HIGHER PLANE
CURRENT RELEASES

2023 ‘LED ASTRAY’ FUME

93 POINTS - “These wines made a great debut last year. So far so good. It’s a fume style alright with a clear, pure expression of varietal fruitiness. Rock dust, crushed white flowers, white lilac, marzipan, a hint of pistachio nougat, lime leaf & white nectarine. It’s not grassy at all, more of a green citrus lead aroma with ‘mineral’ texture & high acidity rounded by gentle creamy nuttiness or lime curd. Beautiful. A winner.”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Feb ‘24

2023 ‘JEWELS OF KARRIDALE’ CHARDONNAY

92 POINTS - “Such an easy & pleasing drinking here. Almond nougat, white peach, green melon. Very refreshing flavours, cleansing bitter lemon acidity, a light dusting of salt & oatmeal somewhere in between. It has a satisfying smooth flow with lingering acidity. Lively number.” Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Feb ‘24

2023 ‘SUN DIPS LOW’ FIANO

92 POINTS - “Lots of Fiano in this Fiano & it’s hard to stop sniffing & sipping it. Melon skin, bergamot orange, lemon balm, lemon curd, sweet almond. Powerful flavour hitting the spot with the strong perfume lingering in the back. Yet, it’s light & refreshing. Nothing’s cloying, flabby or loose. Super pretty composition of fruit skins & flowers with herbs & lifted essential oils plus a chalky-phenolic texture, as it should be. Brilliant.”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Feb ‘24

2022 ‘Two TO TANGO’ CABERNET MALBEC

92 POINTS - “Very juicy & with a black tea type of flow. Blackberries & blackcurrants in a savoury mouth-watering expression with medium weight, dry slate feel of tannins, perhaps rounding off a touch gummy. A little bitter herb, a little sweet flower. It’s made into a youthful, energetic style, without being washy & boring for that matter. Great flavour hit with each sip & satisfaction that follows.”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Mar ‘24

92 POINTS + TOP RANK + BUY OF THE WEEK - “Deep, bold, youthful purple-red colour with a fresh & primary aroma of dark berries with a banana-like young-wine overtone. The palate is full bodied & the tannins are ample but fine-grained. Lovely balance & already has great drinkability. Smart young cabernet, with cellar potential.” Ranked #4 of 18 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon blends from Margaret River.
Huon Hooke, THE REAL REVIEW, Mar ‘24

2023 ‘VANISHING POINT’ SYRAH

92 POINTS - “Much purple in the glass. A bit of reductiveness comes first. Roasted meat, toast, crunchy glazed bread skin, black pepper, black olive. Medium weight with violets lingering on the palate, a good mix of red, black & blue fruit. Fine, chalky tannins, & an iron-type of mineral tension. There’s a great energy in this wine.”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Feb ‘24

90 POINTS + BUY OF THE WEEK - “Deep, bright, youthful colour, with a very attractive spicy dark-berry bouquet, with notes of pepper & dried meats. The wine is medium bodied at most, with fine, subtle tannins & excellent balance & approachability. A cleverly made shiraz to enjoy young.”
Huon Hooke, THE REAL REVIEW, Mar ‘24

2022 ‘THree’s Company’ FIELD BLEND

93 POINTS - “Mostly Fiano, some Verdejo & a drop of SB. Verdejo fermented on skins for 5 days. I start with texture, as it’s the thing here. It’s soft chalky, very salty & with a bitter brown lime grip finish. Yet not harsh at all. A bit of green olive crunch. Aromas are citrusy & with plenty of green herbs, fennel, almonds & beeswax. There’s plenty of tightly packed flavour. Super fresh, & this brine in your mouth… like a sip of salted-rim margarita!”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, May ‘23

93 POINTS - “The company is 68/30% fiano/verdejo & a mere 2% drop of sauvignon blanc, which still imparts plenty of flavour. Lots of stone fruit, herbs & wet stone aromas yet savoury & dry on the palate. Bouncy phenolics work well with the acidity to bring shape & length.”
Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION, Mar ‘23

2023 ‘TIME FOR HEROES’ MALBEC

95 POINTS - “From its outrageous dark purple to the gorgeous fruit profile on offer, how could anyone say no to malbec? A resounding yes to this with its heady aromas of violets & freshly rolled tobacco – ah, those were the days – to the dark plums & cherries sprinkled with cocoa & Middle Eastern spices. The palate is only medium bodied, the tannins shapely, the acidity refreshing, ensuring this finishes on a high note. Factor in the price & the style, as in a drink-now option, and this is tip-top.”
Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION, Jun ‘24

92 POINTS - “Electric purple. Pure fruit. Blue & black berries, fresh, ozone air, violets, After Eight mint chocolate. Vibrant juice with shapely tannins & overall fruitiness that is oh-so very easy to enjoy. Drink 2024 - 2028”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Mar ‘24

92 POINTS - “Dense, almost opaque purple colour. Black cherry, blueberry & charred beef aromatics. Powerful & driving as it hits the tongue, dark fruits are wrapped in gravelly tannins that control & lift blue stone, dark spice & meaty savoury undertones. Lingers long with those powerful tannins ensuring a bone-dry conclusion. A lot of wine for the price.”
Stuart Knox, THE REAL REVIEW, Apr ‘24

