Margaret River trip
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:25 am
Spent a few days down in Margaret River shortly before Easter, and as well as squeezing in a wedding I managed to make it to a fair sprinkling of wineries. Here are some thoughts - by no means even trying to be comprehensive about the offerings, just the salient points that linger in my mind. And of course this is all entirely subjective.
Cape Mentelle: Second time I've been to Cape Mentelle in the past year and the second time it's not quite lived up to expectations. I find that when I like something, like the famous Zinfandel, it's always a case of "I like this, but I don't $50 like it" and save my money for elsewhere. The CD only Sangiovese wasn't as nice as I recall either.
Flametree: Dropped in here even though it's a fair way out of the way because of all the recent Jimmy Watson-related hoo ha, and it was definitely worth it for the wines (although the CD "experience" was slightly - if not unpleasantly - amateurish). We actually slightly favoured the reserve Shiraz over the reserve Cabernet though both were excellent. Nice rose too which made it affordable to have a mixed half dozen shipped back to NSW.
Wise: As ever a great view but the wines don't stick in my memory especially. My mum liked the sparkling Shiraz a lot but it didn't do much for me. It was our first stop after the drive from Perth so I may not have been in the right mood to appreciate things fully.
Voyager: Second visit again for me and thank goodness I've "got it" at last. Took home some 2004 (I think) Cab Merlot, a 2006 Chardonnay (and I never buy chardy) and the excellent 2005 Tom Price SSB. Also tried the Tom Price Cabernet which was good but again not $120 good IMHO. Also a cracking lunch but priced to match.
Vasse Felix: Some element of bias here as it was my wedding venue but I was really impressed here. As mentioned elsewhere the 06 reds, especially the Cab Merlot, are none too flash but the new whites and old reds we had easily compensate and I actually think the 06 Cabernet is very good for the vintage (no 06 Heytesbury red made so the fruit for that went into the straight cab). I can heartily recommend the 98 Cabernet if you get a chance to try it - I favoured that over the 04 Heytesbury red when we had both at the reception (don't ask for the 04 Heytesbury, BTW - we finished it off). Recent Heytesbury whites are cracking though I'd already done my single bottle of chardy allowance so no purchases made.
Woodlands: Not much left for tasting - only the 06 Margaret really - but that was excellent. Will go back. I think the experimental Pinot is probably best left that way, however.
Happs: Disappointment of the trip by miles. They seem to be trying to do too many things - over 30 wines available for tasting - and none of what I tried was anything other than insipid. I was more impressed by the pottery and that doesn't happen often.
Lamont: Surprisingly good, especially the family reserve. Not shooting the lights out but good to try something a bit different in the form of a Swan Valley winery and I'd have been happy to take more than one bottle home.
Clairault: Another pleasant surprise in that I hadn't been wildly impressed in the past but ended up buying a case. Generally good across the range and a kind of anti-Cape Mentelle situation in that the wines at just over $20 were generally more than acceptable at the price point. Another good rose, too.
Sandalford: A chance for me to reacquaint myself with two wines for which I have a particular fondness: the reserve Shiraz and the Sandalera fortified. Despite a reasonable spend at the CD no offer of a taste of Prendiville was forthcoming - that said it was a Monday so I would like to think they just didn't have one open.
Cape Mentelle: Second time I've been to Cape Mentelle in the past year and the second time it's not quite lived up to expectations. I find that when I like something, like the famous Zinfandel, it's always a case of "I like this, but I don't $50 like it" and save my money for elsewhere. The CD only Sangiovese wasn't as nice as I recall either.
Flametree: Dropped in here even though it's a fair way out of the way because of all the recent Jimmy Watson-related hoo ha, and it was definitely worth it for the wines (although the CD "experience" was slightly - if not unpleasantly - amateurish). We actually slightly favoured the reserve Shiraz over the reserve Cabernet though both were excellent. Nice rose too which made it affordable to have a mixed half dozen shipped back to NSW.
Wise: As ever a great view but the wines don't stick in my memory especially. My mum liked the sparkling Shiraz a lot but it didn't do much for me. It was our first stop after the drive from Perth so I may not have been in the right mood to appreciate things fully.
Voyager: Second visit again for me and thank goodness I've "got it" at last. Took home some 2004 (I think) Cab Merlot, a 2006 Chardonnay (and I never buy chardy) and the excellent 2005 Tom Price SSB. Also tried the Tom Price Cabernet which was good but again not $120 good IMHO. Also a cracking lunch but priced to match.
Vasse Felix: Some element of bias here as it was my wedding venue but I was really impressed here. As mentioned elsewhere the 06 reds, especially the Cab Merlot, are none too flash but the new whites and old reds we had easily compensate and I actually think the 06 Cabernet is very good for the vintage (no 06 Heytesbury red made so the fruit for that went into the straight cab). I can heartily recommend the 98 Cabernet if you get a chance to try it - I favoured that over the 04 Heytesbury red when we had both at the reception (don't ask for the 04 Heytesbury, BTW - we finished it off). Recent Heytesbury whites are cracking though I'd already done my single bottle of chardy allowance so no purchases made.
Woodlands: Not much left for tasting - only the 06 Margaret really - but that was excellent. Will go back. I think the experimental Pinot is probably best left that way, however.
Happs: Disappointment of the trip by miles. They seem to be trying to do too many things - over 30 wines available for tasting - and none of what I tried was anything other than insipid. I was more impressed by the pottery and that doesn't happen often.
Lamont: Surprisingly good, especially the family reserve. Not shooting the lights out but good to try something a bit different in the form of a Swan Valley winery and I'd have been happy to take more than one bottle home.
Clairault: Another pleasant surprise in that I hadn't been wildly impressed in the past but ended up buying a case. Generally good across the range and a kind of anti-Cape Mentelle situation in that the wines at just over $20 were generally more than acceptable at the price point. Another good rose, too.
Sandalford: A chance for me to reacquaint myself with two wines for which I have a particular fondness: the reserve Shiraz and the Sandalera fortified. Despite a reasonable spend at the CD no offer of a taste of Prendiville was forthcoming - that said it was a Monday so I would like to think they just didn't have one open.
now I can spend six months deciding on that tour's theme and which GS wines to target.
