Forester Estate comes out on top in Halliday challenge

Margaret River’s Forester Estate has taken out James Halliday’s 2022 award for the best cabernet sauvignon in the country.

With judges hard at work last week across the region tasting some of Margaret River’s best chardonnays and cab savs, the top two winners were announced on Thursday night.

Forester Estate was joined by South Australian producer Penfolds which scored the chardonnay award and was the highest-scoring of the wines considered by judges on 98 points.

Forester Estate’s 2020 cab sav was scored at 97 points by judges, led by chair Adam Wadewitz.

Wadewitz said he was thrilled to lead a team of nine judges and six associate judges engaged in the challenge.

“The judges dug deep into the best examples of chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon,” he said.

“We tasted 646 entries from 37 wine regions from across Australia. It was exciting to see so many wines that can stand confidently alongside the world’s best.”

Margaret River Wine Association chief executive Amanda Whiteland also lauded the local winner.

“This year, the James Halliday Australian Chardonnay and Cabernet Challenge was judged at McHenry Hohnen here in Margaret River and through our collaboration with Wine Yarra Valley, next year the challenge will be judged in the Yarra,” she said.

“The alternating schedule provides a great opportunity for highly-regarded wine judges and associate judges from all over Australia to visit two wine regions which are passionate about chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.”

Of the 15 Best of Region awards, honours also went to local producers Deep Woods Estate for its Reserve Chardonnay 2021 on 97 points.

Other gongs went to winners from across the country’s 31 wine-producing regions.

For full results visit australianwinechallenge.com.au.