Introduction

A visit to the wine regions of Western Australia is a trip that I have long wanted to make, but due to the tyranny of distance, one that has eluded me for the last 14 years. Finally due to a set of fortuitous circumstances the trip is a reality.

This report is not exactly short, there are tasting notes or vibes on over 160 wines, loads of information on the forty four wineries and winemakers visited, a few comments and the odd photo too (some very "odd.") My apologies if the tasting notes seem boring (or repetitive) but I am not a journalist and don't pretend to be one. Hopefully you will find this a useful reference source, after all when was the last time you found the phone book riveting reading.

Finally, before I get into the detail of the trip report I have some people I would like to thank for making my trip both memorable and enjoyable. Firstly to my 'new' mate who in his professional life is known as Dr David Pearson but on the internet goes under the handle of "Davo" it was great to have finally met you and I appreciate your time and hospitality.

Most importantly off all, this trip and the resulting story would not have been possible without the support and hospitality of the wineries involved. The majority welcomed me with open arms and were more than generous with their time. Most went to a great deal of trouble to make the trip memorable. Many opened icon or yet to be released wines. Some let me taste through numerous barrel samples. These are very special valued experiences and your generosity is truly appreciated.

As a disclaimer I would like to once again restate that I have no vested interest in the wine business or commercial tie up with anyone and don't get paid in any way for these reports. I also refuse to accept gifts or even free bottles of wine (other than a single bottle for tasting.) A few winemakers were generous enough to give me a (single) bottle and whilst I may have accepted it the wines were shared at wine dinners in WA. "Special discounts" that are not available to the general public are also declined. Finally, if you are not familiar with the TORB Rating System, you can click here and scroll to end of page to find out how it works.

The Trip

Now having obtained a super cheap ticket flying Virgin Blue and being a kind of small person, I was not looking forward to a five and half hour flight sitting with my knees gently caressing my ears. Plan A was to get the airport early and get the bulkhead seat with lots of room, but some other smarties beat me to it and the only one left was the centre seat. I was hoping that this was not a sign of things to come.

We alight from the plane in perfect red wine drinking whether, thirty-eight degrees Celsius, oh what fun this is going to be. Arrive at the hotel to be informed that my room will be an hour and a quarter before it's ready. Whilst taking a wander around town I found a sushi bar where I ordered a quick snack and was surprised to find it was garnished with watercress.

On return to the hotel, as promised the room was ready and I was looking forward to a quick afternoon nap.

"Holy cow Batman, that thundering sounds like a new exhaust system is needed for the Bat Mobile" said Robin.

"That's not the Bat Mobile, Robin, There is absolutely no doubt it's the air-conditioning in the room!"

After a quick call to reception and a visit by the house witch doctor I am finally moved to a new room and after 20 minutes mucking around trying to connect to the Internet finally work out they have not turned my phone on. Gees I am glad I am staying at the Hilton, I would hate to think what would be going wrong if I was staying in some cheap dive. (Sarcastic last words indeed as it turned out, but stay tuned for that one later.)

Seven o'clock arrives and it's time to meet the infamous axe murdering, almost red bigot, Dr David Pearson.

There is no doubt that as Davo misplaces a few more follicles and absorbs some more tannins, he will become a fully fledged red bigot. After a 10 minutes stroll we arrived at Davo's favourite Singapore noodle shop and outcomes the glasses and a couple of bottles of local wine from his doctors bag, I was wondering why he was carrying it. And when I saw the vegemite glasses in the restaurant I realised that it was indeed a medical emergency.

The first wine, a Chestnut Grove Cabernet Merlot had a definite fault, but we couldn't make up our minds if it was corked or was suffering from bacterial spoilage so we opened the second bottle which had no label at all. The wine showed plums and chocolate fruit with incredibly smooth tannins. I was amazed to find it was a Hainault 1998 Merlot available from cellar door only. The wine was rated Recommended and very drinkable. One of the very few straight Merlots that I have enjoyed up till this point. By the time we had finished the Merlot, it was obvious that the Chestnut Grove was corked and also suffering from some mild bacterial infestation. The food in this el'cheap'oh Asian restaurant is superb and the prices more than reasonable. In fact it was by far the best value meal on the whole trip, even if the noodle dishes were garnished with watercress. After a short stroll back to the hotel, it was time to hit the hay and dream about all the wine experiences over the forthcoming week.

Saturday 8th February

Whilst on our drive out to the hills Davo has his annual good idea and decides to stop for a cup of coffee. What a salubrious establishment. Its open 24 hours a day and guy behind the counter looks like he has been there serving slices of pizza for the entire time. Davo orders coffee and a muffin and I ordered the house specialty of coffee with a slice of pizza. At least the pizza arrives without the watercress so that a good start, but a start was all we got. Davo was really impressed with his muffin and it was almost enough to turn him to religion judging by the number of calls to God that he made.

The next stop was Davo's place to inspect the infamous Pearson Family Vineyard where I understand Davo was not only named every vine but every grape too.