PREVIOUS RELEASES

2022 ‘SUN DIPS LOW’ FIANO

95 POINTS - “Fermented on skins for seven days then aged on lees in used barriques for seven months. Fiano can handle all that & more, being such a versatile variety. Mark Messenger easily moves between the classics of Margaret River (as in cabernet & chardonnay) to the classics in the making. This is excellent. Dried & fresh pears, peach & honeycomb, flinty, smoky with a light touch of savouriness. Beautifully handled phenolics add texture & shape across the palate & the ever-important acidity ties it all up neatly.”
Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY, Aug ‘23

92 POINTS - “From Higher Plane’s new range of affordable, unconventional Margaret River styles. Lo-fi winemaking marks the range with fun packaging. I like! This is Margaret River Fiano that spent seven days on skins before it was racked off & fermented in barrel. TA 3.31 pH 6.1 if you want numbers. Golden apricot sunrise hits you straight up on the nose. Bang! It’s a big burst of opulence, with some skin contact lanolin wildness hitting up against that lemon pith. Chunky, boldly fruit forward & essence-of-Fiano golden honeysuckle palate gets a bit phenolic to finish, but man, is it fun & bold. I like this Fiano a heap. Best drinking: now. Would I buy it? Yes.
Andrew Graham, AUSTRALIAN WINE REVIEW, May '23

91 POINTS - “Not one miss with the new release at Higher Plane so far. The whites are crisp, with a thread of refreshing briny character, heaps of flavour & length. This one is no different.

Yellow apples, nectarines, grilled nuts. There’s cashew creaminess in the aftertaste with a soft finish & a fair bit of salinity. It’s a fresh style of Fiano, easy flowing, sipping, dipping, whatever you wish.”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, May ‘23

2022 ‘LED ASTRAY’ FUME

95 POINTS - “It starts life with fruit off a single vineyard in Karridale, whole-bunch pressed to tank, allowed to settle then popped into used French barriques for wild fermentation, regular lees stirring & on those lees for seven months. No wonder this is good. Really good. It has texture matched to flavour & complexity throughout. Flutters of lavender, stone fruit, lemon grass, guava & tangy citrus with the palate augmented by creamy lees & tangy acidity. It’s classy but so easy to drink.”
Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY, Aug ‘23

2022 ‘JEWELS OF KARRIDALE’ CHARDONNAY

93 POINTS - “New era at Higher Plane & it’s looking good. Lightly toasted oak, nougat, pine needles, there’s biscuity/sweet complexity & a strong zesty citrus freshness on the nose. Intensity doesn’t disappoint, flavours sit comfortably across the palate. It has a cool minty tone, it’s soft, nothing pokes out, all smooth & balanced, with a long line of quartz-like dust. The sweetness of the pulpy citrus & a lightly salty element blend perfectly. This cool wet stone minerality & succulence compose a long-lasting aftertaste. A beautiful Chardonnay skilfully crafted.” Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Apr ‘23

92 POINTS - “Highly strung with a tightrope of acidity pulling in line citrus flavours, mostly lemon & grapefruit with a touch of lime. There’s a steely sensation across the palate, mouth-watering & refreshing. In time this will loosen up & please even more” Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION, Jun ‘23

2021 ‘Two TO TANGO’ CABERNET MALBEC

93 POINTS - “Apparently, it does take two to tango – 80/20% cabernet/malbec – even if a splash of petit verdot is included for good measure. A refreshing style in a way with the quality fruit shining through. Menthol-infused mulberries, cassis & plums with Middle Eastern spices & an inky note of the malbec. The palate is delicious & buoyant with shapely if decisive tannins.”
Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION, May ‘23

92 POINTS - “Plenty of cassis & blackcurrants all the way, it’s inky & vibrant, full of life. Tannins are bouncy. There’s a hint of vanilla, or even caramel sweetness, minty freshness no less, vivid acidity. Powdery finish with coffee & a hint of dark chocolate but it’s very fruit driven till the end. Flavour bomb to love & please the senses.”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, Jun ‘23

2022 ‘VANISHING POINT’ SYRAH

95 POINTS - “Not sure why it’s called Vanishing Point, but this is guaranteed to lift one’s spirit. One-third of the fruit undergoes carbonic maceration, which explains the outrageously juicy flavour, florals & general vibrancy of the wine. All the fruit is then aged for eight months in large format oak, so as not to impart any wood flavour. It’s so delicious with dark plums, tangy raspberries & black cherries all lightly spiced with fine tannins & thirst-quenching acidity. Gosh, this is good.” Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY, Jul ‘23

2022 ‘TIME FOR HEROES’ MALBEC

94 POINTS - “Fruit off a single vineyard in Karridale, carbonic maceration for 14 days before destemming & further skin fermentation for six days in 1t open fermenters. Matured in old puncheons for six months. This is bloody delicious. I don’t think I’ve had a more enjoyable 'drink now' malbec. Trademark deep purple boysenberries & blueberries, sweet fruit across the mid-weighted palate & so much energy with lovely tannins all grainy & ripe, vibrant acidity zipping in & out. A cracking wine.”
Jane Faulkner, HALLIDAY, Aug ‘23

92 POINTS - “Malbec with a bolt of lightning. Or bolt of flavour I should say. Very minty with plenty of blackcurrants & blackberries. It smells the way it looks, very vivid & purple. If purple had a smell that would be it. Bright & crunchy. There are hints of violets here too, some sweetness of liquorice & cherries in dark chocolate. Very energetic in flavours, squeaky acid & tannin combo, mouth-watering, big punch of flavour & tang, especially in the mid-palate, finishing in a refreshing way with a tart lift & cocoa sprinkle. Powerful, cheerful & balanced. It could last in the bottle, but drink it fresh as is. Drink 2023 - 2028”
Kasia Sobiesiak, WINEFRONT, May ‘23