Unearthing the foundations of Margaret River’s fine-wine reputation

Although vineyards were planted a little further to the north around Busselton and Bunbury in the 1800s, 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 Cabernet, Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet, Fraser Gallop, cult wine producer Cloudburst and others have released exquisite vintages in recent times.

While the original vinestock material for the Houghton clone, is referenced by some observers as having arrived in Western Australia around 1830 from the Cape Colony (South Africa), this is highly unlikely. The first recorded importation of Cabernet Sauvignon took place in 1837 when William Macarthur of Camden Park, New South Wales brought in the variety from Barton and Guestier in Bordeaux.

Charles Ferguson the owner of Houghton’s, one of Western Australia’s oldest wineries in the Swan Valley, claimed the vines first planted on 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 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 Estate Art Series Chardonnay, Cullen Kevin John, Vasse Felix Heytesbury and Pierro Chardonnay but other winemakers are producing equally compelling examples, including Cape Mentelle, Cloudburst, Deep Woods Estate, Howard Park, Domaine Naturaliste, House of Cards, Nocturne, Voyager Estate, Woodlands, Xanadu and others. The pure fruit definition, ample volume, al dente textures and mineral length are a consistent theme of these beautiful Margaret River Chardonnay styles.

The Houghton and Gingin clones are a wonderful legacy of shared family ambitions while representing the very best and purest lineage of pre-phylloxera germplasm. This exceptional vinestock material also represents a much bigger vision that began during Victorian times when pioneering vignerons believed that Australia would become the France of the Southern Hemisphere. While this expression is outdated, the underlying ambition has remained the same across several generations. While Margaret River is a relatively new wine region, its pristine environment, ancient soils, heirloom grapevines and distinguished vineyards combined with some of the most enlightened and experienced winemakers in the world, have led to classic wines of great singularity and character. Whenever I drink these wines, I always feel a sense of wonderment; they are so distinctive and delicious to drink while representing living Margaret River heritage.

IWSC medal-winning wines from Margaret River’s Gingin and Houghton clones