Interestingly enough although it was only the middle of February, his red grapes were just about ready to pick and were in fact harvested a few days later. This scenario of picking early was one I would see and hear about at virtually every winery I visited. The 2003 vintage has a very hot and dry right through WA.

Finally it was time for the serious job of tasting wine and two regions were covered today. The first, Perth Hills was a positive eye opening experience. The vast majority of the wineries were small or micro producers and almost without exception the wines were well-made and fault free. This sub region has the added benefit of offering good value for money wines but unfortunately that's because many of them sell from cellar door only. Considering its proximity to Perth and quality of the wine being offered, it's very surprising this area has not been "discovered." It is equally important to note that I didn't taste any remarkable or great wines from this region either. However, if you live in WA and are after everyday drinking high-quality good value wines then you would be hard pushed to go past a drive into the Perth Hills.

After driving around the Hills like a couple of alcoholics trying to find an open pub, we finally arrived at Cosham Wines. Davo, being the sensitive and caring character that he is respects my red bigotry by inflicting a Cosham 1999 Pinot Bubbles upon my person. The wine which sells for $22 has a very a very light red tinge to it and a lemon scented nose. The wine is zesty, has a creamy mouth feel and a lemon flavour running right through to a good finish. The wine is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Cosham 2001 Shiraz sells for $15 and is purple in colour with the light hue. The nose shows the wines obvious youth with some meaty aspects and dark fruit. Tannins are rounded, the acid balanced, the fruit medium weight and the wine shows a soft consistency; a slightly short structure with a simple level of complexity and a dry finish. Whilst the wine is well-made it could be best described as "a man in a grey suit" wine. It's a drink now proposition and rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Davo is at it again and this time he plonks a glass of Cosham 2000 Pinot in front of me. (I am beginning to be glad that if he describes this sort of medication that he's not my doctor.) The nose on this wine is totally closed and shows almost nothing. The wine has a balanced structure with rounded tannins; the flavours are savoury cherry and dark chocolate. At least there are no feral notes and whilst the flavour profile is pleasant, it's a little simple. The consistency is soft, the structure is open, and the complexity is agreeable but simple. A well made and well-balanced wine and what you see is what you get. At $16, this Pinot is drinkable and rated as Recommended with *** for value. A drinkable Pinot for under $20 is a rare find. It looks like Dr Davo may not only prescribe foul tasting cough mixture like medications only after all.

The final wine here was the Cosham 1999 Cabernet Merlot (55%/45%) which is violet in colour and shows blue fruit and mint on a very "clean" nose. The wine is well-made with a soft finish although tannins are evident. For the $18 price tag, the wine represents value showing medium body weight, soft consistency and the plain level of complexity is countered by a reasonably long finish considering the price point. Best drunk over the next couple of years, it's rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

Piesse Brook is a small but interesting winery that was one of the first planted in the Perth Hills. They had a reasonable range of wines and most of their current releases have a few years of bottle age.

Piesse Brook 1997 Cabernet Merlot sells for $13.50 at cellar door. Tannins are unobtrusive and balanced. The medium weight savoury but persistent blackberry/mulberry spectrum, plums and chocolate fruit with hints of pepper are supple, and whilst the wine is reasonably simple, this is well-made wine represents good value and should best be drunk over the next two years. Rated as Agreeable with **** for value.

Piesse Brook 1997 Cabernet Shiraz sells for $13.50 at cellar door. The bouquet is dominated by the Cabernet characters with a tiny amount of charry oak evident. The wine is slightly thin and lacking in fruit with drying tannins, so the (just) Acceptable rating with ** for value should not be a surprise.

The next wine was a step up in class and quality, even if not in price. Piesse Brook 1997 Shiraz sells for $16 at cellar door. An almost Rhone like nose showing cold meat and chocolate. The oak has been well-managed. Tannins are drying; the persistent fruit translates to a palate of savoury black upfront fruit leading to hints of sweet plums and light chocolate. It's a medium bodied wine with firm consistency, and whilst the complexity is plain, it's well made and has some interest. Rated as Recommended with **** for value it should peak in the next year or two.

Piesse Brook 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $16 at cellar door. The nose is usual and showed cassis, chocolate, smoked meat notes and some minor bacterial or Brett like characters. Tannins are unobtrusive but drying, the acid a little sharp and the medium weight sweet and savoury berry fruit flavours and chocolate fall a bit short on the finish. The consistency is supple and the complexity agreeable; about three years is needed for the acid to soften. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, its not my cup of tea.

Piesse Brook 1998 Merlot sells for $16 at cellar door and was last wine we tried here. The chocolate, musk, floral notes and cloves on the nose flow through to savoury flavours on the palate with plum thrown in. This is an ample weight wine with firm consistency but due to the lively acid the wine is not as harmonious as it could be. This would be a reasonable barbecue wine and is rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

The next winery is run by a former cabinet maker and his wife who have restored the original settlers home and operate it as a B&B. It is located in the bottom of the valley alongside the Piesse Brook which is well and truly dry.Lionel Penketh and his dog Cobber of Brookside Vineyard. greeted us at the cellar door.

