When Jane and I purchased the Thompson Estate Wilyabrup property in 1994 it was a cow paddock, partly developed as a lavender farm (we still see the occasional lavender bush popping up in the vineyard).  Years of trampling from the cows had resulted in soil compaction and acidification, requiring a lot of cross-ripping and soil preparation before we planted our first vines in 1997. Putting aside the minor quibble over the precise date of our birth, we believe we can reasonably claim to be approaching our 25^th Anniversary!

Our decision to establish Thompson Estate in Wilyabrup has been rewarded with increasing national and international recognition, not only of our brand, but also of the standing of Margaret River and the Wilyabrup sub-region as producing some of the most sublime wines in the world. And yes, we take great pride in the achievements of our longer-established neighbours Vasse Felix, Cullen, Moss Wood, Pierro and Woodlands and revel in their success as much as ours (including Vanya Cullen’s recent stunning award of not one but two Winemaker of the Year awards in 2019).

Our vines on the Wilyabrup vineyard have now matured to their sweet spot and are  providing superb quality fruit each year. Our move to organic/biodynamic principles has presented some challenges in weed control, but we are working through that, and the quality of the fruit continues to improve each year.

In recent years, demand for our wines has grown and for several vintages we had to rely on bought-in fruit to meet the demand. This presented price and quality uncertainties, so when a vineyard planted the same year as ours, with a reputation for high quality fruit on rolling gravelly slopes, came up nearby, we jumped at the opportunity.  The new vineyard (pictured above) is located just behind the town of Cowaramup, 11 minutes to the South East of the home block, allowing easy sharing of staff and equipment. To cap off our expansion, we have also purchased a third vineyard adjacent to the second. As we approach our 25^th Anniversary, we are confident that the excellent reputation we have established as a consistently high quality Margaret River producer will continue to grow.

Following what seems to be a slightly warmer and drier winter than normal, the vines have responded by coming out of dormancy a little earlier with some of the shoots on the Chardonnay already 10–20 cm long. Our dams are full, ready to start irrigating the vines to keep them healthy and strong to produce the best quality fruit possible.

At the moment we are busy in the vineyard, mulching the pruning wood in the mid rows, replacing broken posts and dropping foliage wires in preparation for the vine growth which will occur in the next few months. Some would say that this time of year is the “vintage” of the vineyard, in that it is the busiest time of year with all hands on deck.  In the winery we are busy with bottling preparations; the filtering the 2019 whites and the 2018 reds, which were blended in the last month.

I am particularly excited about the new (2018) Specialist Cabernet, which won’t be released for a few years yet but will be one to look out for. Also worthy of a mention is the 2019 Four Chambers Pinot Noir Rosé, which was bottled last month.  We believe this wine is looking as good as the 2018 which picked up a Gold medal at the 2018 Margaret River Wine Show.

Paul Dixon, Winemaker

Join the UWA Club for a formal wine tasting with Thompson Estate wines. The wines sampled will be complemented by a series of delicious ‘bites’. 

The 2020 edition of James Halliday Wine Companion was recently released and we are thrilled to have retained our Red 5 Star rating for the 10th year in a row.

Thompson Estate are delighted to have received a Certificate of Excellence and listing in "The Real Review's Top Wineries of Australia 2019" for the second year in a row.