The sauv blanc that changed this wine critic’s mind
Tasting this varietal en masse is like being locked in a room with someone else’s shouty kids. But with Marri Wood Park I’ve found a drop that cuts through the noise to grant real peace.
I can feel the violins tuning up as this sentence forms in my head, but I’m going to put it to paper anyway. There are some days when writing about wine can feel a little mundane. Every day is a day of wine, but not all of them are sprinkled with roses. Tasting a bunch of sauvignons blanc is one of those.
It’s not my least favourite variety, and I enjoy the good ones, but tasting them en masse is like being locked in a room with someone else’s shouty kids. I was having that exact kind of day when one wine leapt up to save me. It had a distinctive energy, and told its story quietly but persuasively. It was a wine built on texture rather than ebullient aromatics; it had layers and depth to it.
I pulled the bottle out of the line-up to see it was the 2023 Marri Wood Park, and I then immediately went to the sample pile to pull out the other wines this producer had sent. An equally impressive chenin blanc and cabernet sauvignon made me dig more. The property at Yallingup in Margaret River was established in 1992 by Julian Wright and has been certified biodynamic since 2008. Wright’s daughter Natalie now runs the place with him, and they brought in the exceedingly talented Nic Peterkin to work with them on the winemaking in 2018.
Julian Wright has an approach to viticulture that’s a step apart from the neat-row norm. Noting how the surrounding bush managed to regenerate itself without intervention, he wondered how a vineyard might perform without overt intervention. He prunes the vineyard, obviously, but doesn’t do much more. There’s no irrigation, and naturally no fertilisers or pesticides. The soil is not tilled and no controlled cover crops are seeded between rows. The hard work comes with rigorous hand picking and fruit sorting. It’s unconventional, but here at least it seems to work.
Marri Wood Park Sauvignon Blanc, 2023
$38
This is serious sauvignon, tight and textural, a collection of citrus-drenched minerals. Grasses might be abundant in the vineyard but they’re not overt here. Lemon rind and pith, some oyster shell and parmesan rind. Soursops and flint. A taut, fine shell grit finish.
13.5% alcohol, 95 points
Marri Wood Park Chenin Blanc 2023
$40
Peterkin’s feel for what chenin needs to shine is on show here. It suggests pickled melon rind and lemon thyme, preserved lemon and raw oats. Waxed and buffed phenolics provide deftly deployed grip. There’s a fullness without extraneous fat. Impressive energy and drive.
13.5% alcohol, 95 points
Marri Wood Park Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
$45
The nose finds mulberry and cassis before a blackcurrant pastille note emerges. A fuller, plumper, plummy quality that could come from a portion of the wine spending extended time on skins. Not as firmly structured as some regional counterparts; finishes with powdery, almost fluffy tannins.
13.8% alcohol, 93 points