Brookside 2001 "Cobblers Leap" Cabernet Sauvignon is only available at cellar door and cost $16 by the dozen. This is a good wine for the price showing smooth dusty oak tannins, young acid and the persistent fruit flows across the palate as sour cherry leading to plums and dark chocolate. The wine has ample body weight and a simple level of complexity, it's rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Brookside 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon is only available at cellar door and cost $16 by the dozen. The bouquet shows plummy fruit, some coconut American 0ak (one third new American and two-thirds older French are used,) and dark chocolate. The wine has lively acid and the medium weight fruit comes across the palate as plums, cherry, and dark chocolate. In many ways this wine has Shiraz flavour and Cabernet structure. It's medium weight with a firm consistency, tight but unfortunately slightly short structure with a reasonable finish that needs about another three or four years to show its best. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.

And the next winery we visited it was hard to know if we were winery or a woodworking shop. Retired Mathematics ProfessorJohn Walsh met us with deep red stained hands but they were stained from the wood he had been working with rather than the wine he had (not) been making. It also helps if you have the constitution of a mountain goat when walking up the driveway at Walsh’s . At the top of the driveway you are met by a table with a few bottles, lots of magnificently completed woodwork and a bell to ring for service. The wine tastings occur outside on the open veranda, no crystal glasses or chandeliers in this establishment.

Walsh Wines 1999 Shiraz showed light plums and white pepper on the nose with the addition of sour cherry and a chocolate finish on the palate. It’s a fairly lean wine with supple complexity, elegant structure and uncomplicated complexity. Rated as Acceptable with *** for value at $15 at cellar door.

Walsh Wines 2001 Shiraz sells for $17 at CD. Some cedary notes and similar profile to the 1999, a good honest barbeque wine that’s medium weight with an agreeable level of complexity. Rated as Agreeable with **** for value.

The Hainault Vineyard has recently been taken over by new owners but unfortunately they were not blessed with a huge amount to work with so it will be some time before this winery gets back on its feet.

Hainault Talus Sparkling c-through Pinot has a lifted citrus nose and a reasonably sweet, pretty taste with some acid on the back on palate. The wine has a lively aftertaste and lingers well. It's a very good crowd pleaser and the sort of wine you can sit outside and sip all day. Rated as Recommended with *** for value at $23.

Hainault 2000 Shiraz is priced at $22 with a totally closed nose showing some chocolate. The fruit is delicate; the body is a lean and the structure short. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Hainault 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon is priced at $24. The nose is dominated by dusty French oak so it's no surprise that the tannins are dusty two. Once again the fruit is delicate and the dominance of the oak should recede as the fruit emerges. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value for the wine needs a couple of years to come together.

Having tried their 1998 Merlot at dinner the night before once the new owners settle in hopefully they will be able to improve things.

The morning has flown by and it was time to meet Peter Holland (Auswine Forum regular Peter H) who is a transplanted Pom now enjoying life in Perth. Lunch was at the famous Houghton's Winery in the Swan Valley. This is one of WA's largest and oldest producers and is part of BRL Hardy. When we arrived at cellar door there was a multitude of their cheapest wines available for tastings but unfortunately the most prestige wine they had available for tastings were two of the recently released Crofters wines.

Davo couldn't resist it and inflicted a Crofters 2002 Pinot in front of me to try. From the length of my tasting note he can see how exciting I was by this $25 wine. It tastes of strawberry, chocolate with prominently liquorice and a slight acid spike. The wine is rated as Agreeable with ** for value. I had great pleasure when Peter walked in and I was able to hand my glass to him and say "what do you think of that mate?"

Crofters 2001 Shiraz sells at cellar door for $25. The aromas are spice, pepper, cold savoury meat and strawberry. Tannins are smooth and the obvious fruit of ample weight have chocolate, raspberry, black fruit and liquorice flowing across the palate in a technically perfect wine with supple consistency and an agreeable level of complexity. As competently as this wine is put together, it's a "Brittany Spears Wine" - as exciting as bat turd. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.

As we were having lunch there, Davo dug deep and purchased a bottle of Frankland River Shiraz which was uncorked by the senior cellar door employee. We sat down at our table, took one sniff, deemed it to be corked and took it back. The employee took one sniff, and agreed. He opened a new bottle, but didn't bother to check that it was okay.

The three of us shared a large platter of bits and pieces at the winery and the food was excellent even if it was garnished with watercress. That watercress gets around in Perth.

First rant
And surprisingly it's not about cork taint (grin.) At Houghton's, whilst chatting to the senior cellar door person we were informed that it was a company policy "not to open any of the premium brands for tasting, including such wines as the Crofters" but as the wine was fairly new he had decided to open it anyway.

