Margaret River Ramble (long)

[roughred]

The dearly beloved having a conference in Perth earlier in the month presented a great opportunity to tack on a week beforehand and have a mosie around Margaret River.

Be it a function of availability or budget, I have not glugged too much from Margaret River in the past, and as such went in fairly open minded. My personal brief was to visit the half dozen or so bigger names that most are familiar with, but also to stumble across a couple of smart smaller operators.

I employed a rudimentary three star system -

* Gee that certainly stands out from the crowd
** Shit thats good!
*** Throw out the spare, we need more room in the boot!

After an uneventful drive down to MR, we settled into the Lake Gazebo Chalets, about 10 min north of the MR township, but smack bang in the middle of the Wilyabrup wineries. After a quick look around town we headed for Cape Mentelle where winemaker Freyer Hohnen was behind the counter. The CD only 04 Marsanne Viognier blend grabbed my interest. Gently aromatic, lemon zest & spice, but hard acids and a coarse unappealing texture. Pass. The seemingly controversial 02 Walcliffe SSB* was appealing. Elegantly structured with some barrel derived warmth. Good, but does not challenge my personal MR SSB benchmark, the Suckfizzle. The 03? Chardonnay* was tight and fine. The CD only 2004 Sangiovese was interesting and at $20 was reasonable value. Tight, but flashes of cherry, cedar and spice.
The 04 Zin had sold out, and the Cab was not available. However the 03 Walcliffe Shiraz**1/2 was open, and certainly highlights just what is possible with Shiraz in the MR. Lashings of rasberry & blueberry fruit, allspice, slightly charry oak, fine tannins, and an unmistakable Cape Mentelle elegance about it. $50 odd dollars, and reasonably good value in context.
Off to a good start. Back to les Chalets for a barbecue dinner and a bottle of the fantastic Vintage Pelorus.

The next morning, full of the goodness that only bacon & eggs can provide, we headed into town via Palandri. For those who arent aware Palandri is a very large modern souvenir shop to which they have been kind enough to attach a Cellar Door. Nothing remotely grabbed my interest and off we chuffed.

Out to the visually stunning Voyager Estate. Appealing Dutch Cape architecture, gardens manicured to within an inch of their lives, and one hell of an Aussie flag fluttering in the breeze. After fighting my way through a batallion fancy condiments and tea towels I finally found the Cellar Door. Began with a very impressive 04 Semillon*, followed with a hard unappealing 04 S/Blanc. The 02 Reserve SSB** ($32) was richly textured, with sweet cut hay and zesty lemon acids. The 2004 Chardonnay* was pretty smart as expected, if a little broad.

I enjoyed the 2004 Shiraz*1/2. Perfumed blueberry fruit. A barely evident splash of Viognier, cedary oak and slightly grippy. Pulls up a little short but should lengthen. The 99 Reserve Cabernet**1/2 displayed a classical nose. Subtle blackberry fruit, sweet tobacco lift and a seamless lengthy palate. The fembot behind CD was relatively uninterested in our presence, leaving me fairly lukewarm about our visit.

Onto Leeuwin Estate. After Cape Mentelle, Voyager and now Leeuwin I was beginning to suspect that the success of a winery in the MR was directly related to the length of its driveway. Cellar Door was bustling, but I finally managed to stake my claim at the counter. The always good LEAS Riesling* to start. Floral nose, and a lovely mouthfeel. The 05 Prelude Classic Dry White* was a pleasant surprise. Restrained tropical aromatics, soft acids great length and at $17 great value. The 04 Prelude Chardonnay*1/2 would have sat comfortably as many wineries flagship. Peach, grapefruit, rich, weighty and delicious. We were diappointed to see the 02 LEAS Chardonnay had just sold out, but the CD manageress generously retrieved a bottle of the 99 and 00 that has been used for a private tasting that morning. The 99*** was simply beautiful. The tight primary fruits of fig and grapefruit just beginning to soften. The oak integrating beautifully adding weight and mid palate richness and the acids softening and lengthening. A subtle spicy mouthfeel. Great Chardonnay starting to hit its straps.

The 00** was impressive, and on its own would no doubt appeal more, but next to the 99 it was decidedly more developed and lacking the layer upon layer of flavour that the 99 displayed. Nectarine,butterscoth, orange rind and sweet spice. Still a very nice wine.

