Trait Wines

The reputation of this boutique Margaret River producer has risen fast in the last few years, thanks to the powerful combination of an historic site and its fully committed custodians

- SOPHIE THORPE

Warren and Gillian Lilleyman had no idea what they were doing when they planted a vineyard in Margaret River in southwest Western Australia in 1988.

The first vines in the region had only gone in the ground two decades earlier. Like the region's pioneer Tom Cullity, Warren was a doctor - an amateur enthusiast with no prior experience in the world of wine. And yet the couple - who live next to the vineyard and still own it - planted a near-perfect parcel of vines.

'They just nailed it,' says Theo Truyts - he and his wife Clare Trythall are the current custodians of the 2.7ha site. Although the Lilleymans received some guidance from Dr Mike Peterkin (who founded nearby Pierro winery and planted the first vines there in 1980), there seems to have been a lot of luck involved.

Perched on a gentle slope, with richer soils at the foot turning into poorer gravel-loam as you cross the vineyard, it sits at the northwestern edge of Wooditjup National Park, not far outside the town of Margaret River itself. The vines, many of which are now more than 35 years old, are producing exceptional fruit - in particular Chardonnay (all GinGin, the most common clone in Margaret River, which produces berries of various sizes, lending particular concentration and complexity to wine), but also tiny parcels of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Semillon.

Right place, right time