Margaret River’s first IWSC 100: House of Cards Ace High Chardonnay 2025
House of Cards Ace High Chardonnay 2025 took Margaret River’s first perfect 100 at IWSC, plus the WA Producer Trophy for the second time in three years. Blind judging at Vasse Felix, 26–28 August, covered 250+ entries; the region earned 29 Golds. Winemaker Travis Wray credits organic, soil-first farming.
A perfect score is rare. A first regional perfect at a travelling IWSC panel is rarer.
Margaret River Wine Association reports that House of Cards Ace High Chardonnay 2025 received 100 points — the region’s first perfect mark at the International Wine and Spirit Competition. The same house took the 2026 IWSC Western Australian Wine Producer Trophy for the second time in three years, with further Golds including The Royals Chardonnay 2025 (98).
Co-chairs Andrew Caillard MW and Freddy Bulmer described class, depth, complexity, and balance after re-tasting blind among the Golds. The panel sat at Vasse Felix’s art gallery from 26–28 August across more than 250 entries. Margaret River collected 29 Gold medals.
Co-owner and winemaker Travis Wray tied the result to organic farming and soil health — healthy soil, happy vines, then the rest is easier. No lookalike portrait needed: the story is pale Chardonnay and coastal Margaret River rows.
Mini-concept: a 100 is a consensus under blind rules, not a press-kit adjective. When a region logs its first, the grape and the dirt get the headline — not the selfie.
A soft drink never needed twenty-nine regional Golds and one perfect Chardonnay to prove a coast. Margaret River just did.
Remember: first MR IWSC 100 — Ace High Chardonnay 2025; WA Producer Trophy again; 29 Golds from 250+ entries at Vasse Felix.
Source: Margaret River Wine Association