So we are told the plane has a dodgy fuel gauge and it should be fixed in 2hrs, oh well no biggie we will be there soon. We leave Sydney 2 hours late, arrive in Perth only to be the last ones standing at the baggage collection with no luggage in site. We were told very politely “sorry the baggage conveyer belt broke down in Sydney, your luggage will be here in about 3 hours, but be on your way and we will VIP courier it to you straight away. Where are you going from here?†Denmark I reply. “You will have your baggage by 11am tomorrow.†And we did. We also found that around Mt Barker at 6pm it rains Dragon-flies, the front of the car was proof of that, and that the Albany Highway is a pretty good, pretty fast stretch of road.
We got to Denmark at around 7pm and crashed straightaway, the next day we just lazed around, we stayed at Celestine Retreat, and I would recommend it to anyone going to the area. I popped down to Denmark Cellars to grab a couple of bottles for our stay.
Latitude 35? South, Denmark, Pinot Noir, 2004
This was recommended to me by the guy at the Denmark cellars. He told me it could hold its own alongside Pinots 3-4 times the price, so how could I not buy it?
Deep ruby colour, cherry/stewed rhubarb and toast on the nose.
Very silky and filling on the palate. More red berries, the standout being slightly bitter cherry. Underlying game flavours which show through on the finish along with bitter cherry and toasted oak (French).
I’m not convinced this is as good as a $60 Pinot, but it is no slouch. At $16 this is great drinking.
Trappers Gully, Mt Barker, Chenin Blanc, 2005
Another Denmark Cellars purchase.
Pale lemon colour with a slightly green hue. Red apple and pear on the nose.
Viscous on the palate with balancing acidity, makes this light on its toes. More pear on the palate, along with some mineral undertones. Long Acidic Red apple and pear finish.
The next day we decided to go cellar door hunting, there were a few I had planed to go to after finding out about them in a previous thread I posted, the others were recommended by Denmark locals.
West Cape Howe
I tasted through the whole range and wasn’t really impressed, only two standouts.
2004 Shiraz (Mt Barker). Quite oaky nose (quality) dark berries, typical Mt Barker style. Good long finish.
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark and inky, cassis like nose with subtle oak. Well structured on the palate with loads of red berries (raspberry standout). Great finish.
Howard Park
Nice cellar Door, pity the staff weren’t interested in selling any wine.
2006 Madfish Riesling. This was much more open and giving on the nose than the Howard Park Riesling but didn’t have the same intensity or power. Lemon/Lime aromas and some acidic minerality on the palate. More a drink now Riesling Nice and simple.
2006 Howard Park Riesling. Slightly closed nose (I think it was server too cold), but powerful with slate like minerals and firm acid on the palate. One for the cellar.
2004 Leston Cabernet Sauvignon. Highly perfumed nose of blackberry cassis and French oak. Smooth dry and silky on the palate, medium to full bodied. Finishing dry and gripping.
2003 Madfish Cab/Merlot. Like a mini version of the Leston, with slightly lesser quality oak and not the same smoothness, but at less than half the price it’s much more than half as good.
Harewood
2006 Riesling. Highly perfumed citric and melon aromas, quite mellow on the palate showing some acid and tastes of fresh bread.
2003 Pinot Noir. Honestly, this is the worst Pinot I’ve had in some time. Tastes like they have tried to work too much out of what must have been overripe fruit.
2005 Shiraz. Intoxicating nose of Black Cherry, black berry and cedar. Palate Mouth puckering and dry with a long lingering toasty berry finish. This is one of the better wines from Shiraz I tasted from the region.
Ducketts Mill
This Cellar Door is also the Cheese factory, there are around 30 cheeses to try and most of them are very good (we bought the triple cream camembert).
2005 Riesling. Green apple on the nose, tingling acid and spicy on the palate. Good firm acid and apple finish.
2005 Three Cabernets. Powerful currents and cassis on the nose, silky with more blackcurrants and supporting oak on the palate, long sweet black fruit finish.
2004 Family reserve Cabernets. Not as fragrant as the Three Cabs, but a very tight structured palate and will develop into the better wine of the two given time.
Rickety Gate.
This was one of the two standouts for the Denmark region along with Forest Hill, and they stand apart by quite some margin in terms of overall quality. We met Russell the owner and assistant winemaker to John Wade, who we also saw darting around the property. Really nice people and a Cellar Door that is a converted Kitchen makes the experience seem just that bit more personal. I didn’t take notes because I was too busy talking and stuffing my face with the beautiful antipasto plates they make there. I did buy their 2006 Riesling, which I thought was the best of the range.
2006 Riesling. Grapefruit, lime and slate on the nose. Mineral like with firm acid and mouth filling fruits (lime and green apple). Long acidic dry/citric finish.
