A Very Expensive and Distracting Cellar Door Visit in the Yarra Valley

Due to a major renovation to my shop unfortunately I had to postpone my planned wine tasting tour of Victoria that was due to take place this week and decided to have quick long weekend visit with my good mate in Melbourne, Mr Bill and his lovely wife Mrs Bill. (Mrs Bill must be lovely because she puts up with me and must have a patience of a saint as she has been married to Mr Bill for over thirty years.)

Thursday, on the way to their home we stopped off at the Prahran Markets which would have to be one of the best food spots in Oz and can hold its own with anything anywhere in the world. The selection of fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat, fish and above all delicatessen items is amazing. There is nothing in the way of food that one would be unable to obtain here. We purchased a ton of antipasto delicacies for consumption later that night. Mr Bill also mentioned we needed to buy a cake for desert so after doing that chore we stopped off at Armidale Cellars (which has a good range of wines) to pick up a good fortified to go with the cake. I wanted the Campbell Gold Top but they didn’t have any so I had to slum it and settle for a Buller’s Rare Calliope Tokay instead.

Being the caring sharing type (and if you believe that I have a bridge for sale in Sydney – with great views over the harbour) and knowing that Mr Bill has been “gonna” do his cellar properly for almost as long I have known him. I had shipped down a box of wine the previous week. When they opened it, Mrs Bill complained because some of the wines were old and covered in dust and she was upset that there was only one bottle of Billy Goat Frog bubbles in the box (she loves the stuff).

Around four o’clock we decided to whet our collective whistles and commenced proceedings by opening the Frog bubbles. Being a red bigot I also opened and decanted a bottle of Orlando 1991 Lawson Shiraz. Out of sheer necessity and to ensure it was not corked I consumed a small glass prior to sipping on a glass of Billcart Salmon which would have to be one of the best value Champagne in Australia today. I must admit, I do enjoy an occasional glass of this stuff.

No tasting note on the Lawson but it’s in its peak drinking window, the tannins are fully resolved; it’s harmonious, smooth, complex and full bodied. This is a great example of how well Australian wines age and the Orlando Lawson is one of the better value premium wines available in Oz today. The 98 has been recently released and can be found for under $50, a veritable bargain by comparison to many icon wines.

Whilst we were sipping on these wines we got stuck into the antipasto with fresh Italian bread and both the Champers and Lawson were perfectly appropriate and excellent matches for the food. Now Mrs Bill had been complaining about a bit of a dodgy upset tum tum so she just pecked at the food a little. However Mrs Bill breathed in heavily a couple of times and made the bubbles disappear reasonably quickly and when Mr Bill tasted the Lawson there was all sorts of oohing and ahhing; it was quite sickening to hear a grown man making so many baby noises but I guess that means he enjoyed the wine.

The next course was crab cakes which were cooked to perfection by Mrs Bill who went to a lot of trouble with the meal and three crab cakes each in and of itself was just about a complete meal. By the time we got to the crab cakes it was time to start the next bottle which was a Leasingham Classic Clare 1996 Shiraz and once again no tasting notes as this was one of those times when the food, the company and the friendship far surpasses the importance of making a tasting note, no matter how good the wine. However, the wine is getting close to its peak, the tannins are integrating well, the fruit although fresh is combining with the other components and taming down. It’s still a very big wine and was a perfect match for the hearty, full flavoured lamb casserole that took Mrs Bill half the afternoon to cook. Yum, but I was so full after all the starters I could only manage a few mouthfuls.

Mrs Bill decides to have an early night so left Mr Bill and I to the dishes. Dishes are firmly against my religion so pleading religious objections, I left Mr Bill to fill the dishwasher and dispose of a few pans etc and disappeared to do something monumentally important like checking my email and the state of the worlds wine forums. By coincidence, about the time I discovered the state of the wine world was safe and intact, Mr Bill had finished the dishes and I wandered back into the family room/kitchen.