The attitude of some cellar door operations towards potential customers and serious wine lovers in most cases is fantastic and in others it's downright insulting. During my travels, it once again became apparent that in the majority of wineries as soon as staff see you are serious about wine and not just after a free way of getting drunk, they will frequently and happily pull out their best bottles from under the counter and gladly pour them for you. In some cases in a number of small wineries if their icon wines are not open they will even open them especially for you.

Unfortunately this attitude does not extend to a number of the larger wineries like BRL Hardy, Sandalford and a few others where one can only get the impression that they are so big they don't give a continental fig about individual customers and don't feel any need to try and impress potential purchasers, even if those purchasers make it abundantly clear they are serious wine buyers who have made a special trip to the winery to try their icon brands. In fact in some cases all that is available for tasting are the entry level lower cost wines.

If these wineries are concerned about the cost and the gigantic, humongous impact that opening these wines would have on their multimillion-dollar bottom lines, then they can always do what Howard Park does and charge $5 to taste the wine which discourages the free loaders. Just for the record, at Howard Park if they think you are "fair dinkum" and not just a freeloader, the charge is waved.

A few years ago, prior to the merger Rosemount had exactly that attitude at their "shed" in McLaren Vale. However even the once mighty Southcorp saw the need for better customer relations and the last time I visited the Edwards and Chaffey facility in McLaren Vale the entire line up including Balmoral was available for tasting.

Companies may be able to do exactly what they like during the good times, but times are not always good as Southcorp has recently found out. It will be interesting to see if the likes of BRL Hardy, Sandalford and Cape Mentelle (and a number of others) are ever forced to change their attitude.

End of rant and back to the trip.

The next winery visited was Lamont which is reputed to have a good reputation but wasn't doing itself any favours when we were there but more of that in a minute.

The first wine we tried was an interesting curiosity. It was the Lamont 1999 Sparkling Cabernet which was a c-through; in my book an oxymoron. The wine was very dry, "interesting and unusual" and frankly because it was so unusual I don't know what comments to make about it.

The cellar door itself is located in a building that looked to be made from colour bond metal and whilst the temperature was about 40C (about 104F) degrees outside, it seemed even hotter inside. We tried the Lamont 2000 Premium Shiraz but due to their heat the wine was so hot it was unfair to pass comment on it.

When we complained about the temperature of the wine, the staff member who was serving us explained that the wine had been sitting in the heat all-day and offered to open a cooler bottle of the Lamont 2000 Family Reserved Cabernet Sauvignon for us to try. He promptly reached under the counter and pulled out a new bottle, opened it and poured glasses of the wine. He meant well but there were two problems involved with this action. The first was the didn't check the bottle for defects and the second was the bottle temperature was at best only a degree or two less then the Shiraz which had been sitting on the counter. Whilst I did make notes on this wine in order not to look rude, it would be unfair to publish them here.

Needless to say we were out of there as quickly as we could and went to the next winery, Westfield which was a much more pleasant experience. This winery is about 80 years old with an underground cellar and it also sources some fruit from areas outside the Swan Valley.

Westfield 1999 Bronze Wing Merlot sells for $21and has an unusual nose for a Merlot which is dominated by spice. The acid is piquant and tends to stick out a bit but the medium weight fruit shows plums and star anise and a chocolate finish. The structure of the wine is unusual and in some always more like a classic Shiraz. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Westfield 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon also sells for $21. The nose is no Einstein, in fact it's pretty dumb and whilst it doesn't show much there is fruit lurking there. On the palate the pleasant cassis fruit is marred by a load of green background flavours which finishes bitter. The weight of the wine is medium but the tannins seem to be the unripe. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Westfield 1999 Shiraz also sells for $21. This wine also has a dumb nose and this week upfront fruit goes bitter on the finish. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

As you can see the reds in this winery were pretty uninspiring but the winery certainly does have some redeeming features.

Westfield 1999 Liqueur Verdelho sells for $45 for 375ml bottle. The complex nose shows volatility due to the obvious higher alcohol with raisins and honeyed citrus aromas. On the palate the wine does seem to be high in alcohol and tastes of burnt caramel with loads of complex citrus and marmalade flavours that linger and linger for ages. The trip to the winery was worth this one wine alone and it's rated as Excellent with *** for value.

Westfield 1983 Liqueur Shiraz sells for $75 for 375ml bottle. This would have to be the one of the most unusual wines I have ever tasted. For starters it's brown in colour with a yellow hue. The nose is coffee essence personified with coffee and molasses to add a little interest. This is amazingly unusual wine is one of the kind! The finish is incredibly long and the consistency is thick and viscous and it's like drinking concentrated treacle coffee. Rated as Outstanding with *** for value. I was incredibly tempted to buy some for its curiosity factor and unique attributes, but at $75 for a half bottle there are other fortified wines that would give me more enjoyment. However, we did see history in the making when Davo extracted his credit card from his tightly locked pocket and purchased a bottle. It's the small bottel wrapped in green.

The next stop was one of the most disappointing on the entire trip. Sandalford Wines seems to be right into tourism in a big way.

