Established in 1982, Lenton Brae is a small family owned and operated Margaret River wine producer. Bruce Tomlinson, an Architect and town planner by profession was working on a sub-division of the Moss Wood Property when Bill Pannell, happened to comment on the virtue of the soil and site that had just been sub-divided. The lure of owning vineyards and producing wines in Margaret River was too powerful for Bruce to ignore, and although originally planned as a sea change rather than a career move he quickly found himself immersed in the task. Lenton Brae excels in the Margaret River specialities of blended Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and the varietals of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Nose: A beautiful complex nose exhibiting lifted notes of pawpaw, lime, musk, with an underlying hint of toastiness from the oak.
Palate: A full flavoured SSB with delicate acidity running along the backbone of the wine allowing the juiciness of the fruit to shine. Green apples, pink grapefruit, lime and cumquat flavours abound. The finish is flavoursome and long with an almost mineral like drive.
Pairing: Enjoy chilled on a sunny afternoon or pair with fresh sushi, grilled prawns or a chicken salad.
A bouquet of floral, exotic, sandalwood and spice. Notes of lemon, lanolin and vanilla throughout. The palate is racy on entry, delicious and refreshing now and will add complexity with patient cellaring
Nose: Lifted aromas of lime sherbet, kaffir lime leaves and zest, with a hint of pink grapefruit.
Palate: This wine is a statement in purity and drive with minerality and acid as its vehicle. A tightly wound core of fruit is carried along the palate with satiating and slatey acidity. Hints of grapefruit, persian lime, a touch of a herbal edge are all highlighted with the pure mineral acidity giving a delightful satiating experience.
Pairing: Kingfish ceviche or salmon gravlax.
Nose: A lovely inviting nose exhibiting pink blossom florals, pomegranate, and hints of nectarine and stone fruits.
Palate: This wine showcases the character of the vineyard. The wine is about the terroir and the flinty acidity that is encouraged by this site. Spice and grapefruit coalesce with the flinty acidity giving drive and a satiating quality to the long finish.
Pairing: Fillet of grilled barramundi with bbq greens.
Nose: Beautiful lifted aromas of cashew and hints of vanilla under score aromas of white nectarine, cumquat, jasmine and pear.
Palate: A seductive front palate showing a creamy consistency and lemon verbena brightness beguiles the complexity that follows through into the mid palate. Nuances of fine juicy citrus acidity marry with the nectarine and tangerine flavours all of which is couched in a delicate textural mouthfeel as a result of the wild ferment and juice solids incorporated into the ferment.
Pairing: Seared salmon with sauce vierge, and steamed greens
Nose: Generous, lifted nose exhibiting raspberry flowers, pink lady apples, dusting of vanilla, pink musk sticks and a hint of thyme.
Palate: Made as a dry style of rosé the palate initially shows hints of pink musk stick, strawberry flowers, and wild raspberries. The palate is underscored with a sprinkling of pink and white pepper which leads to a savoury finish.
Pairing: Garden salad with goats cheese croutons - go heavy on the goats cheese - the wine will cut through the cheese perfectly.
A classic Margaret River blend- the tannin of CabernetSauvignon beautifully complements the mid palate fruitiness and softness of the Merlot- this is an easy drinking, crowd pleasing red.
Nose: Vibrant, lifted characters featuring pink musk, rooibos tea and wild strawberries.
Palate: Soft, generous, and eminently approachable with a beautiful freshness. A bright red core of raspberries, plums and strawberries sit nestled alongside fine gravelly tannins. Beautifully medium weighted the whole wine is delightfully bright.
Pairing: Perfect with some bbq chops or shepherd’s pie.
Nose: Very vibrant lifted aromas, dark maraschino cherries, rhubarb, baked raspberry pie, dark chocolate with some dustiness and vanilla.
Palate: Beautifully plush palate with an intense core of fruit which is structurally varietal and regionally typical. A seductive front palate leads into flavours of plum, blueberry, chocolate and nuances of liquorice all couched within super fine, dusty tannins that leave a plushness and satisfaction and desire to have another glass.
Pairing: Seared crispy duck breast with a red wine jus.
This wine displays lifted aromatics of dark fruits, blueberries, black cherries and dark chocolate. The rich, full-bodied palate echoes these flavours displaying fantastic concentration and fruit definition while being gently supported with supple acidity and tannin.
Wilyabrup was the chosen location for the first vines planted in Margaret River. Pioneers included Dr Tom Cullity, Dianna and Kevin Cullen and Bill Pannel. Today Wilyabrup is acknowledged as the epicentre for superior Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon and superb Chardonnay and Semillon.
The typical soil profile is gravelly loam of depth between 500 -800mm over a clay base. The gravel facilitates water drainage whilst not supporting excessive vigour. The clay base retains moisture and encourages root penetration.
The climate in Margaret River provides superior growing conditions that are seasonally consistent and best surmised as Mediterranean. Rainfall is winter dominant, with approximately 80% falling between April and September. The prevailing dry conditions during the final fruit ripening period in early Autumn allow for low humidity and disease incidence.