Forest Hill
As I said along with Rickety Gate, Head and Shoulders above the other wineries I visited. All the wines were of high quality with the exception of their 2004 Gewurztraminer, which was nice but wasn’t varietal. The block wines were not available for tasting, and again, I didn’t take any notes but here are my thoughts roughly jotted down over coffee and cake at their restarunt straight after tasting.
The standouts for me were the 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was available at the same price as the 2005 vintage. And based on the outstanding quality of the standard 2005 Riesling, I went ahead and bought the 2005 Block 1 Riesling which I haven’t got around to tasting yet.
From Here we Headed off to Margaret River, stopping to do the Tree top walk along the way. We stayed at Dunsborough and did four Cellar Doors on a Trip to Augusta and Back.
Moss Brothers.
These weren’t the best wines overall but they do represent good value for money.
Only brief notes.
2005 Semillon. Dry Grape fruit, good acidity and mellow finish.
2004 Verdelho. Honeyed aromas, butterscotch and menthol.
2003 Drummond Hill Red. Light colour, light bodied, oak, pepper, raspberry. Tannic dry aftertaste.
2003 Moses Rock Cab Shiraz. Savoury leather, black fruits, oak, drying cedar finish.
2003 Shiraz. Inky, leathery. Slightly closed nose, blackberry, and nice structured palate, drying lily pili finish.
2002 Merlot. Dry and nondescript
2003 Cab Merlot. Giving up nothing on the nose, opening out on the palate, to reveal a tight structure, raspberry, cassis and French oak.
Cullen
Probably the best overall quality of the four Margaret River wineries we visited
Again, only brief notes.
2006 MR White. Highly aromatic, grape fruit and orange peel.
2006 Mangan Vineyard SBS. More acidic and intense than the MR White, with the same profile of flavours.
2004 Mangan Vineyard Merlot. White pepper, mushroom, truffle. Cedar, sweet long dry finish of red fruits mainly plumb.
2004 Cabernet Merlot. Similar to the Moss Brothers Cab Merlot, in that the nose is very closed, possibly due to being served slightly too cold. Firm mouth feel with drying powdery tannin. Good blackcurrant, cassis, raspberry and French oak showing on the palate and finish.
2005 Mangan (Malbec/Petit Verdot/Merlot). Again this wine is closed on the nose only giving up slight raspberry aromas. Dry to the point of being unpleasant, seems green and has bitter plumb flavours.
2005 Diana Madeline Cab Merlot (unreleased). If there were one word to describe this wine it would have to be Massive! Savoury mushroom, white pepper, subtle French cedary oak. Dry intense tannin grip, raspberry and plumb. More cedar hugely complex, needs time to settle it’s still a bit raw and full-on at this stage, but there is plenty of fruit, tannin and good quality oak for this to age into a majestic wine. Awesome.
Leeuwin Estate
Tasted through the range but did not take notes, the wines didn’t seem to live up to the reputation they hold. Although I did think the Art series Shiraz was a very good example of The MR style. (Art Series Chardonnay was not for tasting).
Voyager Estate
Very impressive grounds and Buildings, but the only noteworthy wine was the Cabernet Merlot, which was more expensive at the Cellar Door than it is anywhere else. I think these last two wineries could use a bit of a shake-up, they seem to be resting on their good reputations, happy with the status quo while everyone else is quickly catching up to, and in some cases going past them.
Other wines consumed while staying at Dunsborough.
Forester Estate MR Shiraz 2004.
Cedar aniseed, liquorice, dark fruits. Peppery plumb and blackcurrant on the palate with balancing acid, finishing with raspberry and cedar and a long drying finish.
WISE MR Shiraz 2004.
Sweet cedar, raspberry, cherry and aniseed. Flavourful red berries on the palate, and a good acid lift. Short hot finish.
Brookland Valley MR Verse 1 Cab Merlot 2006.
Nasty.
Vasse Felix MR Classic Dry Red 2004.
Dark cherry and plumb aromas, slightly toasty. Dark cherry, stewed blood plumbs, medium length fruity finish.
From Here we moved on to Perth where we caught up with Paul (paullie) and his family for lunch at Sandalford in the Swan Valley. But not before checking out Paul’s cellar and renovations which I must say are very impressive. We shared a bottle of Chablis, which I see Paul has posted a note on, and were on our way.
At Sandalford we tasted through the range to see what we would have with lunch, and found the whites fairly simple and bland, with the exception of the Chardonnay (can’t remember vintage) which was interesting. Sweaty, and mushroom-like nose, quite savoury and meaty on the palate, I wouldn’t say it was a drinker’s wine, but it would certainly have its place in a tasting.
The reds however were more interesting. I can’t really recall anything to write notes about, but I did purchase the Protégé Cabernet Merlot, and the Sandalford Cabernet Sauvignon. So they must have been good.
Lunch was great (the fat chips are wicked), and it was great to meet Paul and his family. I look forward to showing them around the Hunter someday.
The End.