Rant number two

Unfortunately the same positive comments made about the Perth Hills cannot be made and do not apply to the Swan Valley. This area seems to be a Mecca for wineries hell bent on taking advantage of novice wine drinkers by passing off anything from poorly made flawed wine right through to industrially produced technically perfect wine that is as boring as bat turd, with every other possible combination in between. In short it seems like a tourist trap area to me.

Sandalford is another large winery that seems to be geared towards tourism. There is an immense array of gifts available for sale at cellar door. When we arrived at the counter we were informed politely "it was a dollar per tasting" (we got the impression that was for each wine) and noticed there were none of their regional wines available for tasting. We voted with our feet and walked out.

The final winery of the day was Olive Farm. The expression on Davo's facing when he tried their sparkling c-through was enough to ensure it was going nowhere near my lips. However I was unfortunate enough to try two other wines. The first was the Olive Farm 2001 Shiraz which retails for $17.50 and was rank with aggressive acid, massive aldehydes and served way too hot.

The second wine I tried, Olive Farm 2001 Cabernet Merlot whilst not technically flawed was only rated as Acceptable and was also served at a temperature that was far to hot and had little in the way of redeeming or standout positive features. I was not at all surprised to see a member of staff uncork a fresh bottle and put it on the counter without checking it in any way.

Whilst the temperature was about 40 degrees during the day there is absolutely no excuse for wineries serving red wine at 30 degrees or even more. If they don't wish to go to the expense of air-conditioning the cellar door facility, wine cabinets are available that will keep the wines at perfect drinking temperature. And if they don't wish to invest in these, there is nothing stopping the wineries placing their reds in the fridge or even into iced water.

Treating their wine in this matter and serving it under these conditions shows how unprofessional some wineries can be and it's time these pathetic practices ceased. And it's not all small wineries that are guilty of this behaviour, there are some large wineries in WA that are just has culpable.

Wineries that insist on serving red wine at room temperatures no matter now hot the temperature have a constipated mind set and need to clear the crud from their brains.

End of rant and back to the trip. (And now you know why they call me The Opinionated Red Bigot.)

Friday night saw the first offline of this trip. Five of us met at a fine French restaurant called Jacques where we were met by the owner's wife who informed us the service may not be as good as expected because one of the staff, on their first night in a new job, had almost succeeded in amputating a finger. Dr Davo kindly offered to volunteer his services but apparently his reputation preceded him and the offer was firmly but politely declined with quiet mutters about proctology and directions. In attendance were Davo and his good lady Jenny, Peter Holland, David Benny and myself.

First wine of the night was a Seppelt 1995 Sparkling Shiraz which is a consistently good wine but lacks the complexity of many of the icon sparkling Shiraz made in Australia however it is excellent value for money.

The ever popular (in Western Australia) Cape Mentelle 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon was served next. For my taste this ample weight wine is close to its peak and showed cassis, plum and inoffensive green capsicum and was almost seamless. It's a fairly classy wine and rated as Highly Recommended.

True to form, Davo managed to produce a bottle of Wolf Blass 1990 Black Label that was corked so once again the got out of paying for a bottle of wine. He's good at doing that!

The Houghton 1995 Show Reserve Shiraz was a wine I had been looking forward to trying for some time as there were rave reviews about it since its release. I purchased a six pack on speck but had never tried it. The wine almost lived up to its reputation but it's a little closed at this stage and just needs more time. Sorry these vibes are not more detailed but I didn't make any notes at the dinner and these impressions are being penned for first-time some ten days and 160 wines later. Rated as Excellent.

The wine of the night for me was the Veritas 1998 Hanisch Shiraz which is a wine I had not tried for over twelve months. It's a complex monolithic blockbuster that unmistakably Barossa Shiraz and should be awesome when it finally peaks. This wine gets better every time I try it and it is slowly settling down and coming together. Rated as Excellent and if you have any, don't waste them, leave them in the cellar for a few more years.

Once again Davo showed his generosity by bringing a bottle of Houghton's Liquor Verdelho that was about 70 years old and being the caring and sharing person that he is, he had drunk most of it a few days previously and there were only a few drops per person left. Still, it was damn fine wine and I enjoy the opportunity of trying it.

The food at Jacques was superb with excellent service and had I have been for 30 years younger, I probably would have walked out married. As I was having a light red (the Hanisch), duck was an appropriate match and I was not surprised to find a watercress garnish on the plate. One could be excused for beginning to think that's watercress is compulsory with all food consumed in Perth.

After a very hot day where the temperature reached 40 degrees, I was so glad when it cooled down overnight to the freezing temperature of 29.8 degrees (86F). It was a great move to stay in an air-conditioned hotel.

Sunday

Up bright and early I picked up my motorised air-conditioned roller skater for the drive to Great Southern which takes about four hours. Had a quick stop along the way about two hours out of Perth for a cup of coffee and a bacon and egg roll. The coffee was instant and they had no Diet Pepsi so I knew I had finally reached the bush. This was confirmed when the bacon and egg roll was served without any watercress. The road was good, however not far from the start of Great Southern there is a stretch of road where there must be at least twenty white crosses in the space of a few kilometres where people have been killed so the need for caution on this road was pretty obvious.

