Palladian, our flagship range, sits “with the very best of Margaret River” – and, by extension, “with the very best from this country”. That is the verdict of Ken Gargett in WA Wine Review 2027, published by Ray Jordan, after tasting every vintage of Palladian Chardonnay from 2017 to 2023 and every Palladian Cabernet Sauvignon from 2013 to 2023: 18 wines, every one scored 94 points or more, two of them 99.
It is a verdict that carries weight because of where it is made. Ken calls Margaret River “a region of endless superlatives”, home to many of Australia’s finest chardonnays and cabernets, and he is blunt about what it takes to compete there: “If your wines are not elite, good luck.” His feature, titled “Shining Bright in a Galaxy of Stars”, places Palladian among the region’s leading wines.
Ken also notes that Fraser Gallop Estate has long “slipped a little under the radar”, consistently excellent yet less talked about than it might be. In his words, “things are changing and the wines are getting the attention they deserve”.
Palladian: ten rows, one site, every year
Fraser Gallop Estate was established in 1999 on dry-grown vineyards in Wilyabrup. Our Parterre range followed – in 2002 for cabernet and 2004 for chardonnay – and under former chief winemaker Clive Otto the team introduced a smaller, site-driven tier above it: the first Palladian Cabernet Sauvignon in 2013, and the first chardonnay in 2017.
Both Palladian wines are site-specific rather than barrel selections. The fruit for each comes from the same ten rows every year, all part of the original 1999 plantings, and among the best free-draining rows on the Estate. The cabernet is all Houghton clone, and both wines are 100 per cent single varietals. Those vines are now 27 years old.
The approach in the winery is the same each vintage. The fruit for each wine goes into three 500-litre puncheons, all new oak, and ferments with wild yeasts. The cabernet is destemmed and spends forty days on skins with hand-plunging once a day, before basket pressing and eighteen months in those same puncheons. The intention, as Ken describes it, is to see the site “through the lens of celebrating vintage variation”.
Clive stepped back in 2024 and Ellin Tritt, who joined Fraser Gallop Estate nine years ago, now leads the winemaking. The philosophy has not changed; as Ellin told Ken, there will be no major changes, just “gentle nudging”.
Palladian Chardonnay
2017 Chardonnay – 99 points. The first wine of the tasting set the tone. Ken wrote that he would be happy to put it “up against many of the Grand Cru Burgundies we see today”, and gave it at least another ten years.
2018 Chardonnay – 96 points. Tight and taut, with excellent oak integration and a line of juicy acidity: “A very fine example of the style.”
2019 Chardonnay – 96 points. A wine of power and concentration, which Ken suggests leaving a few more years: “A chardonnay very much for the long haul.”
2020 Chardonnay – 96 points. Poised and structurally together, with a palate Ken found “gorgeously textured” and a long, lingering finish.
2021 Chardonnay – 97 points. Still in its early stages, taut and pristine, with “majestic elegance throughout” and a great future ahead.
2022 Chardonnay – 94 points. A more muscular style with serious power, and “a cracking example of a fine Margaret River chardonnay”.
2023 Chardonnay – 97 points. Our current release, a wine of complexity, texture and great length, with oak integration Ken found near immaculate. He questioned why anyone would spend “many hundreds of dollars on Premier Cru White Burgundy when we have wines like this at home”.
Palladian Cabernet Sauvignon
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon – 94 points. The first release, now a pleasingly mature cabernet with fine acidity and satiny tannins, to enjoy over the next five years.
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon – 95 points. A more chocolatey character with good concentration: “Still offering life and vibrancy ahead of it.”
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – 97 points. Approachable and generous, with a supple texture and superb length: “A brilliant Margaret River cabernet. Love it.”
2016 Cabernet Sauvignon – 97 points. The last vintage under the old black label, gorgeously perfumed and extremely long, with pleasure ahead “for at least the next 15 to 20 years”.
2017 Cabernet Sauvignon – 95 points. A complex and complete style, still youthful, which “finishes with silky tannins”.
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon – 98 points. Seamless, with superb structure and great length: “Love this, a really cracking cabernet.” Ken expects 20 years of pleasure.
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon – 99 points. The highest-scoring cabernet of the tasting, a wine of power, balance and grace that Ken found utterly complete. He closed with a thought we enjoyed: “Wouldn’t you just love to sneak this into a blind tasting of First Growth Bordeaux.”
2020 Cabernet Sauvignon – 94 points. Back to “the spice garden”, rather muscular, with a firm finish to drink over the next decade.
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon – 96 points. A mid-weight, more elegant style with satiny tannins, to drink well over the next ten to 15 years.
2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – 95 points. Youthful and still coming together, soft and supple: “It surely has an excellent future.”
2023 Cabernet Sauvignon – 98 points. Our current release is superbly balanced, sleek and supple, with extraordinary length through to “the silkiest of tannins”. Ken expects it to provide 20 to 25 years of enjoyment.
Our earlier post covers the six Fraser Gallop Estate wines recognised in WA Wine Review 2027, including our current Parterre releases.
Full Palladian scores at a glance
| Vintage | Palladian Chardonnay | Palladian Cabernet |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | – | 94 |
| 2014 | – | 95 |
| 2015 | – | 97 |
| 2016 | – | 97 |
| 2017 | 99 | 95 |
| 2018 | 96 | 98 |
| 2019 | 96 | 99 |
| 2020 | 96 | 94 |
| 2021 | 97 | 96 |
| 2022 | 94 | 95 |
| 2023 | 97 | 98 |
Looking ahead
Ellin has been spending more and more time in the vineyard alongside our viticultural team. She told Ken that 2024 was a warm vintage the vines handled extremely well, that 2025 was “gorgeous, close to 2018”, and that 2026 is “a beautiful vintage”, following the wettest winter in 58 years.
Ken also raised the question of whether the Palladian Chardonnay might one day prove the longer-lived of the two wines. Given the structure he found across the vintages, he considers it within the realms of possibility, though they agreed it is far too early for a definitive answer.
Ken’s comparisons tell their own story: a chardonnay he would set against Grand Cru Burgundy, and a cabernet he would happily slip into a blind tasting of First Growth Bordeaux. He closes the feature simply: “They are some of Margaret River’s best.”
Our thanks to Ken Gargett and Ray Jordan. WA Wine Review 2027 is available in print; for more of Ray’s reviews and wine news, visit rayjordanwine.com.au. Photography in the feature by Freedom Garvey.
