McHenry Hohnen
Summary
McHenry Hohnen is a family-owned boutique winery in Margaret River, Western Australia, producing site-specific wines from three distinct family vineyards that showcase Bordeaux and Rhône varieties alongside regional stalwarts like Chardonnay. Their comprehensive commitment to biodynamic viticulture, certified since 2009, extends to minimal intervention winemaking with indigenous yeasts, hand-plunging, and a thoughtful oak program that prioritizes expressing each vineyard's unique character.
Heritage & Leadership
McHenry Hohnen was established in 2004 as a family-owned winery in Margaret River, Western Australia. The venture represents a partnership between two significant figures in the Australian wine industry: Murray McHenry, a wine merchant and restaurateur from Perth, and his brother-in-law David Hohnen, founder of Cape Mentelle in Margaret River and Cloudy Bay in New Zealand. The McHenry family has deep roots in Western Australia's hospitality industry, while Hohnen brought decades of winemaking experience to the project.
In 2016, the winery underwent a transition when Julian Grounds joined as Chief Winemaker, bringing experience from positions at Giant Steps in Victoria and Craggy Range in New Zealand. Jacopo Dalli Cani later assumed the winemaking role, continuing to implement the founders' vision of site-specific wines. The winery remains family-owned, with the McHenry and Hohnen families maintaining active involvement in operations and strategic direction.
Vineyards & Wines
McHenry Hohnen sources fruit from three family-owned vineyards in the southern part of Margaret River: Burnside, Calgardup, and Hazel's vineyards. The Burnside Vineyard, planted in 1981, covers 20 hectares at an elevation of 75-85 meters above sea level with a north-facing aspect. Its gravelly loam soils support plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay.
The Calgardup Vineyard, established in 1998, sits just 3 kilometers from the Indian Ocean at an elevation of 80-90 meters. Its 14 hectares feature sandy loam over clay, planted primarily with Chardonnay and Marsanne, along with smaller blocks of Shiraz, Grenache, and Mataro. Hazel's Vineyard, the most recent addition planted in 2000, encompasses 14.5 hectares of ironstone gravel loam at 70-80 meters elevation, dedicated to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Zinfandel.
The winery produces single-vineyard wines that express these distinct sites, with a portfolio including varietal Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel, along with Bordeaux-style red blends and Rhône-inspired white blends.
Philosophy & Practice
McHenry Hohnen follows biodynamic farming principles across all three vineyards, having received full Demeter biodynamic certification in 2009. This approach includes the use of cover crops, composting, and natural preparations to enhance soil health and vineyard biodiversity. The farming team maintains a hands-on approach throughout the growing season, with careful canopy management and yield control to ensure optimal fruit quality.
In the winery, the team employs minimal intervention techniques, using indigenous yeasts for fermentation and avoiding fining and filtration where possible. Red wines ferment in open-top fermenters with hand plunging, while white wines see whole-bunch pressing and barrel fermentation. The winery uses a combination of French oak barrels and larger format vessels for aging, with the proportion of new oak and aging time tailored to each wine and vintage.
Temperature-controlled fermentation is employed for certain wines to preserve freshness and aromatic qualities. The winery's approach balances traditional methods with modern technology, always with the goal of expressing the distinctive character of each vineyard site in the finished wines.