Hark, I hear a noise, it’s the orange and poppy seed calling my name and it’s being joined by the Buller Calliope Rare Tokay so we decided to sample a small amount of both. The cake was excellent and went well with the Tokay. This is one of the jewels of the Australian wine industry and one of the few wines I have rated the Ultimate. They simply do not get better than this nectar. Mr Bill insisted on having a second glass but knowing what he is like I reminded him that he would have to answer to Mrs Bill if the bottle was finished without her getting her fair share. One thing about Mr Bill, he knows he should never upset Mrs Bill because that would lead to repercussions that do not bear thinking about!

So Mr Bill got stuck into the cooking wine and I went to bed.

Friday morning we arose reasonably early and the three of us headed out for an excellent hearty breakfast at Giorgio’s. If you are in Melbourne you can’t go wrong eating here. The service is friendly and professional, the food perfectly prepared and innovative with very reasonable prices.

Over breakfast it was decided that a busman’s holiday was in order and that despite my protestations out cool climate wines Mr Bill and Mrs Bill ganged up on me and decided that we were going to do some wine tasting in the Yarra bloody Valley. So, we jumped into his X Trail Toorak Tractor and headed out. It was decided by my captors that our first port of call should be the Ainsworth Winery of which I knew nothing. Its located in Ducks Lane, this is important to this story!

Mr Bill, Mrs Bill and yours truly with a heart starter on Mr Bills 60th

Now of all the wineries in the Yarra, why Ainsworth of all places you may well ask. About eighteen months ago I was in Melbourne for Mr Bill’s big birthday and he asked my advice on what sort of bubbles to buy for the party. After consultation with a friendly e-tailer we decided on Yarra Burn. A few days later when we were in his car, (on his birthday) Mr Bill received a call on his shoe phone from said e-tailer congratulating him on winning a weekend for two at Yarra Burn. A few months later Mr Bill and Mrs Bill take the prize and whilst at Yarra Burn the owners recommend they try Ainsworth Winery. Mr Bill always does what he is told so they try Ainsworth; they both like it and that’s how we wind up heading out there today. Fate!

The Ainsworth Winery Cellar Door has a wonderful picturesque view that covers almost 180 degrees of rolling mountain-sides and vines with a large dam in the foreground. Whilst Mr Bill and I tasted the wines Mrs Bill ever mindful of her still dodgy tum tum went and had a cup of tea in the restaurant.

Ainsworth Estate 2001 Pinot sells for $25 at cellar door. The nose is all confected raspberry notes and exactly what I dislike about a lot of Oz inexpensive Pinot. Acid is on the tart side, the tannins unobtrusive and the obvious fruit is lean with an initial sweet attack followed by chocolate and a bitter finish. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value, why do I let Mr Bill talk me into trying wine!

Ainsworth Estate 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc sells for $25 at cellar door. Purple in colour the wine has a clean and light hue. Dusty cedar, mint and sweetish mulberry are found on the bouquet. There are lots of smooth tannins but they are well done especially considering the delicate pure fruit involved. This is all right for a lighter style of wine with savoury mulberry and sweet chocolate flavours. It’s well constructed with a firm consistency and long structure which should improve over the next three years and then hold. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Ainsworth Estate 2001 Shiraz sells for $25 at cellar door. Dusty oak, white pepper and barnyard notes lead to a palate of pepper, chocolate and mushroom. The fruit is pure but delicate, the tannins smooth but drying and the bodyweight lean. The wine has a well developed sense of complexity and once again it’s a lighter style of wine that’s well constructed and very food friendly. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Ainsworth Estate 2001 Reserve Shiraz sells for $35 at cellar door. The wine was cropped at 1 tonne per acre. The bottle had just been opened and the attractive aroma initially showed good fruit but was unyielding and showed little else. Very fine grained mouth coating smooth drying tannins are well balanced by the pure medium fruit that expresses itself with intense berry, pepper, smoky oak, chocolate and mushroom that’s both very savoury and sweet at the same time. Structure is elegant, tight and layered; the complexity developed and sophisticated which combine to produce a just medium weight wine with excellent construction which should improve over the next four years and hold for years after. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value. 