The first major winery one comes to at Mount Barker is Gilbert Wines where I was served in the rustic but charming cellar door facility by Beverly Gilbert. They obviously have some very dedicated workmen in this part of the world as the builders were working flat out on Sunday erecting a new winery. The first wine tried was Gilbert 2001 Three Devils Shiraz which was vivid purple in colour with a fresh intense dark black berry fruit nose with French oak taking second place. This is not surprisingly considering the wines spent ten months ageing in French oak. The wine has good structure with some powdery fruit tannins evident but not a lot of oak tannin. Despite the almost 16 percent alcohol it's not hot or even porty. There is ample body weight with a silky consistency, an almost seamless structure, an agreeable complexity and good upfront sweet dark flavoured rich fruit which makes this wine a high-quality crowd pleaser that's drinking well now and rated as Recommended with **** for value at about $18.

If this is a sign of things to come in Mount Barker I should have a very pleasant time in this area.

Beverly kindly opened a bottle of the Gilbert 2000 Reserve Shiraz which is due for release in April and should retail for about $25. Having spent 22 months in French oak (30 percent new) and having only just been bottled, the nose was closed and showed very little. Tannins are very fine grained, the piquant acid is well judged and balances the medium weight persistent black fruit, including cherry and aniseed creating a high-class drop with a firm consistency, layered structure and harmonious complexity that just needs about another four years to peak although it is drinking well now. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value. These two wines are some of the best value to come out of WA.

Gilbert 2001 Cabernet Shiraz (55%/45%) sells for $18 with the nose showing American oak, berry, pepper and multiple green aromas including capsicum mint and eucalyptus. Loads of drying tannins and medium weight fruit with an agreeable complexity is complemented
Marribrook 1998 Cab Malbec Merlot is violet in colour and sells for $19. The nose shows some light fruit with lifted notes that is slightly volatile. The body weight is lean, the consistency soft and the structure short, the wines is rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Right next or was the Marribrook winery that turned out to be an "interesting" experience. At most cellar doors where they have dogs, the dogs are normally friendly and give a welcome sniff and wag of the tale. As I got out of the car three Miniature Dachshund were barking their heads off at me and wouldn't come anywhere near me. Maybe I should have realised this could be an omen of what was to come.

I walked into cellar door and rang the bell on the counter and wasn't surprised that no one came as by the sound of running water it appeared someone was in the shower. So I waited patiently for about seven minutes until the water stopped and rang the bell again. A voice yelled out "I'll be with you in a minute." Sure enough a few minutes later someone appeared. The gentleman and I exchanged pleasantries and he asked me where I was from and because I was carrying a clipboard asked if I was 'in the business.' I replied that I was just a wine lover who made a lot of notes and as they only had an extremely limited range of red wine and I didn't water waste a lot of time explaining who I was and what I was doing in detail.

The following are my original notes as I made them without any alteration.

Marribrook 1998 Cab Malbec Merlot is violet in colour and sells for $19. The nose shows some light fruit with lifted notes that is slightly volatile. The body weight is lean, the consistency soft and the structure short, the wines is rated as Acceptable with ** for value.

Also available for tasting was the Marribrook 1999 Cabernet Malbec Merlot which sells for $25 and has the nose showing French oak notes, some unusual scents - almost like sweet, corn bread. The tannins are dusty, the acid is balanced, fruit is medium weight and persistent which all adds up to a good mouth feel. Flavours of blackcurrant, savoury cherries almost into the plum spectrum combine with a firm consistency, an elegant structure and an agreeable level of complexity. There is a long finish and the wine grows on you as it is consumed. Rated as Recommended with *** for value it should peak in about 2005.

After tasting the two red wines on offer I asked to use the bathroom. On my way out I thanked the person and said goodbye to which he replied "aren't you going to take any wine with you?" I replied that I was just reviewing the wines in the area and would make up my mind what I wanted purchase later. He then pointed to a sign on the side wall that I had not seen during my 10 minute wait that stated there was a $2 tasting fee and insisted on payment. Needless to say I was not very happy (which was bloody obvious) and explained that I was reviewing the wines and my tasting and would be published on the Internet and had never been charged for doing so previously.

He then justified his position by stating that he had asked me if I was an industry and I had said no. Let's just say that after that exchange and a few more words between us I left there with the same sense of welcome as the dogs had given me on my arrival and this is one winery to which I will not return.

The next stop was the Mount Barker Tourist Information Office which is located in a disused converted railway station to arrange accommodation. Whilst it is a very attractive building I was surprised to see that in a quite and remote low population area such as this, burglar bars were needed on some of the windows.

Plantagenet in this is a well-known winery and one of the largest in the area enjoying a very good reputation for value and quality.

