McHenry Hohnen Rolling Stone 2018 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia

99/100 Vintage Journal
97/100 Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion
96/100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
96/100 Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot
96/100 The Wine Front
95/100 James Suckling
94/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review
93/100 James Suckling (2017 vintage)
91/100 The Real Review, Gabrielle Poy (2017 vintage)
91/100 Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
97/100 Halliday Wine Companion, Campbell Mattinson (2016 vintage)
96/100 The Real Review, Huon Hooke (2016 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2016 vintage)
92/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
96/100 Decanter, Sarah Ahmed (2015 vintage)
95/100 Halliday Wine Companion, Steven Creber (2015 vintage)
95/100 The Real Review, Huon Hooke (2015 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2015 vintage)
93/100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (2015 vintage)
91/100 James Suckling (2015 vintage)

5 Star Winery - James Halliday
"Halliday Wine Companion - Australian Winery of the Year 2022 & 2023"
Top Rated Cabernet and Family of the Year 2024 - Halliday Wine Companion

Best Cabernet Blend _ Ray Jordan's WA WINE REVIEW
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards

Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023, Erin Larkin "We are coming to the end of the premium 2018 releases from Margaret River, so it is a thrill to be able to taste a few more before the tranche is exhausted. This is closed, restrained and cooling, with layers of graphite tannins and salty mineral acidity ... the fruit is supple and elegant, defined wholly by blackberries, mulberries and raspberry coulis. This has eons left in the tank. It would be impatient of you to drink it earlier than 2025 (we would forgive you if you did though, because it is already delicious)."

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "The 2018 season was warm and produced wines of power and grace. The nose here leads with dark chocolate, cassis, licorice, raspberry and pomegranate and inflections of bay leaf and green olive. The fruit is enveloping, rich and fresh. A superb wine. Muscled, almost gravelly tannins shape the wine through the finish.."

Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot "The very serious 2018 Margaret River Bordeaux blend focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, and unsurprisingly for the year delivers powerful aromas of just-ripe blackcurrant, graphite, dried herbs and granite with a strong backing of French oak. It then jumps out of the blocks with lashings of blackberry, blackcurrant and violets, before tightening up to a long, strong well defined finish with exceptional tannins that are significant yet fine – a real feature. Don’t be tempted for at least another decade."

James Suckling "A classic, cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend. Gravel over clay, alluvial and maritime. This is rather loosely knit for the top wine of the suite. Perhaps I am getting the puppy fat stage. Clove, tea tree and cassis. A douse of sage, dried lavender and mint. A swab of tapenade. A dense finish that showcases plenty of layers, textural rivulets and classy oak. This is destined for a long life ahead, as with all of the top wines at this address. From biodynamically grown grapes."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Deep-ish red to brick-red colours with a faint reminder of purple; there are crushed-leaf, blackcurrant and smoky oak-derived aromas superimposed with toasty/smoky and tobacco savoury notes from age development. The wine is full-bodied and powerful, loaded with drying tannins and firm structure that speaks of a cool cabernet climate—not sunny, fruit-sweet and generous but elegant, stately and reserved."

Halliday Wine Companion, Erin Larkin "Savoury, oak-driven and structured tannins are the standout feature here; shapely, finely knit and supple. They provide a frame from which the red berries and exotic spice can hang. Long and rippling, this is a wine of savoury succulence and longevity." (2017 vintage)

James Suckling "The berry and cherry aromas and flavors with some orange peel and lemongrass undertones are very persuasive. It’s medium-bodied with medium firm tannins and a fresh and driven finish. Outstanding quality for the cool 2017 vintage." (2017 vintage)

The Real Review, Gabrielle Poy "A wafty nose of roses, meat and geranium lead into a very ripe core that is richly fruited. This is a well-structured and powerful style, the fruit has been packed with loads of flavour. The tannins are fine, chewy and bitter, reining in the boisterous core of fruit." (2017 vintage)


Halliday Wine Companion, Campbell Mattinson "It sits on the bolder side of medium weight, but it's superbly elegant and superbly persistent. It presents a velvety flow of blackcurrant, dark chocolate, gravel, peppercorn and wood smoke-like flavours and, while the pull of tannin is strong, the flow of fruit will not be halted. Sensational example of a Margaret River cabernet blend." (2016 Vintage)

The Real Review, Huon Hooke "Deepish red colour with a tint of purple. The bouquet is chocolaty and cedary, Bordelais oak-infused complexity, the palate full-bodied and stately, with good density and drying, savoury tannins. A marvellously elegant, complex, multi-dimensional red, cabernet-driven and follows the Bordeaux model closely. A terrific glass of wine now and for many years hence." (2016 vintage)

James Suckling "This blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and petit verdot has rich, earthy style with ripe dark berries and plums on offer, as well as dark spices, graphite and forest wood. The medium-bodied palate has an appealing, elegant feel and red-plum and berry flavors to close." (2016 vintage)

Decanter, Sarah Ahmed "A significant mid-February rain event delayed ripening but, with low yields, full tannin and flavour ripeness was attained. Soaring dried rose and white pepper aromas with juicy plum and concentrated blackcurrant on a hurtling attack. These flesh out through the velvety, bitter chocolate mid-palate (40% new oak), before reeling in. Finishes firm and very long, with signature gravelly tannins, a bloody iron tang and a spicy green peppercorn edge. Great potential!" (2015 vintage)

Halliday Wine Companion, Steven Creber "A blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and petit verdot from the Hazel Vineyard; essentially a barrel selection of the best of the Bordeaux varieties. It's not quite the finished article, but it has the components in the making for a complex and long-lived wine. The fruit has elegance and depth to go with it, the tannin ripe and persistent." (2015 vintage)

The Real Review, Huon Hooke "Deep, rich colour, the bouquet likewise rich, ripe, chocolate and toasty, with definite cabernet cassis, cedar and leafy notes. It's full-bodied and firm in tannin, with good extract and density. Lashings of ripe, mouthcoating, supple tannins. A glorious cabernet of real panache and presence. It already drinks well and will repay cellaring." (2015 vintage)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "Like all of the reds here, it features soaring aromas—in this case, violets, black tea, bay leaf, black olive and cassis. It's full-bodied and silky-creamy in texture, then turns velvety on the long, chocolate and vanilla-tinged finish." (2015 vintage)

James Suckling "Some very rich, ripe aromas here with currants, plum paste and dried dark berries, as well as mint and other dark-leaf roasting herbs. The palate is very ripe, bold and rich with a powerful, weighty finish. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and petit verdot." (2015 vintage)

48% cabernet sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Malbec and 12% Petit Verdot.
Alcohol: 14.4%

Founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focusses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.

Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined Cabernet Sauvignon and intensely citrusy Chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and Shiraz.

Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.