McHenry Hohnen

McHenry Hohnen was established in 2004 by Murray McHenry, the founder of the McHenry's wine retail business in Western Australia (one of the state's most respected wine merchants), and David Hohnen, the founder of Cape Mentelle in 1970 and co-founder of Cloudy Bay Vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand in 1985. The McHenry-Hohnen partnership represented one of the most significant returns to winemaking in Australian wine history: David Hohnen had sold Cape Mentelle to Veuve Clicquot in 1990 (and exited the Cloudy Bay project in subsequent years), and his return to active winemaking with McHenry Hohnen 14 years later marked a re-engagement with the founding-five Margaret River wine community that he had helped establish in 1970. The McHenry-Hohnen partnership combined McHenry's commercial wine-retail knowledge with Hohnen's winemaking experience and connections, positioning McHenry Hohnen as a quality-focused boutique estate from the outset. The estate has remained family-owned and operated across more than two decades, with the McHenry and Hohnen families both involved in current operations.

• Founded 2004 by Murray McHenry (McHenry's wine retail founder) and David Hohnen (Cape Mentelle founder)
• David Hohnen's return to winemaking 14 years after his 1990 sale of Cape Mentelle to Veuve Clicquot
• Combined McHenry's commercial wine-retail knowledge with Hohnen's winemaking experience and connections
• Family-owned and operated across more than two decades; McHenry and Hohnen families both involved in current operations

McHenry Hohnen operates four estate vineyards distributed across multiple Margaret River sub-zones, providing the estate with terroir diversity across cooler southern, central, and northern Margaret River sites. Calgardup Brook is the cooler southern Margaret River vineyard, located near the Wallcliffe rock outcrop that gives the Rolling Stone Cabernet its name; the site provides the principal Cabernet fruit source. Hazel's Vineyard is a central Margaret River site contributing Chardonnay and additional Cabernet. Burnside is another estate site within the Margaret River sub-zones contributing to the broader estate portfolio. Rocky Road provides additional varietal source fruit. The four-vineyard structure allows McHenry Hohnen to compose its wines from terroir-diverse estate fruit rather than single-site bottlings, with the cooler Calgardup Brook providing structural Cabernet character and the warmer central sites contributing fruit density. The biodynamic-influenced viticultural approach is applied consistently across all four estate vineyards, with David Hohnen's late-career commitment to natural farming informing the estate's overall direction.

• Calgardup Brook: cooler southern Margaret River vineyard; principal Cabernet source; near the Wallcliffe rock outcrop
• Hazel's Vineyard: central Margaret River site; Chardonnay and additional Cabernet source
• Burnside: estate site within Margaret River sub-zones; broader portfolio contribution
• Rocky Road: additional varietal source fruit; four-vineyard structure provides terroir diversity

McHenry Hohnen's flagship wines anchor the estate's reputation at the top tier of Margaret River boutique producers. The Rolling Stone Cabernet Sauvignon is the estate's red flagship, named for the well-known rock outcrop near the Calgardup Brook vineyard. The wine is a Cabernet-dominant expression sourced principally from the cooler Calgardup site, providing structural finesse and natural acidity that distinguishes it from warmer-climate Margaret River Cabernets. The Tigersnake Chardonnay is the estate's white flagship, a small-block estate Chardonnay sourced from estate vineyards using the Margaret River-adapted Gingin clone alongside other clones. The Tigersnake name references the tigersnakes native to the Margaret River bushland surrounding the estate vineyards, a nod to the natural-farming and biodiversity orientation of the McHenry Hohnen viticultural philosophy. Both flagships are made in limited quantities and represent the top tier of the estate's portfolio. The Wesburn label is the mid-tier programme offering Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, and other varietals at more accessible pricing.

• Rolling Stone Cabernet Sauvignon: flagship red; named for the rock outcrop near Calgardup Brook vineyard; Cabernet-dominant from cooler southern Margaret River
• Tigersnake Chardonnay: flagship white; small-block estate Chardonnay; name references native tigersnakes and the natural-farming orientation
• Wesburn: mid-tier label; Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon at accessible pricing
• Both flagships made in limited quantities; top tier of the estate's portfolio

McHenry Hohnen applies a biodynamic-influenced viticultural approach across its four estate vineyards, informed by David Hohnen's late-career commitment to natural farming and biodynamic principles. The estate is not certified biodynamic in the formal Demeter sense (unlike neighbouring Cullen Wines), but applies biodynamic-influenced principles including biodiversity enhancement, soil health programmes, reduced synthetic chemical use, and an emphasis on natural-farming techniques. The approach reflects the broader Margaret River movement toward biodynamic and organic viticulture led by Cullen Wines, and positions McHenry Hohnen alongside Cullen and the increasing number of Margaret River producers adopting natural-farming principles. The biodynamic-influenced approach contributes to the estate's identity as a quality-focused boutique producer working in concert with the Margaret River landscape rather than against it, and is increasingly distinguishing McHenry Hohnen from conventionally-farmed Margaret River estates.

• Biodynamic-influenced viticultural approach across four estate vineyards (not formally certified Demeter)
• Informed by David Hohnen's late-career commitment to natural farming and biodynamic principles
• Principles: biodiversity enhancement, soil health, reduced synthetic chemical use, natural-farming techniques
• Positions McHenry Hohnen alongside Cullen Wines in the Margaret River biodynamic and organic movement

McHenry Hohnen produces wines across the flagship and Wesburn tiers covering Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Shiraz, and other varietals. Production volumes remain at a boutique scale befitting the estate's quality-first philosophy. The McHenry Hohnen winemaking style emphasises terroir transparency, restrained winemaking, and an explicit commitment to the broader Margaret River regional identity that David Hohnen helped establish in 1970 with Cape Mentelle. The estate's positioning as a second-generation Margaret River producer (founded 2004, more than three decades after Cape Mentelle) and the explicit involvement of one of the region's founders gives McHenry Hohnen a unique connective role in the Margaret River wine community, linking the founding-five generation with the newer boutique producers. The cellar door at the estate is a quiet, low-key destination compared to the larger Margaret River wineries, reflecting the boutique character of the operation.

• Boutique-scale production across Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Shiraz, and other varietals
• Winemaking style: terroir transparency, restrained winemaking, explicit commitment to broader Margaret River regional identity
• Unique connective role: links the founding-five generation (via David Hohnen) with newer boutique producers
• Cellar door is quiet, low-key destination reflecting the boutique character of the operation