After tasting the wines it was lunch time and as the place looked so good we decided to eat here. As soon as we had ordered, Mrs Bill mentioned that she had seen a for sale sign on the property near Ainsworth's and on the way back we should get the real estate agent’s number.

The food arrived, a beautifully presented plate of mixed bits and bobs and a separate cheese platter which we had decided to share. The food was as good is it gets, in particular the pate which was made in the old fashioned way that I just love. The range of cheese was well balanced and the quality perfect. We elected to drink the Reserve Shiraz with lunch and it opened up and blossomed into a wonderfully enjoyable wine which bodes well for its future. If you are in Yarra Valley this spot is highly recommended for lunch and I would return there without a second thought (and for a variety of other reasons which will become apparent later.)

We left Ainsworth and headed up the road to the 10 acre property that was for sale. Mrs Bill rang the phone number that was on the board just as a car drove up that contained what appeared to be a real estate agent. Quick as a flash Mrs Bill was out the car and talking to the agent who explained she had an inspection with another party but would be happy to show us through if we waited. Mrs Bill said “fine, but two questions. Firstly are there any vines and secondly how much?”

The agent responded with “no vines” and Mr Bill said “good” (sick man that Mr Bill) and after hearing the price the Mr and Mrs Bill decided to stick around. The property was indeed lovely; it contained a four bedroom 1970’s style house in liveable condition with a well established pretty garden on a great plot of red earth. This soil is redder than Coonawarra and would grow perfect potatoes (more useful than Pinot grapes) but there are currently six horse paddocks and a dam. The standout feature of this property is the sloping block with wonderful picturesque views.

Mr and Mrs Bill are in love the place and can imagine themselves living here on weekends until they fully retire in a year or two. Dialogue with the agent reveals that there is already an offer on the property at close to the asking price and based on the info from the agent, it appears its genuine and not just fast sales talk. The agent takes a list of questions and promises to ring back with the answers.

Back in the car Mr Bill and Mrs Bill are working out the fine details, not at all important, just how they will pay for the place. It’s clear that they are both excited about the possibility of buying this property. On the way back to Melbourne they are in deep discussion about the property until Mr Bill turns on the radio to get the cricket score.

Praise the Lord, things are working my favour, Matt Hayden is about 10 runs short of the Australian batting record so we listen to the cricket and history being made as the Australian record is broken and then the world record follows. Even listening to grass growing would be preferable to listening to all the excitement about the possible house purchase but alas it’s soon afternoon tea at the cricket and its back to house details. They are already planning the next days activities, back to the Yarra bloody Valley (instead of the Grampians where we could taste some real wine) to have a second look at the house.

Thanks to fortuitous planning I had arranged to have dinner with my cousin and his family that night so with some luck I won’t have my ear twisted off about house details. But alas, I had forgotten that Murray and Sigal had just moved into their brand new architect designed mini mansion so when I arrived it was the grand $5 tour of the place and much house talk. Luckily another couple and their family had been invited for dinner and Ran who is interested in wine sat next to me at dinner so we were able to indulge in some really important conversation topics, like the best wine buys under $20!

The food was flavoursome and filling, Gefillte Fish (two helping thank you, Sigal makes them just like my grandmother used to) followed by chicken noodle soup. The main course was a chicken casserole with rice and roast vegetables and if that didn’t tickle your fancy there was some sauerbraten style beef. Desert was a fruit compote and ice cream followed but a delicious home made cake. There is nothing as satisfying as a home cooked meal with family. To drink we had a Plantagenet 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon which had a pretty typical Cabernet nose. A medium weight wine with smooth tannins, persistent fruit, showing blackberry and mint which is very approachable now due to the silky mouth feel and harmonious nature but it should get better with time. Rated as Recommended with *** for value at $29.

We also had a bottle of Stepping Stone 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon which is a round soft full flavoured fruit driven wine with savoury pepper nuances that was eminently drinkable. This wine represents excellent bang for the buck!