The first wine tried was the Plantagenet 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon which sells for $28 at cellar door. One sniff and it was obvious the wine was corked so a fresh bottle was opened. Aromas of cedary French oak, mocha, blackberry and mint combine to form a pretty typical Cab nose. Tannins are silky, the acid young with persistent distinct fruit showing blackberry and mint which is very approachable now due to the silky mouth feel. In terms of structure the body weight is medium, the consistency firm, there is a solid backbone behind the wine and a harmonious level of complexity. The finish is reasonable but slightly short on the palate and it should peak around 2007. Sorry I forgot to put a rating on my tasting sheet but I would hazard a guess at Recommended with ** for value.

Plantagenet N/V Liqueur Muscat looked interesting so I couldn't resist trying it. The nose showed light caramel and raisins with a very smooth balance. The wine is on the light side for its style. Flavours are raisins and burnt caramel and it's served from the fridge at cellar door, I think I know why. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value at $16.50 for a 500ml bottle.

The Omrah range of wine is normally well-made and represents some pretty good value. After trying the 2000 Shiraz recently and not liking it for its level of charry oak I was pleased to see the 2001 Shiraz on offer. The bottle was almost empty and had been opened for a couple of days so the very helpful cellar door staff member opened a new one and checked it. For the faintest split-second there was a questioning look on her face. When the glass was handed to me I took a one sniff and knew it was mildly corked. I asked the staff member to check it and whilst she thought it was OK, she was only too happy to open another bottle. When the comparison was made between the two bottles it was obvious the first bottle was indeed corked. The staff member admitted that she had only been there for six months and was undertaking some wine courses. We discussed how to spot the bad bottles and to always back your initial gut feeling until proved incorrect. She was actually quite pleased and felt she had learned something by this experience and would be better able to spot dud bottles in the future. But my question is why don't the winery is to a better job of training their staff? It's not her fault, (she is trying to learn) and indeed not the fault of most winery staff, it is the inadequate training provided by their employers. End of mini rant three and back to the wine.

Omrah 2001 Shiraz has in your face fruit showing loads of pepper, chocolate, followed by more pepper, liquorice and a touch of mint. Ample body weight, supple consistency and an open structure with simple complexity and dusty tannins combine to make a "what you see is what you get wine." Although it could almost be classed as a crowd pleaser, it may improve over the next couple of years. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value at $17.

Omrah 2001 Merlot Cabernet ($17) was opened especially for me and is due to be released in about two months time. The nose is quite dumb at this stage and doesn't show much at all. The silky smooth tannins like these are fairly typical in a Merlot, but this wine has lots of them. There is not a lot in the complexity department, but the fruit has ample weight, is deeply seated and shows musk, plums and liquorice. It's a good wine for the price and holds some interest in this bracket. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

The road maps for this region are not particularly detailed and it's very easy to take the long way round getting from point "a" to point "b" - something I did reasonably well on my journey to Pattersons Wines which is well and truly often beaten track. Once you get to the gate, as you can see from the photo you know exactly where you are. The wines are all on the elegant lighter spectrum.

Pattersons 1999 Pinot sells for $25 a cellar door and is a light refreshing wine with savoury spicy notes, strawberry and loads of gamey characters. Not for me but I'm sure some lovers of this fickle grape variety would find the wine very attractive.

Pattersons 1998 Shiraz is viiolet in colour with some signs of bricking on the edges. It has a light refined nose which leads to a palate of light strawberry, spicy spectrum fruit and a slight amount of earthy gamey characters. A lean wine with soft consistency, an elegant structure and an agreeable level of complexity it's rated as Agreeable with ** for value at $25.

Pattersons Curse 2000 Shiraz is so named due to the three inches of rain that were dumped just prior to harvest. The bouquet shows earthy leathery gamey characters with white pepper. On the palate the wine is a light early drinking red with white pepper and a bit of liquorice that lingers reasonably despite its lean body weight. There is a soft consistency and simple level of complexity. This wine would be a perfect barbecue wine to be enjoyed on a hot summer's day or with smoked salmon. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value whilst it doesn't rock my boat many people would find it attractive.

Galafrey is an established winery that I had never heard of but one that is worth seeking out.

Galafrey 2001 Merlot is dark purple in colour and has spent 12 months in French oak. The nose shows plummy fruit, some berry notes and hints of cedar. In some ways the wine is more like a Shiraz in structure with dusty drying tannins, refreshing acid and medium weight fruit with a firm consistency and agreeable level of complexity. I found it to be slightly bitter and somewhat green on the finish and even with plummy fruit flavours I don't quite know what to make of this wine. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value at $25 it should peak around 2005.

Galafrey 2000 Shiraz is dark purple in colour and spent 18 months in American oak which is fairly unusual for a lot of wines in this area. The bouquet is pepper and spice, sweet blackberry fruit and coconut leading to similar flavours on the palate with the added complexity of nutmeg and savoury characters. The flavour profile holds some interest. It's ample weight with a firm consistency, a layered structure and an agreeable level of complexity and is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Galafrey 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon was dark purple in colour and showed dusty American oak, almost meaty characters and chocolate. The persistent distinct fruit provides a good flavour profile with complex savoury flavours and a long finish. Tannins are dusty, the acid is young, body weight ample and the developed and sophisticated complexity completes a package that just needs about another four or five years to come together. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value this wine is worth buying.

