From the atlas
Woodlands Wines
At A Glance
Woodlands Wines is a Watson family estate in Wilyabrup, Margaret River, founded by David and Heather Watson in 1973. Its first 1.2-hectare planting was Cabernet Sauvignon, so Cabernet remains the thread through the range: straight Cabernet, Cabernet-led blends and the long-aged Woodlands Vineyard Margaret. A second site, Woodlands Brook, adds Chardonnay and more Cabernet fruit from two kilometres northeast of the original Caves Road vineyard.
The Producer
David and Heather Watson established Woodlands as one of Margaret River’s first five wineries, and the family still runs the work. Andrew Watson leads the vineyards and Stuart Watson the winemaking, while David and Heather remain involved. That continuity keeps the estate focused on Wilyabrup fruit: Cabernet Sauvignon supplies the firm red-wine frame, Merlot and small portions of Cabernet Franc and Malbec broaden its fruit and shape, and Chardonnay shows a white-wine side from Woodlands Brook.
Place
Woodlands works from two vineyards in the Wilyabrup Valley. The original Woodlands Vineyard sits on Caves Road; Woodlands Brook lies two kilometres to the northeast. Together the sites cover 28 hectares, which lets the family build a range around local Cabernet while keeping Chardonnay tied to a named plot at Woodlands Brook.
Wilyabrup appears on the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot label because the blend is rooted in that valley’s fruit rather than a single block. Its 62% Cabernet Sauvignon supplies the backbone, while 28% Merlot and smaller shares of Cabernet Franc and Malbec bring blue and red fruit into a wine shaped for bottle age.
Soil And Site
At the original vineyard, loam lies over gravel and clay, and the slopes form a small valley. The first Cabernet rows were planted east–west along the contour in 1973, following that ground rather than cutting straight across it. Those old Cabernet vines remain the estate’s central red-wine resource, feeding the Woodlands Vineyard Margaret as well as the broader Cabernet focus.
The Watson family bought Woodlands Brook in 2007. Wine Companion describes it as 17 hectares, and five hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon went in during 2008 without irrigation. That planting sits within Woodlands’ dry-grown, hand-maintained approach, while the close-planted Chardonnay plot there supplies the 2024 Woodlands Brook Chardonnay.
Story
Woodlands began with a small Cabernet decision: David and Heather Watson planted 1.2 hectares on Caves Road in 1973. The estate later largely ceased production around the turn of the 1990s, before the family returned it to active wine production. The 2007 purchase of Woodlands Brook gave the next phase more ground nearby, and the work is now divided within the family: Andrew in the vineyards, Stuart in the cellar. The result is a two-vineyard estate whose bottles still start with Cabernet, but whose range now has room for Cabernet blends and Chardonnay.
Vineyards And Cellar
The vineyards are dry-grown and hand-maintained using organic and traditional methods; the original Woodlands Vineyard is organically certified. Fruit is made into wine on-site by the Watson family, keeping vineyard decisions close to the finished bottles. The documented red wines also show how barrel ageing changes their shape: the 2022 Margaret spent 18 months in French barrels, 44% new, while the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot spent 14 months in French barriques. New oak brings cedar, vanilla, toast and grain; Cabernet tannin keeps those flavours from turning the wines soft.
For the Margaret, 24 days on skins draw colour, fruit and substantial tannin from a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 5% Malbec. The Chardonnay’s fine cedar oak, flint and phenolic cut show a different route: ripe fruit is held by crisp acidity and a lightly grippy finish rather than red-wine tannin.
Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon is Woodlands’ historic centre, beginning with the original 1973 planting and extending into Cabernet-led blends. The 2022 Woodlands Vineyard Margaret is the most structured expression in the documented range: Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec, red plum and cranberry fruit, substantial tannin, and French oak designed to integrate over time. Its suggested opening window, 2032 to 2037, suits a bottle intended for the cellar.
The 2023 Wilyabrup Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot takes a wider regional view. Cabernet Sauvignon remains dominant, but Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec make the fruit profile more floral and blue-toned. Fourteen months in French barriques add vanilla, crème caramel and gentle toast, while chewy tannin gives the palate grip as it opens.
Woodlands Brook Chardonnay is the white counterpart. The 2024 comes from a close-planted plot at that vineyard and combines pineapple, melon and juniper with citrus, cedar oak and flint. It has plush body rather than a lean, simple shape, but crisp acidity and a delicate phenolic bite keep the finish dry and firm.
In The Glass
Across the reds, Woodlands moves from cranberry and red plum in the Margaret towards violet, rose petal and blue fruit in the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. The Margaret’s longer 18-month barrel ageing and substantial tannin make it the denser, slower wine; the 2023 blend carries bright red and blue fruit over chewy tannin, with acidity extending the finish after air softens the initial grip.
The Chardonnay begins with pineapple and melon, then citrus and juniper lift the aroma above fine cedar. On the palate it is intense and plush, with flint, oak spice and a rich texture. Crisp acidity runs through that weight, and the phenolic cut leaves a dry finish rather than a creamy fade.
A Bottle To Understand It
Start with the 2023 Wilyabrup Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. It sets Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure beside Merlot’s fruit, then uses Cabernet Franc and Malbec in smaller proportions for floral and blue-fruit detail. Fourteen months in French barriques bring vanilla, crème caramel and gentle toast, while bright red and blue fruit, chewy tannin and fresh acidity keep the wine moving across the palate. The producer suggests opening it from 2029 to 2033, when its grip should sit more easily within the fruit and oak.
Anecdote
In 1981, Woodlands’ Andrew Cabernet Sauvignon became the first wine from Margaret River to win a National Red Wine Trophy. The estate had been founded only eight years earlier, after David and Heather Watson planted their first 1.2 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon along the contours of the Caves Road property. The trophy belonged to a bottle called Andrew Cabernet Sauvignon, made while the region was still establishing its national standing as a wine place. It remains a specific marker in Woodlands’ early record: a Cabernet from the family’s young Wilyabrup vineyard reaching a national red-wine competition and taking its top trophy.
Final Word
Woodlands is easiest to follow through Cabernet: planted first on the original valley slopes, expanded through a second Wilyabrup vineyard, and shaped into bottles whose fruit, tannin and oak have different roles. The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot shows the estate’s regional blend; the Margaret asks for more time; Woodlands Brook Chardonnay brings citrus, flint and dry texture to the same family story.
Sources
- https://www.woodlandswines.com/pages/our-story
- https://www.westernaustralia.com/en/foodanddrink/woodlands-wines/59b61499505f6c2d33b4b6c4
- https://winecompanion.com.au/wineries/western-australia/margaret-river/woodlands
- https://www.woodlandswines.com/products/2022-woodlands-vineyard-margaret
- https://www.woodlandswines.com/products/2024-woodlands-brook-chardonnay
- https://www.woodlandswines.com/products/2023-wilyabrup-valley-cabernet-sauvignon-merlot