After dinner we watched the finish of the opening world rugby cup game between Australia and Argentina and then it was back to Mr and Mrs Bills place.

Bright and early the next morning we were up and out of the place and back to the Yarra bloody Valley to look at “the house.” Mrs Bill passes on breakfast because the excitement of the house is affecting her already upset tum tum. On the second inspection we trudge all over the property and through the paddocks. There is one hill leading to the bottom four paddocks that makes me realise that Mr Bills Xtrail Toorak tractor will not be enough for this place, he will need some mountain goats too!

Conversation with the agent reveals this is a two horse race and that the other party is expected to make a “final” offer in writing at 2.00 pm that day. This is not good news because Mrs Bill is a control freak and this is way outside her control but that Mrs Bill is a smart cookie who has been a very successful business lady so it’s decided to formulate a “strategy.” As I am included in this discussion I suggest that the first part of this strategy should be to have morning tea. The raisin toast and coffee seem to do Mrs Bill the world of good as now she is just a shade of off white instead of as being as white as a sheet! Can you imagine what this situation is doing to a control freak with an already upset tum tum?

After the first draft of the strategy we head off to St Huberts wines, after all we are not meeting the agent till 2.45 pm so we have some time to kill and can do something useful for a change, like tasting wine.

The two ladies at cellar door were welcoming, extremely friendly, delightful company and they just love to talk about all things vinous and much discussion took place.

St Huberts 2001 Cabernet Merlot sells for $22 at cellar door.  The wine has a rich fruit driven nose with subtle smoky cedar. Tannins are smooth, the youthful acid balanced and the fruit obvious. It’s a medium weight wine with firm but supple consistency, a solid structure and an agreeable level of complexity which has been designed to be consumed whilst young. On the palate there is ripe fruit and chocolate but a somewhat green herbaceous (unripe) streak runs through the wine. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.

St Huberts 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $27 at cellar door. Dark purple in colour, this wine is more like it! Its fruit driven with attractive savoury cherry, subtle milk chocolate, and a mild minty character. Medium in weight, the fruit is persistent and well supported by smooth dusty drying tannins which combine to provide a solid structure. This is a well made crowd pleaser that will go well with food and should drink well over the next 3-4 years. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.  

The first bottle of this wine I tried was corked. The wine had been checked when opened by the cellar door manager and the bottle rechecked the next morning prior to opening. Regular viewers of this soap opera will know my thoughts on this subject!

Next stop was a blind guess; I knew nothing about Yering Farm Winery but they were on the way to our luncheon location so it was worth a try. The winery is located in a very attractive old farm building and the antiquated truck loaded with barrels at the entrance adds to the ambience. This theme is carried through to the cellar door where there was a large log fire going. Unfortunately the room stunk of smoke and trying to seriously analyse wine under those circumstances is impossible so I went outside with my tasting glass, leaving Mr Bill to chat to the lady behind the counter. Naturally Mrs Bill was “looking after” her tum yum and remained in the car to stew on the possible outcomes of the property.

Yering Farm 2001 Cabernet Merlot sells for $25 at cellar door. Raspberry, strawberry chocolate and slightly smoky oak showed on the nose, but the smoky character could have been from the fire! The wine is almost delicate with savoury cherry and slightly sweet milk chocolate which finishes a little bitter. Its medium in weight has a supple consistency and a simple level of complexity but it does linger well with reasonable palate length. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.

Yering Farm 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $25 at cellar door. A true varietal Cabernet nose that’s fruit driven with oak in support. The wine has a pleasant flavour profile with sweet berry fruit but is fairly herbaceous that also finishes a little bitter. Tannins are smooth, the acid piquant, and the body medium weight. There is some “elegance” to the wine but its complexity is simple. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value this is one winery I would not bother to return to unless major improvements are made to the wine.

Lunch had been booked at the Yarra Valley Dairy which is a working farm with restaurant that’s been well designed to capture the tourist market and associated opportunities. A rustic old building has been converted to an attractive theme restaurant that’s in keeping with the business and great views are an added bonus.

