Duke's Vineyard 2026 Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling Launch

Duke’s Vineyard 2026 MAGPIE HILL RIESLING LAUNCH

To celebrate the launch of the new release of Duke’s Vineyard 2026 Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling, JJ and Ben Cane will be presenting a selection of our wines paired with a Kate Lamont menu at Lamont’s Cottlesloe.

“Duke’s Magpie Hill is among Australia’s finest rieslings.”
John Jens, On the Grapevine, April 2025

Sunday, August 16th

So, how good are the Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling range?
Well, the context from The James Halliday Wine Companion:

The Porongurup’s Duke’s Reserve Riesling has either been the top, or equal top-rated riesling 6 times between 2014 and 2022.

Australia’s Best Rieslings in the Halliday Context:

Very interesting chart. The 2022 Magpie Hill point, by the Wine Companion’s New WA Writer Mike Bennie, after the talented and effective Erin Larkin was poached by the world’s most influential wine website, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate cover Australia and New Zealand, appears an awkward aberration.

…in context, here’s how other key reviewers saw this very good wine…

For context – Ray Jordan, from the West but a national reviewer, rated it at 97.
Huon Hooke from Sydney, a hard marker, gave it 95.
Erin Larkin rated it at 95 internationally.
Paul Edwards from The West Australian, gave it 93-96 … &
John Jens gave it 18.7 points.

Come down, taste the wine – and make up your own mind to see if you agree with Mike or the rest of us!!

JJ On the Grape Vine Duke's Magpie Hill Riesling — **JJ’s On the Grapevine 2025 Article featuring “Duke’s Magpie Hill is among Australia’s finest rieslings.”**

“Of the planet's thousands of white grape varieties, riesling and chardonnay produce the greatest wines. In Australia there are two major riesling styles. There is the lightly pungent and aromatic lemon lime nose and flavours, with a touch more obvious acid structur-ing. Clare and Eden Valley's South unique Australian style dominated this variety from the 1950s until about 2015. But by 2014, respected wine writer James Halliday stated emphatically that the newer, softer style, with its fragrant and lime perfume and higher, gentler acid from WA's Great Southern, was Australia's finest. A series of Great Southern producers such as Forest Hill, Castle Rock, Frankland Estate and Larry Cherubino are producing marvellous and value-for-money wines. Compared to other varieties, these estate's rieslings are consistently the most reasonably priced and best value for money. This variety is wonderfully appealing when young, and gains complexity and great character with five to 30 years of cellaring - especially with the benefit of screw caps.

But it was Ben Cane and Sarah Date of Duke's Vineyard in the Great Southern's Porongurup Ranges that really captured Halliday's, and other's attention. The Duke's ries-lings have been rated on several occasions as either Australia's greatest or equal greatest rieslings.

While the marvellously reviewed Duke's Magpie Hill Riesling, at just under $50, is very close to the West's finest, the best value for money is the 2024 Single Vineyard Riesling at just under $30.

Delicious, appealing, long, restrained and wonderfully balanced, without any hints of awkwardness and a finish and aftertaste that just linger and drift away.

The Wine List & Menu

First Bracket

Duke's Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling 2026 (New Release)
Duke's Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling 2025
Ranked #2 of 28 2025 Riesling from Great Southern
Very light, youthful colour; lifted and refined fragrance of small flowers and citrus blossoms; intense lime and lemon on palate with refinement and delicacy, tension and persistence. The flavour is concentrated and focused with great precision, the acidity refreshing and seamless, giving line and length. A smashing young riesling that will live long and blossom with more time in the bottle. It has settled down significantly since tasted in December. (Bottled in June 2025)
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Duke's K2 Riesling 2025 (New Release)
Duke's K2 Riesling 2024
Mid-straw, youthful and vibrant in the glass. Lifted and complex aromas of feijoa, melon, brown lime juice, citrus and wheat puff. The palate is fine, poised and quite delicate with a drive of pithy citrus, guava, mineral and perky acidity. Long, pointed and with a nice lick of phenolic grip.
95 Points, Aaron brasher, The Real Review

Shark Bay whiting, tempura, fennel, lemon

Second Bracket

Duke's Chardonnay 2024 (New Release)
Duke's Chardonnay 2023
Fruit from the Victory Point vineyard. This has lovely fruit, where the aromatics have been turned down, while the texture is a highlight, with subtle minerality running across the palate. There is a deliberate focus on cellarbility, and this is demonstrated when the wine gets some air. The ripe, white/donut peach-like fruit really builds. Hand-picked. Bunch pressed to barrel undergoing wild ferment and partial malolactic fermentation. The wine was oak aged (30% new 300L Mercury barrels).
95+ Points, Barry Weinman, Weinman on Wine

Grilled haloumi, confit garlic crouton, rocket

Third Bracket

Duke's Estate Pinot Noir 2025 (New Release)
Duke's Pemberton Pinot Noir 2024
Made from fruit grown at an established vineyard tucked away down a dirt road in Pemberton, the first Invitational Pinot Noir from Duke's showcases the characteristics associated with this cool climate area of Southwest WA. Small bunches with tiny berries produced a wine of earthy spice, sour cherries, dried herbs, dark chocolate - framed by a hilarious harvest story set in the karri forest along the South Coast Highway. Aged for 10 months in tight grained French oak (11% new).
Dukes Notes

Beetroot tart tatin, curd, candied walnuts

Fourth Bracket

Duke's Magpie Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Wonderful perfume. Blueberry, violet, perfume. Supple, textured and very fine. This is perfectly ripe, but very cool climate. The tannins are incredibly fine, the oak invisible. The length of flavours is outstanding, as is the persistence. This must surely be one of the finest cool climate Cabernets in Australia.
96 Points, Barry Weinman, Weinman on Wine
Duke's The First Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Houghton clone, from the original Forest Hill research station plantings. I like this just as much as the Magpie Hill, though it is very different. The fruit is fleshier and more opulent, and if anything, more impressive. The mouthfeel and texture are quite spectacular. So, so impressive.
96 Points, Barry Weinman, Weinman on Wine
Duke's Magpie Hill Reserve Shiraz 2022
Perfumed and pretty. Pepper? Yes, but there is so much more here. Fine, elegant and yet intense and powerful. Plum, tar, cherry, spice, texture to the max. The power really builds as this sits in the glass. Cool climate. Fantastic wine. Great intensity and power. But the purity is what makes this special. So, so pretty and fine. 50% new oak.
96 Points, Barry Weinman, Weinman on Wine
Duke's Whole Bunch Syrah 2022
While two-thirds of the fruit for this wine underwent whole bunch fermentation, this defies expectation as there are none of the carbonic maturation characters that I would have expected with such a high level of whole-bunch. The depth and texture here are a highlight. The fruit was kept chilled for 3 days on dry ice prior to fermentation, apparently to aid tannin maturation and the resulting wine was oak aged (30% new). Great fruit. Fantastic tannin management. Such an approachable wine that will provide great drinking pleasure over the next 5 years.
Barry Weinman, Weinman on Wine

Angus a la minute, cannellini bean cream, leafy greens

To finish…

Espresso, biscotti

Duke's Vineyard: 2026 Magpie Hill Riesling Launch