IWSC announces medal results of 2024 Wine Judging in Margaret River

Mon 10 Jun 2024

By Mila Gorchakova

Last week our international judges headed to Australia for our second Global Wine Judging in Margaret River, in partnership with Margaret River Wine Association and Wines of Western Australia. Our judging team included top industry professionals representing both the on-trade and off-trade sectors, as well as renowned wine writers and broadcasters. The panels were overseen by the IWSC Wine Judging Committee member Alex Hunt MW.

Over 3 days of judging our panels tasted nearly 300 entries. With 240 medals awarded, including 9 strong golds, almost 90 silvers and over 140 bronzes*, this was “an accomplished set of wines” with many entries showcasing “skillful winemaking”, shared the judges.

Chardonnays shone once again this year, scooping the majority of gold medals and many silvers and bronzes. The best examples were “bristling with energy, concentration and all-round winemaking finesse,“ noted our judges who were impressed with the diversity of styles, “from racy, unoaked and fruit-forward Chardonnays right through to quite ripe, extracted, and oaked”.

One of the highlights was the 96-point, gold-winning Fraser Gallop Estate Parterre Chardonnay 2022 (Margaret River). The judges were wowed by its fresh nose of “sea spray, oyster shell and lemon verbena, grapefruit segments, nectarine, jasmine florals and frangipani”, followed by a palate with “a waterfall of acidity with lemonade fruit juice, granny smith apple flesh and pulpy nectarine”.

Another 96-point gold went to a Chardonnay made in an oaked and slightly reductive style. Singlefile Wines Pty Ltd The Vivienne Denmark Chardonnay 2021 (Great Southern, Western Australia) impressed our judges with its “finely detailed gun smoke complexity against a backdrop of grapefruit”, and its “fruit concentration sees through to the last acids as they battle it out.”

Cabernet Sauvignons, another specialty of the region, also performed well, with the most successful wines showing “structure, finesse and a seamless integration of oak”.

The absolute standout was Flametree Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 by Flametree Wines (Margaret River) that scored 96 points and earned a gold. The judges admired the nose of “delicate incense, fragrant wood and subtle plum and black fruits. Mid-palate is alive and acids are electric. Finish is savoury and hints at a little meatiness. Plenty of tannins with a fine velvety texture. This is a well-made wine with balance, concentration and good structure.”

Another gold winner was Fermoy Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (Margaret River) which displayed a “lovely nose of foraged blackberries, dried rosemary, cherry chocolate, intense dark berry and plum, saline, herbal intensity, balanced by redcurrant acidity, with some grip and a rich, dark, peppery finish”.

Overall, it was a very successful judging with many high quality wines on show, noted the judges.

*Several more medals were awarded to Western Australian wines judged in London, with a total of more than 260 medals awarded to Western Australian wines during our 2024 judgings.

Congratulations to all winners. Full medal results for Western Australia can be viewed here.