Cliff Royle ends 16-year winemaking reign at Flametree wines

Celebrated Winemaker Cliff Royle will end his 16-year tenure at Flametree Wines in Margaret River following the completion of vintage 2026.

Flametree Director Anne Towner said she believed the partnership between Cliff Royle and the Towner family represented one of the great collaborations in Margaret River wine.

“Cliff has consistently demonstrated unwavering commitment and respect for our team, our brand and, most importantly, the award-winning wines we proudly share with guests at our Cellar Door and around the world,” she said.

“For us, this moment brings both a smile for what we have achieved together and a heavy heart as this chapter comes to a close,”

“Cliff, thank you sincerely for your dedication over the past 16 years. We wholeheartedly wish you every success in your next endeavours.”

Royle will remain with Flametree through Vintage 2026. Winemaker Binh Lim, who has worked alongside Cliff for the past eight years and has been instrumental in refining the Flametree style, will help lead the winemaking team during this transition. “Binh’s deep understanding of our wine style and quality benchmarks provides strong continuity while a successor is appointed,” the Flametree release said.

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Campbell Mattinson is the founder of The Winefront business and is the former chief editor of Halliday Wine Companion. He’s published five books on wine, four of them bestsellers. He’s the only person to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once.