Cloudburst is the project of American-born Will Berliner, a self-taught winemaker and biodynamic farmer who established his Margaret River estate after arriving in Western Australia without any formal viticulture or winemaking training. His first vines were planted in 2005 and 2006, and when his 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon won the best red wine award at the Margaret River Wine Show in 2013, it announced what many observers now recognise as one of the most exceptional natural talent stories in modern Australian wine. The estate’s tiny production, rarely exceeding 3,000 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon per vintage, has driven demand that makes Cloudburst one of the most sought-after allocations in Australia.

The Cloudburst estate is farmed using strict biodynamic principles on land in the Wilyabrup sub-region of Margaret River that has never been exposed to chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilisers. The Cabernet Sauvignon is produced at approximately 13% to 13.5% alcohol, dramatically lower than many Margaret River peers, from yields that Berliner has described as naturally constrained by the estate’s biodynamic farming and the exceptional stress the vines experience in this wild coastal site. Wild yeast fermentation, no additions of any kind, and bottling without fining or filtration produce a wine of extraordinary transparency and purity. The 2019 vintage is described by wine.com as a warm and characterful release with the estate’s hallmark precision.

Cloudburst’s Cabernet Sauvignon has attracted consistent scores of 95 points or above from the world’s leading critics since the 2015 vintage. The wine is sold in part through the Place de Bordeaux, making it the first Australian wine to achieve distribution through that system since the 2017 vintage release in September 2020. Jane Anson of Decanter, who has reviewed multiple Cloudburst vintages, has described the estate as one of the most fascinating wine stories in Australia. The 2019 vintage occupies a transitional moment in the estate’s history as the vines approached their mid-teens, with many observers noting a deepening of complexity and site expression compared to the earlier releases.

Deep ruby with complex aromas of cassis, dark cherry, dried herbs, tobacco, graphite and a distinctive mineral freshness that speaks to the biodynamic farming. The palate is medium-bodied and elegant with fine-grained tannins, vibrant acidity and a very long, pure finish of remarkable persistence for a wine of this alcohol level. Best from 2024 through 2038.