The Prelude Cab Merlot and Siblings Shiraz were both smart value and deserving of more attention than I gave them. The 03 LEAS Shiraz**+ confirmed what the Cape Mentelle Walcliffe had told me the day previously; the MR can do some bloody serious Shiraz. Rasberry fruit, white pepper, cest' Francais oak, and ripe tannin structure. At mid $30's it offers some reasonably good value. IMO the LEAS Cabernet has never scaled the heights of its peers as I have always found it a little raw and underdeveloped. The 2001 LEAS Cabernet**1/2+ certainly changed my humble little opinion. Blackberry, juicy black currant, olive, rosemary & more. Tha palate was at times ripe and fleshy, before straightening itself up and finishing with chalky tannins. $50+, and once agin in context worth every dollar. Professional friendly Cellar Door staff topped a great winery experience.

That night we wandered into the much written about Wino's in time for our 8.30 booking. The place was packed and the ingrates who had our table decided they did not want to leave until 9.15. Never mind, we tucked into some bar 'grits'. Some reasonable dahl and naan bread, and some good squid rings went well with a Spanish Albarino (Castro Martin). Quite Marsanne like.

The wine list at Wino's is my early nomination for must read novel of the year. A huge list of local, interstate and international vino covering all manner of varietals and blends. We settled on a 02 Nine Popes ($75)which was absolutely bloody gorgeous. Olive, liquorice, sweet earth, cherry, rasberry and the full spice rack. A multi dimensional wine which evolved beautfully over the next hour or so.

My duck was fine, if a little underdone, and the dearly beloved's curry was lovely, if a little underspiced. The food in general was very good, but not quite up to the lofty expectations I had created in my mind. I lingered over a cigar and a cognac on the terrace and conntemplated local real estate prices.

First stop the next day was Evans & Tate. An expansive steel, timber and glass building with souvenirs once again to the fore. A reasonable 05 MR Verdehlo, & a smart MR Semillon* (a recurring theme throughout the region) were thee best of the whites, the remainder being characterised by hard unpalatable acids. The majority of the MR reds were clean if uninspiring, with the 2000 MR Merlot heavily oxidised, although fine according to the CD staff. The Reserve Redbrook Chardonnay and Cabernet Merlot were both impressive wines, but lacked 'soul', or any real point of difference. The best wine was a 2000 Botrytis Semillon** from their Riverina operation. Luscious, whilst never cloying, and developing beautifully.

Onto Cullen and not a souvenir in sight, praise the lord. The muted surrounds of the Cellar Door gave welcome respite from the more commercial offerings and I felt instantly at ease. The entry level Ellen Bussel White was structured, complex and textural far beyond its price point, the 04 SBS a little hard and green for me. The 2003 Chardonnay**1/2($55) was trim and taught. Nervy grapefruit and lemon, tingling acid. A refined wine of incredible structure and balance. This was just barely tipped by the 99 LEAS Chardonnay as the white of the trip, and given six years may well be superior. The Cellar Door only 04 Cabernet Franc* was leafy and fragrant, and fleshy through the middle. The winemakers touch is all over thse wines. There is a nuance, subtlety and structure common to the entire range.

The CD only 04 Merlot* was floral, brambly, with some frnch oak in a supporting role. A little experiement at CD confirmed (at least for me) that the Merlot Cab Franc blend was superior to its parts. We finished with the 2003 Mangan**, a blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot. Black Cherry, charry oak, olives and a subtle lifted perfume. Very attractive wine all round with the structure suggesting a few years rest is in order. Sitting on the rear deck tucking inot the organic platter for two was perhaps the culinary highlight of the trip. The gentle breeze whispering through the trees, a glass of red, and the company made for a relaxing time. In fact any more relaxed and rigor mortis may have set in so we got back on the road.

Onto the impressive Vasse Felix. Another ridiculously long drive - I thought I may need a blacktracker and a packed luch to find my way out! The 05 Semillon* 04 Chardonnay*1/2 and 04 Cane Cut Riesling*1/2 were the white standouts, in what I must say is a pretty strong line up. The 03 Cab Merlot* had depth whilst the 02 Shiraz** had masses of blueberry fruit and black pepper. The 2002 Heytesbury* was a little diappointing in comparison. Oak dominant undeveloped and lacking the intensity I expected. Perhaps resultant of the vintage. Shiraz seems to have fared better than Cabernet across the board with he 02 vintage, although it is not near as poor a vintage in the West as many make it out to be. The half dozen each of Chardonnay and Shiraz at $279 was too hard to resist, especially with free freight back to the east. The Reg Mombassa (of Mental as Anything and Mambo fame) expo was extraordinary, well worth pulling oneself away from the tasting counter. Whatever that guy is on it must be good!

Down to Pierro. The Pierro Chardonnay** was impressive as expected, but with little else of interest. The Firestone Reserve Cabernet was again oxidised, a recurring theme. It must be recognised that all of the efforts viticultural and winemaking efforts are in vane if the wines are not presented at or at least near their best at Cellar Door. I recognise that there is an expense associated with opening "reserve' wines, but then shouldn't the impetus should be on pouring them out freely to gain maximum exposure and benefit. While I am on my rant I must comment on the ridiculously small tasting glasses at many wineries. As the region produces predominantly subtle structured wines, I would expect that having decent glassware would be a priority. Apparently not.