Service is fast but not great; when the wine was opened it was not poured and there was no offer for the purchaser to check for faults. We ordered a large mixed platter ($50) which arrived with an acceptable variety of fresh breads. The platter naturally enough contained a number of cheeses that were made at the dairy; there were predominantly two types, soft cow’s milk and soft goat’s milk. In all honesty they were all similar in style so it became a bit boring and this platter could be vastly improved by some hard cheeses or cheeses that have greater stylistic differences. The rest of the platter was adequate but the previous day’s offering at Ainsworth Winery was far superior (and less expensive.)

Mrs Bill was starting to feel better and consumed a reasonable lunch and then the conversation turned to round fifty-five of the strategic planning secession of what they would offer for the property later afternoon. As soon as we got back to this subject, Mrs Bill’s tum tum started acting up again but the food wasn’t that bad.

We headed out and calculated that we had time to visit one winery before our 2.45 pm appointment with the real estate agent so headed down the dirt road towards Coldstream Hills. We arrived there with very limited time which was a pity as they have a great range available for tasting, basically the whole range!

I calculated I had time for two and selected the Reserve Shiraz and Cabernet but the very smooth cellar door manager conned me, sorry I mean convinced me I should try the Reserve Shiraz and Pinot instead, talk about a smooth operator.

Coldstream Hills 1999 Limited Release Shiraz sells for $35 at cellar door. Considering that James Halliday loves clean wines and is a consultant to this winery it was quite surprising to find this wine has a bit of a dirty aroma but it’s not offensive and is supported by rich milk chocolate and briary brambly notes. Tannins are smooth, with balanced refreshing acid, the fruit is pure, distinct and persistent but the taste has a very unusual flavour profile; “funky” with chocolate and mushroom. It’s ample in weight, with firm consistency and well developed complexity; the construction is excellent with good intensity and a lingering finish. Rated as Recommended with ** for value the rating should improve as the wine matures after 2006.

Coldstream Hills 2002 Reserve Pinot sells for $75.90 at cellar door. The wine has an attractive clean and fresh nose full of brambles which translates to palate flavours of savoury cherry, brambly berry and chocolate. Fresh crisp zingy acid and intense lean fruit combine to form a clean well made wine with a solid elegant structure and well developed complexity. The wine has good length and lingers extremely well, it should peak about 2007 and is rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value.

Coldstream Hills 2000 Reserve Cabernet sells for $50 at cellar door. This wine was pick of all of them but I had to taste it very quickly as we were running out of time. It was a clean varietally correct Cabernet with a fruit driven bouquet with some lifted mint. Lovely intense pure rich fruit showing dark chocolate and mint finish with great intensity. The balance is perfect with smooth tannins which provide a good mouth feel and harmonious nature. This is a great result for the 2000 vintage resulting in a power without weight scenario that lingers for ages. Rated as Excellent with *** for value.

We then had a mad dash to reach our appointment with the real estate agent and Mrs Bills tum tum was in knots as we went through round seven hundred and fifty-six of our strategy session and my tum tum joined hers as Mr Bill drove like a man possessed down the twisting winding roads.

Negotiations proceeded smoothly at the agents and the forms were filled in and then copied.  Hang on a second, Mr Bill and Mrs Bill have requested a change so the amendments are made and the pages copied again. They are just about to sign and lo and behold, they decide on another amendment and the pages are fixed and copied again. Now you have to understand that these changes are not more conditions, they are designed to make the offer more attractive. More discussions take place and time out is called!

Mrs Bill has decided to offer $5,000 more than the asking price and strategic planning secession nine hundred and eleven is concluded. The paperwork is amended again and recopied; the poor agent has used a small forest of paper on this one. Signatures are placed on the dotted line, the offer is placed in a sealed envelope, Mr Bill writes out the cheque and we are on our way to await the decision of the vendors. The agent says the two offers will be placed with the vendor late that afternoon and they would ring when the results were known so it was back to Melbourne after a long day. It was pretty quiet in the car as we were all alone and contemplating our own thoughts and dreams; mine, apparently according to Mr Bill were accompanied by loud snoring but according to Mrs Bill that’s the pot calling the kettle black.

