament to the quality and resilience of grape growing in Margaret River.

The Wylco vineyard is situated at latitude 34º south, at an altitude of approximately 200 metres, and on a gentle south westerly slope.

The soils are “Forest Grove Soils” which support well-balanced vine growth due to lower inherent fertility and low to moderate available water. They tend to be the shallowest soils in the region with clay and rock bases restricting root growth and moderating vine vigour.

Such soils typically produce iconic Chardonnay.

The vineyard was planted in 2000. The site enjoys a very Mediterranean climate, with typically warm dry summers and cool wet winters.

Approximately 20kms from the Indian ocean the vineyard experiences more inland weather patterns. Winds tend to be southerly and south easterly which serve to reduce the daily growing season’s daily maximums by 5ºC compared to the township of Margaret River. Furthermore these windy conditions serve to reduce vine vigour and heighten concentration and flavour.

While the daily monthly mean maximum temperature varies from 16.1º - 24.6ºC, the mean monthly minimums vary from 8.1ºC – 13.6ºC.

Annual rainfall is variable in the order of 1000-1200mm, most of this falling between May and September.

2024 Rowe Chardonnay, Margaret River, WA, 94 points

The fruit for this wine is sourced from the Wylco Vineyard, located in the cooler Karridale subregion of Margaret River, 20 kilometres south of the township. Handpicked and barrel-fermented, it’s aged for nine months in French oak with 30% of it new.

This is a finespun Chardonnay, defined by lovely detail, precision, and length. What’s more, it expresses the cool south of the region with admirable transparency. It opens demurely, with a delicate lift of fine cedar giving way to sweet Meyer lemon, grapefruit pith, and nougat. A good swirl of the glass unlocks dried pear, sea salt, and a flicker of flint beneath. There’s lovely finesse as the wine unfurls in the glass. The palate is more sapid and driven than the nose, though it mirrors it, with a burst of pithy grapefruit, pear, and Meyer lemon sitting above fine cedar and sea salt, all carried by ample texture. A glimmer of nougat lingers through the finish, as preserved lemon phenolics and saline acidity curl around the fruit and draw it to a long, elegant close.

Tom Kline, Wine Writer – Wine Pilot

24 June 2025

2024 Rowe Chardonnay, Margaret River, WA

What a privilege to review the first release of this exciting new family venture.

Richard Rowe is an Australian wine industry icon – with a career spanning some 50 years of winemaking at the highest level. Fittingly, this release brings the Rowe family close together to draw upon that incredible experience.

Richard Rowe who has some 40 hands on vintages in Margaret River, ties together the benefit of varietal knowledge, the appropriate use of the best oak and a contemporary understanding of what consumers require in a modern day, premium Australian Chardonnay.

The fruit for the Rowe 2024 Chardonnay is sourced from a small vineyard in Karridale – an emerging and highly prospective location some 20 minutes south of the Margaret River township. The specialist grower has nurtured this venture for some 20 years - totally focussing on the production of the highest quality fruit. The Chardonnay vines are of the Gingin clone; the clone that has made Margaret River Chardonnay world famous.

The wine presents in brilliant condition. It is light golden toned with a hint of green at the edge and of medium body. The bouquet is an amalgam of tight, well managed fruit complemented by quality French oak. The symmetry of components is to be very much admired. Overarching are the true nuances of Chardonnay – handled with the utmost respect; the wine is fresh and vibrant.

The first impressions on the palate are of a wine that is tightly bound around a central core of fruit and oak albeit showing an excellent balance of fruit and acidity. Youthful now (and drinking well) but will need two to three years to evolve and display its natural power and grace at its best. I very much enjoyed the wine’s length, flavour and depth - which augurs well for the future. Very good cellaring potential.

A first-class Margaret River Chardonnay of the modern, vibrant style which will handsomely reward the patient.

What a wonderful debut!

John Hanley, Perth Wine Identity

9 June 2025