Fermoy Estate had some wines of interest with a spicy, chunky Shiraz from the 2002 vintage*1/2. More oxidised reserve offerings, and more bloody souvenirs. I know I am going on about the souvenirs but the dearly beloved was buying souvenirs on a one for one basis with my wines, and they take up valuable space!

Howard Park takes the top gong for their driveway. The Howard park driveway is the big daddy of them all, the "Dirk Diggler" of driveways if you like. The winery building is designed on Feng Shui principles which is handy, because after three days in a Hyundai Getz my chakras were all out of whack. The winery is also home to the Madfish Bay labels, most of which were simple with perceptible residual sugar, hmmm........... export market me thinks!

The Howard Park labelled wines were consistently good. The Riesling*was floral and not entirely dissimilar to the LEAS. The Sauvignon Blanc** was balanced and subtle, grassy and textured - quite Sancerre like. For me the best SB of the trip. The Scotsdale (Great Southern) and Leston (MR) Shiraz were interesting to sample side by side, with myself preferring the chewy, jubey, complex Scotsdale*1/2 to the Leston, which was simultaneously under and over ripe. The Cabernets saw the reverse with classical Leston Cabernet** just pipping the dense, yet less varietal Scotsdale*1/2.

The 03 Best Barrels Merlot** ($75) had some big wraps and was undoubtedly delicious. Sweet lifted rasberry fruit, lashings of milk chocolate and charry/coffee oak made for quite a moutful. Yet it somehow maintained structure and poise. Once again in isolation it may have shined, but next to the 02 Howard Park Cabernet it looked a little forward. The 02 Cabernet***($75) was breathtaking, apparently the result of some ferocious fruit thinning to counter the cooler year. Classical cassis, a trace of green bean, which added to the complexity, cedary french oak, amazing intensity and length. The Merlot was good, but my money went on the Cabernet.

I had been told to check out Juniper Estate, a winery I had heard of, but never tried. The visit got off to a good start with the warm welcome from Kate behind Cellar Door. A more pleasant, knowledgable bubbly cellar door salesperson you could never hope to meet, which made up for some of the lax service elsewhere.The winery has a cheaper Juniper Crossing range and a premium Estate label.

The 'Crossing' whites (05 SSB *1/2, 04 Chardonnay*1/2) both over delivered on their price points, with soft acids and pristine varietal flavours. I had been disappointed with many of the SSB, SBS and Classic Dry White styles elsewhere as many has hard acids, closed fruit and little else. The "Crossing" Shiraz and Cabernet Merlot at $19 & $16 were talked up as their BBQ reds. Well these BBQ reds can grace any picnic table I park my ars at. The Shiraz*1/2+ had intense rasberry, black pepper, and an earthy/mulchy funk that really set it apart. The cabernet*1/2+ was all blackberry and mint, whilst quite dense and lush.

The 01 Estate Shiraz**($29) was a little darker and denser than its "Crossing" jnr, with added spice depth and length. The 02 Estate Cabernet**1/2+($32) was simply brooding. Dense blackberry and currant. Intense, structured, traces of mint and rosemary and built for the long haul. The estate wines are off non irrigated vines and it shows with both wines offering outstanding value. But the surprises werent over. Last came a 2004 Cane Cut Riesling**1/2+. An evocative nose of lychee, rosewater, lime, marmalade and sweet herbs. Absolutely pristine crystal clear fruit, this confirmed Juniper Estate as the 'find' of the trip.

On the way back I noticed Woodlands was open, a small much hyped winery. It was in absolute contrast to every other winery I visited. You enter a small office, with a desk that doubles as a Cellar Door. I was informed quite sternly that someone will be with me shortly by a gentleman at a computer who was obviously deeply immersed in his work, because he did not lift his eyes fromt the screen to acknowledge me. Only a few wines were available, a Chardonnay at $20 that tasted like.....well like a $20 Chardonnay. A Pinot Noir*1/2 at $65 that was fleshy, yet savoury, redolent in sweet earth and spice. A lovely wine that shows Pinot can be done well in the region, yet still far from justifying the price. An 04 Cabernet Franc*1/2 at was supple, fragrant, with chewy tannins. As fine a straight Cabernet Franc as I have had, and at $25 would have been great value. Unfortunately at $65 it was not great value, and again I had to pass. An 04 Reserve du Cave Merlot*1/2 fell in to a similar boat. It was plush, had depth, and had the winemakers fingersprints all over it, but at $65 was not for me. And finally the 04 Margaret Cabernet Merlot **($40). Quite taught at this early stage, with glimpses of blackberry and currant peeping through, before being overwhelmed by dusty tannins. A nice wine, but it was not yet labelled for release.

