Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Named Best in Show at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards
Of almost 17,000 wines entered into the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards, only 50 were named Best in Show. One of them was grown in Margaret River.
The 2023 Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has been awarded Best in Show at 97 points, the single highest tier of recognition at the world's largest wine competition. It was the only single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon in the world to receive the honour this year.
For Margaret River, and for the Fogarty Hall portfolio, it is a result that says something specific about place, vintage and the people behind the wine.
What a Best in Show actually represents
The Decanter World Wine Awards are judged blind. No labels, no prices, no producer names. According to Decanter, this year's competition saw almost 17,000 wines from 58 countries assessed by 245 of the world's leading experts, a panel that included 63 Masters of Wine and 24 Master Sommeliers travelling from 35 nations.
Every medal passes through several rounds of tasting. The top wines are re-tasted and debated by specialist panels before any Gold, Platinum or Best in Show is confirmed. Of all the wines entered, just 0.3 per cent reach Best in Show, the 50 wines that sit at the very top of the result. Decanter has described 2026 as the strongest overall quality year in the competition's 23-year history.
That is the context for a single Cabernet Sauvignon from the south west of Western Australia being named among the best 50 wines on earth.
Best in Show, twice in five years
The 2023 vintage is not the first Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon to reach this level. The wine was also named Best in Show in 2022, also at 97 points.
To be selected twice in five years, from the same vineyards, in a blind field of this size, is the part of the story worth sitting with. Vintage conditions change. Judging panels change. The one constant is the site and the hand of the winemaking team. Consistency at this level is not luck, and it is very difficult to repeat.
Margaret River and the case for Cabernet
Margaret River's record at the Decanter World Wine Awards remains among the strongest of any region in the world. As Australia's most awarded fine wine region in Decanter's Best in Show selections, it has produced 11 Best in Show wines since the competition began. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for five of them.
Within that record, Deep Woods Estate has contributed two Best in Show wines, and Evans & Tate has delivered one. The pattern is not regional luck either. It points to a maritime climate, gravelly and granitic soils, and a generation of growers and winemakers who have spent decades learning what Cabernet can do here.
The broader 2026 result supports the point. Australia took five Best in Show medals this year, with New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia all represented. Margaret River's contribution to that national showing was a Cabernet Sauvignon, the variety the region is built on.
Gold across the portfolio, from Margaret River to Tasmania
Beyond the Best in Show, four further wines across the estates were awarded Gold:
- Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay 2024, 95 points
- Lowestoft SV Jacoben Pinot Noir 2024, 95 points
- Ossa Belbrook Pinot Noir 2024, 95 points
- Pressing Matters Pinot Noir 2024, 95 points
There is a thread running through that list. A Margaret River Chardonnay alongside three cool-climate Tasmanian Pinot Noirs, each scoring 95 points, speaks to the range the portfolio now covers. From the Indian Ocean influence of the south west to the cooler, slower ripening of Tasmania, the results reflect the definition of each site and a consistency of approach across very different climates.
Awards are a moment in time. What they measure, when they are judged blind and at this scale, is whether the wine in the glass holds up against the best in the world without a label to lean on.
In 2026, a Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon did exactly that, for the second time in five years. The four Golds behind it suggest the standard is not confined to one wine or one estate.
You can explore the full 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards results in Decanter's announcement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Decanter World Wine Awards? The Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world's largest wine competition. Wines are judged blind by a panel of leading international experts, and the top-scoring wines pass through several rounds of re-tasting before a medal is confirmed. In 2026, almost 17,000 wines from 58 countries were judged.
What does Best in Show mean at the DWWA? Best in Show is the highest tier of recognition. Only 50 wines are named Best in Show each year, around 0.3 per cent of everything entered, selected after repeated blind tasting by specialist panels.
Which Margaret River wine won Best in Show in 2026? The Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 was named Best in Show at 97 points, the only single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon in the world to receive the honour in 2026.
How many times has Deep Woods won Best in Show? Twice. The Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was named Best in Show in 2022 and again in 2026, both times at 97 points.
Which other portfolio wines won medals at DWWA 2026? Four wines were awarded Gold at 95 points: Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay 2024, Lowestoft SV Jacoben Pinot Noir 2024, Ossa Belbrook Pinot Noir 2024 and Pressing Matters Pinot Noir 2024.
