John was enjoying a quiet tipple at a local watering-hole on a Friday evening, when he heard of a property for sale in Willyabrup. 40km southwest of his beer mat and lying between the forest and the massive expanse of Indian Ocean, this piece of land piqued John and his wife, Jan's interest and prompted them to make further enquiry.
Never ones to shrink an opportunity, John and Jan purchased the property at an auction at the Vasse Hotel on 14 December 1985. What would become Frazer Woods was mostly bushland, plus one large paddock and a shack with no electricity. But John and Jan recognised in it something they could develop, nurture and bring to life. It had so much potential.
They have worked exceptionally hard since those early days, building their reputation, and raising their family. John and Jan continue to innovate and invest in state of the art equipment for the winery, however with his background as an electrician, John is also never afraid of improvisation!
It is with this spirit of determination, enjoyment, experimentation and excellence that, more than a quarter of a century later, they continue to produce Margaret River’s finest sparkling wines, crafted from local Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
The Frazer Woods vineyard is situated in the highly sort after Willyabrup sub region of Margaret River – a world-renowned wine region celebrated for producing high quality wines. The fruit for Frazer Woods wines come from a mixture of grapes from said vineyard planted back in 1996, and from a long-standing agreement with a small grower near Karridale.
The Frazer Woods grapes are grown with little to no irrigation, and are hand-picked and sorted. Naturally occurring ferments and unhurried time in barrel or tank, all showcase the care and attention to detail that makes Frazer Woods a special piece of Margaret River’s wine industry.
Each La Cache wine is crafted by the méthode traditionnelle and each spends between 5 - 8 years on lees before release. Stored in John’s hand-crafted straw bale shed, he keeps a close eye the wines from bottling through to disgorgment to ensure the wine is released at the ideal time. His wines don’t always move vintage consecutively - John will jump backwards or skip over a vintage to make sure the wines are released at their optimum - when a particular vintage is showing itself as ready, only then does it get disgorged and finished for the consumer.
Please feel free to contact us at any time.