Suffering from a severe case of palateshag, I headed for Gracetown beach, where my skin went from pasty white to vivd fuschia in a matter of minutes. God I love the beach!

And the last stop the next day as we took the coast road back to Perth and the pending conference was Happ's at Dunsborough. Another winery I had vaguely heard of, yet never tasted. I love the sense of optimism I get from visiting a complete unknown. More often than not you leave disappointed, but occasionaly you find a winner. Happs was just such a case. An interesting array of varietals. I began with a Viognier, which along with the Cape Mentelle blend confirmed that Viognier will not be the next great white hope for the MR region (although apparently there is plenty of fruit yet to come on line). I moved onto the reserve "Three Hills" reds. Another varietal Cabernet Franc*1/2, which like the Woodlands was fragrant and leafy and dense, but with more assertive natural grape tannins. The Malbec** had lifted sweet earth, chewy rasberry fruit and an attractive herbal element. I am beginning to fall for Malbec in a big way!. The Nebbiolo**1/2 was fantastic. A little of the tar and roses, but backed up by rasberries, cloves and more. Big ripe chewy tannins (that characterised most of the three hills wines) and palateweight that belied the tawny colour (Bottled in 500ml bottles because that is the perfect amount to drink according to winemaker Earl Happ. And finally the reserve Cabernet Merlot**+. Big and ripe, but with a suppleness and clumsy elegance I loved. And of course those big ripe tannins that kicked in mid palate. In summation a great little innovative winery that march to their own beat.

To any brave soul who has read my self indulgent rambling this far - thank you. I found the Margaret River really delivered. Most of the big guns lived up to their reputations, and it seems developments in vineyard management have countered the once huge gulf between good and average years (very few green wines - even from 2002). Shiraz is of a high quality throughout, although my suspicion is that whilst Shiraz may be more consistent and reliable, it may never scale the heights of the Cabernet in good years. The hyped Chardonnays were worthy of the hype, but far too many Sauvignon Blancs and blends were hard, insipid characterless wines.

Juniper Estate and Happs were two absolute finds and I would urge forumites to give them a try as they offer some very smart value.

Standout Reds - Howard Park 02 Cabernet & LEAS 01 Cabernet

Standout White - LEAS 99 Chardonnay & Cullen Chardonnay

Best QPR - Juniper Estate 02 Cabernet, Juniper Cane Cut Riesling

LL

[Andrew Jordan]

Juniper Estate and Happs were two absolute finds and I would urge forumites to give them a try as they offer some very smart value.

Rough,

Thanks for the detail tasting notes and diary from your trip. Felt like I was there with you. Definitely agree with you on Juniper Estate. Haven't had the '02 Cab yet but the '01 was an exceptional wine for around $30 per bottle!

[bacchaebabe]

Great write up LL - really enjoyed it. Some interesting finds too and good coverage of the current releases from the area. I too don't have much in the way of MR wines so most enlightening. A trip there is well overdue.

[TORB]

Well done Lenny; a great write up and it made me look forward to my trip there next month.

[JDSJDS]

Thanks very much for writing all those notes, I really enjoyed reading them. I share your hatred of souvenirs in CDs - give me the rustic CD anyday!

[GraemeG]

Singing with the chorus here; good job. These things take for ever to write up!

I've had the odd aged Happs Merlot over the years, and been hugely impressed at how they've stood up - particularly for a variety that doesn't do that well over here.

cheers,
Graeme

[dkw]

If you are Down South (applies to every place south of the Swan River if you live in Perth, but usually synonymous with Margaret River) then Ashbrook deserves a visit, a bit further along the same road as Juniper Estate.

[Handy]

Out to the visually stunning Voyager Estate. Appealing Dutch Cape architecture, gardens manicured to within an inch of their lives, and one hell of an Aussie flag fluttering in the breeze. After fighting my way through a batallion fancy condiments and tea towels I finally found the Cellar Door. Began with a very impressive 04 Semillon*, followed with a hard unappealing 04 S/Blanc. The 02 Reserve SSB** ($32) was richly textured, with sweet cut hay and zesty lemon acids. The 2004 Chardonnay* was pretty smart as expected, if a little broad.

Seriously? I thought the 2004 chardonnay was as tight as!

I enjoyed the 2004 Shiraz*1/2. Perfumed blueberry fruit. A barely evident splash of Viognier, cedary oak and slightly grippy.

Again, seriously? I found the viognier in the shiraz too dominant and too sweet. Whatever works for you but I think you and I must have very different palates. Sounds like you had a fun trip.

[roughred]

Yes, very seriously!