MARGARET RIVER’S MAGNIFICENT HOUGHTON AND GINGIN CLONES
Western Australia’s Margaret River lies at a magnificent tension point between the vast Indian and Great Southern Oceans. The buffeting winds, rolling swell and expansive skies create a unique atmospheric energy. Meanwhile the warm poleward-flowing Leeuwin current in winter and the cool northerly Western Australian current in summer bring a dual-carriageway of spectacular marine life from rock lobster and abalone to migrating salmon and humpback whales. Sea birds of various kinds circulate, harass and bombard these bountiful feeding grounds while native forests of Marri, Karri and Jarrah and the surrounding land support a superb hotspot of biodiversity. Although European settlement altered the appearance of the land throughout the 19 th Century, the region remains largely covered by native forest, while land use has also changed markedly from predominantly logging, dairying and mixed farming to viticulture, winemaking and eco-tourism. By happenstance Margaret River’s fine wine reputation is built on the storied history and quality of 19 th Century pre-phylloxera cabernet sauvignon and early 20 th Century pre-Prohibition era chardonnay vine cuttings. Although vineyards were planted a little further to the north around Busselton and Bunbury in the 19 th Century, the modern Margaret River wine industry began in 1967, when Dr Tom Cullity of Vasse Felix planted his first block of cabernet sauvignon vines. Moss Wood, Cape Mentelle, Cullen, Leeuwin Estate followed in quick succession using the same grapevine selection known as the Houghton Clone. This heirloom vinestock material represents a significant percentage of plantings and underpins the reputation of the best Margaret River cabernet wines. Cullen Diane Madeline, Moss Wood Cabernet and Vasse Felix Tom Cullity are the primary ‘First Growth’ collectables while Xanadu Reserve
Margaret River 2026
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