We had arranged to have a final dinner at the Watergrill Restaurant in South Yarra and had a reservation for 7.30. This establishment is a class operation. The ambience is fantastic and it’s obvious that no expense has been spared in setting up or fit out. It’s attractive in many ways and has been well designed with the comfort of the diners well and truly taken care of properly. One other thing I liked about the place; the person next to you can hear what you are saying without you having to shout like you are at a football match.

Service is outstanding; the restaurant runs with military precision and operating room efficiency. The quality of the food is excellent and the prices reasonable value. Starters average $17 and mains about $27. The top of the tree lobster seafood platter will set you back as much as $200 but that would be something pretty special. It’s licensed but I understand that if you have a “special bottle” and ask Alex nicely when you book you can BYO with a reasonable corkage charge.

When we arrived at 7.30 we still had not heard back from the real estate agent and Mrs Bill tum tum was not going to let her eat till she knew what was going on. As she reached for her shoe phone it rang, the agent was at the other end. Congratulations were in order and Mrs Bill could now relax and Mr Bill was already relaxed as he had consumed a half a bottle of c-through within the five minutes it took Mrs Bill to talk to the agent.

We ordered our food and toasted Mr Bill and Mrs Bills new acquisition with a bottle of Wynns 1993 John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon. Loads of dusty oak, slightly herbaceous notes with rich fruit and chocolate dominated the bouquet. Bucket loads of dusty tannins and fresh acid are matched with the savoury berry fruit that is supported by chocolate and mint characters. The wine has reasonable complexity, very good length and lingers well. It seemed younger than previous bottles I have tried and it showed better too. Rated as Excellent it disappeared pretty quickly as Mrs Bill’s tum tum made a miraculous recovery. Mrs Bill said it was the plain sole she ate (which was the size of a small flat whale) but if you believe that I have bridge in Melbourne for sale as well as the one in Sydney that was mentioned previously.

The Rosemount 1996 Balmoral Shiraz opened up with a very bad case of pungent bottle stink so a word of caution, if you have this wine decant it a couple of hours in advance. The loads of tannins that showed the last time I tried it have softened and are integrating well. It’s a rich full bodied wine that’s becoming harmonious with blackberry, chocolate, mocha, coffee, plum and vanilla notes. Rated as Excellent this wine is getting better and better.

We decided to be decedent and seventies retro by sharing a Bomb Alaska which was scrumptious and enabled Mrs Bill to finally have her share of the Buller Calliope Rare Tokay. A most enjoyable and memorable night was had by all and was a fitting tribute to a monumental day.

Up bright and early the next morning and Mr Bill and I went out and got some fresh “real” bagels and smoked salmon for our final meal together. Mrs Bill prepared all the necessary bits and pieces to go with the bagels and lox whilst we were out. We all then sat down to a heart breakfast and surprise, surprise, no complaints about Mrs Bill’s tum tum and she ate heartily. Funny how buying a new country property can make one feel better. Some things are just meant to be and this was obviously one of them. So, Bill and Karen (yes she does have a real name) will soon be ensconced in the Yarra Valley and its just as well I made polite noises about Ainsworth Cellar Door and their wines otherwise Mr Bill and Mrs Bill’s new neighbours may not have been very welcoming when they move in.

This trip to a cellar door must be one of the most expensive on record and it . Funny how buying a new country property can make one feel better. Some things are just meant to be and this was obviously one of them. So, Bill and Karen (yes she does have a real name) will soon be ensconced in the Yarra Valley and its just as well I made polite noises about Ainsworth Cellar Door and their wines otherwise Mr Bill and Mrs Bill’s new neighbours may not have been very welcoming when they move in.

This trip to a cellar door must be one of the most expensive on record and it looks like I will be visiting the Yarra bloody Valley more frequently than I would have ever imagined possible. Fate!

Copyright © Ric Einstein 2003