Paul Edwards: Three lions roaring again at Plantagenet

The 2023 Spring release of the Plantagenet Wyjup Range marks the return to the top division for Plantagenet Wines. Wyjup is the second vineyard planted after the winery’s inception, and the collection that takes its name represents the pinnacle of Plantagenet’s production. It is the passion project of owner Tom Wisdom, who, as a sixth generation member of the Lionel Samson family, has embraced the task of writing the next chapter of family history. Theirs is a history that is woven into the narrative of West Australian wine, and stretches from the colony’s first liquor licence in 1835 to the Plantagenet winery. Plantagenet itself, established by the late Tony Smith, planted the first commercial vineyards in the Great Southern, and established production. In the process, he tapped into the regional historical legacy by recycling an old apple packing shed as their winery and cellar door, and repurposed tanks taken from the Albany Whaling Station for vinification. A glance at the list of former winemakers is an honour roll of the WA Wine Industry and it’s no wonder bottles of ‘80s and ‘90s Plantagenet shiraz and riesling peppered every cellar across the State. After the Samson family let go of their distribution business, and control of their route to market, production dropped from 115,000 cases per annum to as little as 18,000 at its nadir. With Wisdom at the helm since 2021, who has been joined by no-nonsense winemaker, Mike Garland, the winery is again expanding and has a clarity of vision. The focus is on vineyards, and the Wyjup range represents their very best wines of provenance. Riesling, pinot noir, and shiraz from the Mt Barker region are long-recognised as exceptional, but the less heralded regional symbiosis is that of the region’s deep loamy gravels with the Bordeaux varieties, particularly cabernet sauvignon. Garland has also identified a particularly unique and expressive parcel of malbec from the Wyjup site which has reached the quality standards for the range. The Wyjup vineyard itself remains a work in progress with its undulates and slants offering differing aspects and soil profiles for further expansion. At its high points it offers stunning views east towards Mt Barker and Porongurup. Despite taking the Wyjup name, the pinot noir for the collection is sourced from the even earlier plantings, from 1968, off the nearby Bouverie vineyard. While there are plans for pinot noir and more varietal expansion on Wyjup, it is this wealth of terroirs that will propel Plantagenet into the future. Watch this space. Plantagenet 2022 Wyjup Collection Riesling, Mt Barker, WA, $45 This is quintessential Great Southern riesling. The aromatics and flavours have purity and restraint with lemon blossom, grapefruit and subtle white flowers. The palate is taut, bright and minerally. Call it sucking on pebbles, licking slate or choose your own metaphor this has minerals and salinity. Finishes long and pithy dry, as the fresh acidity resolves and softens. Enjoy now or wait at least five years for aged characteristics to increase complexity. 95/100 Plantagenet 2022 Wyjup Collection Malbec, Mt Barker, WA, $80 The vibrant opaque purple indicator colour and the overt aromatics shout out that this must be malbec. Violets, white pepper, hibiscus and vanilla bean are beguiling and heady. The supple mouthfeel is seductive but there’s real fruit power and intensity here. Blueberries, black forest gateau, cedar and toast, are slathered generously as the sensations build to a gutsy crescendo. There’s something here that needs taming, but is delicious in its wild state nonetheless. 94/100 Plantagenet 2019 Wyjup Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Mt Barker, WA, $80 It’s the palate weight and refined powdery tannins that make this such a unique cabernet sauvignon. This is a serious red, grown and crafted for its structure and mouthfeel. Sure, there’s a richly scented, wildy varied, combination of aromatics including, bay leaf red berries, blackberry, bramble, cocoa and toasty oak, but the essence of this wine is chesterfield-like comfort on the palate. Neatly structured. Charming and proper! 95/100