the property in the 1860s were sourced from Leschenault and South Australia. A letter by Mr William Burges, a prominent early settler and pastoralist, published by Perth’s Inquirer and Commercial News in 1862, suggests that cabernet sauvignon (and malbec) were first brought into Perth from Sydney by a ‘Mr Chauncey’. This is probably Western Australia’s assistant surveyor Philip Lamothe Snell Chauncy, who resigned his position and moved to Victoria in 1853. While there is a gap in provenance, leading to questions about origin, the Houghton Clone is unquestionably derived from 1950s plantings at Houghton. These vines were based on cuttings taken off the presently unknown 1930s ‘Frenchman’s Block’, a vineyard of bush vines that were probably pulled out during economic recession. Between 1968 and 1970, Western Australia’s Department of Agriculture studied the performance of 21 vines, each selected for their yield, health, and fruit flavour. After evaluation at its Gingin nursery, the vines were planted out for further appraisal at Frankland River in 1973. The Houghton Clones or selections were also made available for Margaret River’s pioneering winemakers, with the help of the Department’s John Gladstones and Dorham Mann, both leading figures in the State’s emerging wine scene. The story of the Margaret River’s Gingin Clone of chardonnay follows a similar pattern. Imported as FPS1 (Foundation Plant Services 1) from UC Davis California, it is derived from 1956 plantings originally sourced from the university’s defunct 1930s Armstrong Vineyard. Described as a pre-Prohibition clone, it is believed the cuttings were originally sourced by Ernest Wente from Theodore Gier’s Pleasanton Vineyard, Livermore Valley, in 1908 and planted nearby at the Wente Estate. This material is thought to have been imported to California as budwood from Meursault in Burgundy in 1882. After propagation and selection, the clone became known in Western Australia as the Gingin Clone. It is no secret that Denis and Trish Horgan of Leeuwin Estate, through their generosity and support to other vignerons, were responsible for the Gingin Clone’s widespread planting in Margaret River. Renowned for its hen-and-chicken fruiting habit, it has found a perfect home in the region. The most famous wines derived from this clone are Leeuwin
Margaret River 2026
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