Domaine Naturaliste

“The most brilliant examples of contemporary Margaret River chardonnay"
&
"…one of the best value chardonnays on the planet"
- Nick Ryan, Weekend Australia

Owner and chief Winemaker, Bruce Dukes,
hosts 13 wines including the 2024 New Releases over three events…

Sunday, August 23rd
Hosted By Bruce Dukes, Owner & Chief Winemaker

What the Critics have to say…

“Bruce Dukes is wholly talented, and while he makes high-quality acclaimed wines for his own estate – Domaine Naturaliste – he also does this for a raft of other, smaller producers in Margaret River and Geographe. His winemaking style is one of fresh, pure fruit over obvious or intrusive winemaking artifact, and the wines routinely possess a polish and eminent drinkability. Bruce holds both a degree in agronomy from the University of WA and a master's degree in viticulture and agronomy from the University of California (Davis) and has been in Margaret River since '00.”
ERIN LARKIN, Halliday Wine Companion

“Bruce Dukes is a winemaker built from the ground up. He sees the dirt in even the most polished glass. A soil microbiologist by training, Dukes realised agronomy in WA was a career that could fling you further than you wanted to go and vines were the kind of thing that grew in the places he'd rather be.…working with a handful of growers across the region, he's built into something special. He got there by a slightly different route to some, hitting milestones out of usual order, reverse-engineering a life in wine from deep in the dirt.”
NICK RYAN, The Weekend Australian 2025

Applying decades of international and local knowledge spanning terroir, fruit selection, palate and aroma, Domaine Naturaliste wines are always balanced and display a level of complexity and interest reserved for the best wines.
RAY JORDAN, Ray Jordan Wines

Bruce Dukes Domaine Naturaliste — Meet the Owner and Chief Winemaker:
Bruce Dukes

Bruce draws on decades of local and international winemaking experience – including four years at Francis Ford Coppola’s Niebaum-Coppola winery in California and a significant tenure at Pierro Winery locally. His time spent in California helped Bruce hone his exacting and confident approach. His winemaking philosophy is best described by wine expert Professor Steven Kolpan who noted in his book ‘A Sense of Place’ that, “Bruce Dukes articulates the art and science of winemaking with elegance and ease. Bruce knows that the best wines are made vine by vine, berry by berry…”
The combination of his passion, artistic and intuitive flair make Bruce the gifted winemaker he is. Bruce’s passion for the region extends to his home life. Living at the base of Cape Naturaliste in the northern end of Margaret River with wife, Wendy, and sons, Oscar and Tim. *(domainenaturaliste.com)*

*(May 2025)*

**Nick Ryan share his thoughts about Bruce's journey with wine**
In last Saturday's Weekend Australian, Nick Ryan articulately described Bruce's winemaking philosphy and the story of Bruce's journey in wine. This lead to some fabulous reviews for three of our 2023 Chardonnays:
94pts 2023 Floris | 96 pts 2023 Artus | 96pts 2023 Purus

The Wine List & Menu TBC

First Bracket

2024 Domaine Naturaliste Sauvage Sauvignon Blanc
96 points & Gold Medal - Melbourne Royal Wine Show
95 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Companion
It's quite ridiculous how good Sauvage is in all sorts of vintage conditions, although the warmer '24 does suit the variety. However, this is about building complexity, not simply a varietal wine. An amalgam of delicious flavours - from lime and lemon juice, zest and curd to fresh herbs, stone fruit, smoked bacon and lots of nutty/creamy lees and barrel fermentation flavours ... yum yum yum. There's texture, tangy acidity and excellent length.

Second Bracket

2024 Domaine Naturaliste Floris Chardonnay
94 Points - Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
This is a classy wine full of expression and style. On the nose, you get that white peach and nectarine combination with a little minerally, chalky influence. The palate is quite fine, but it's intense with a driving flavour profile. Minerally, chalky, and savoury, with a light grapefruit primary fruit character. Finishes very long in its linear journey.
2024 Domaine Naturaliste Purus Chardonnay
97 Points - Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
...has a precise purity and freshness about it, showing lots of white peach, a little nectarine, citrus and a sort of lemon curd-brioche combination. The palate has a slight savoury chalky confluence that comes together and then drives with great purpose through to a long finish. This is the most stylish expression of Margaret River chardonnay that captures the awesome power of the fruit from this region.
2024 Domaine Naturaliste Artus Chardonnay
96 Points - Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
It's loaded with a striking combination of butterscotch, stone fruit, and a hefty hit of oak, albeit one that's integrated and fits snugly within the wine. The palate is concentrated, showing a nice balance of stone fruit, minerals, and a chalky acidity that sustains the finish. It's a multi-layered wine of deep and lasting intrigue, and it will certainly handle some cellaring.
2021 Domaine Naturaliste Artus Chardonnay
96+ points, Erin Larkin, Parker, Wine Advocate
It is sleek, glassy and svelte, defined by cool acid and a mineral spool of phenolic tension. So, this 2021 Artus Chardonnay is exactly that. It is nuanced and detailed, mineral and rocky, shaped as it is by malolactic fermentation and rich, toasty oak. It's gently reductive, pillowy and cushioned yet precise and tight. Gotta love that southern acidity. It is still coming together. It will be so much better in a year or more. I love this wine.

Third Bracket

2024 Domaine Naturaliste Rachis Syrah NEW RELEASE:
Follows the 2023 described with it's 97pts International Wine and Spirits Competition as:
“Seductive aromas of red cherry, raspberry, and a pinch of crunchy black pepper. The exquisitely textured palate delights with fresh blueberry and juicy pastille flavours, leading to a rich, smoky finish that resonates beautifully.”
2022 Domaine Naturaliste Le Naturaliste Cabernet Franc
96 Points - Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
...a Cabernet Franc with structure, purpose, and tremendous power. So if you are used to your cabernet francs that are a little bit wimpish, this ain't one of 'em. Deep blackberry, dark plum and dark chocolate notes on the nose. A plush, quite supple palate, but one supported by a firm thread of chalky tannins and plenty of oak to keep things honest. It's a wine of great poise, with the capacity to handle some extended ageing.

Fourth Bracket

2024 Domaine Naturaliste Rebus Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Companion
Such a consistently excellent wine in terms of quality and price. While this is a tad nervy from youth, it opens beautifully in the glass; all the elements are there for this to age well. It also has a decent glug, from the 10% cabernet franc in the mix. Opens with mulberries and cassis, all rich and ripe with a dusting of baking spices, dark chocolate, some freshly roasted coffee beans and cedary oak, too. It's concentrated, yet the full-bodied palate is supple and smooth, with finely tuned textural tannins.
2022 Domaine Naturaliste Morus Cabernet Sauvignon
98 points, Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
...a good year in Margaret River, delivering fruit of tremendous intensity and good structure. In this case, it's been captured in this super cabernet sauvignon that demonstrates the awesome power of the region, but with finesse, refinement, and a real polish on the finish. Black fruits, bay leaf, and graphite on the nose. A palate that shows almost a sweet fruit middle, but then the structure wraps around it and carries it forward with tremendous intensity. Totally seamless and integrated, with a sustained lingering finish.
2016 Domaine Naturaliste Morus Cabernet Sauvignon
97 points, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (Gold)
Part of the fruit comes from the Roche clone planted in 1988, part from an earlier planting ('82), 55% matured in new French oak. A further year passed before it was released, and another 20-30 years will pass before the wine reaches its zenith. It is exceptionally long and intense, its balance flawless.

Domaine Naturaliste: Meet the Maker, Bruce Dukes