Although the Galafrey 1998 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was normally not available for tasting Linda Tyrer was kind enough to open the wine for me to try. If it wasn't already well after closing time at the winery, I would have happily stood there all-day sniffing its intense chocolate, meaty, spice and mint characters. The wonderful structure and balanced is provided by the very fine grained tannins, youthful acid and pure deep medium weight fruit showing cassis, mulberry, other berry flavours, pepper, earthy notes, cedar and savoury chocolate. There is a huge level of complexity which is sophisticated, refined, harmonious and the package is surprisingly elegant with a very long finish. At $50 it's not inexpensive but it's rated as Excellent with *** for value and well worth consideration.

What a great way to end today's wine tasting. Unlike a lot of other wine regions in Australia many of the wineries in this area are not close together and require a reasonable amount of driving to get too. A word of caution it easy to get lost here and if you do you will well and truly join that great African tribe (The Wherethe ****arewees) which I managed to do by making one small wrong turn on the way back to the guesthouse. I only went about 50 kilometres out of my way to get back on track. The problem is that on 'the wrong side' of the Australian continent, the coast is in the wrong spot and whilst I can navigate and know where North is, East and West keep getting mixed up. In the immortal words of one Mr Simpson, Doh!

Dinner was at the Enchanted Frog and whilst they tried hard and the service was good, the meal was fault free but totally unexciting.

Monday

The guest house accommodation tariff included a cooked hot breakfast so at about 8.00 I headed for the dining room. Apparently there had been a wedding party there on the Saturday night and I was the only guest in the place on Sunday night as they wanted a quiet one. When I was shown the electric jug and told to make my own instant coffee I politely declined stating that I don't drink instant. The very helpful owner then found a tin of "real coffee" so I could enjoy a cup but was quite surprised when I informed her that you need some sort of implement other than just a kettle to make it. That's two days of no caffeine and I am starting to climb the walls. I really must be in the outback. The breakfast mountain of bacon, eggs, tomato and the biggest sausage I have ever seen in my life could have fed a small regiment.

Up bright and early but with one complaint. The wineries enjoy banker's hours and don't open until 10 AM, unlike South Australia were a number of open at 9 AM so I headed off to my furthest easterly winery, Castle Rock Estate which is about 25 kilometres from Mt Barker.

As Robert Diletti was kind enough to let me start tasting their wine before 10 AM, I could not be rude when he poured me a glass of Castle Rock 2001 Pinot ($23 CD) which had a reasonable nose that showing slightly lifted showing strawberry, some background gaminess and liquorice. Tannins were smooth but drying, the fruit very persistent and strong with strawberries, some slightly feral flavours and chocolate, all on a very long harmonious finish that was backed up by a supple consistency and solid structure. This is not a bad wine and okay for a Pinot and it should improve over the next three years. Rated as Recommended with *** for value. But then I am no expert on this grape.

Castle Rock 2000 Robert Reserve Red ($17 CD) is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Despite the fact the wine was matured in two to three year old oak, the nose shows a reasonable amount of dusty notes. The body weight is a lean, the consistency is soft and the complexity is simple and whilst it's a fault free well-made wine that may be food friendly, to me it lacks interest. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.

Castle Rock 1999 Cabernet Merlot ($19 CD) has a tight closed nose with good fruit and earthy notes which translates to a palate of earthy leathery taste, sweet cassis and light star anise. This is a medium bodied wine with a supple consistency and agreeable level of complexity which has been well-made and would be a good easy drinking bistro wine. Rated as Recommended with *** for value.

Castle Rock makes good honest wine that is reasonable value for money right across the boards. Whilst the vines may be 20 years old, they have only started making wine fairly recently and could be a slowly rising star in the making.

Spring Views has a stupendous view from the cellar door and although they only had one red on offer, the trip was worth it for the vista alone. The owner, a rather eccentric East African by the name of Andy Colquhoun who was a laugh a minute and great fun to meet. Silver Eyes are a real problem up here and they have only a few "novel" approaches to the problem.

Spring Views 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon ($20 CD) is purple in colour with a darkish hue. The wine exudes a pleasant nose showing dusty oak notes, cassis and a touch of green capsicum. The medium weight but pure fruit comes across the palate as sweet upfront cassis/blackberry fruit combining with loads of dusty drying but silky tannins to produce a well-made food friendly wine with an agreeable level of complexity and a good finish that is worthy of consideration. It should take peak in about 2006 and is rated as Recommended with *** for value.

After I had tried the wine, Andy and I chewed the fat on things vinous for a while when he brought out a bottle of wine he wanted me to try. He referred to it as his "home brew" and I expected something rather unpleasant. The wine was most agreeable and had a lot more flavour and complexity than his a regular Cabernet. The only negative was a slightly spritzig sensation on the front of the tongue. Andy explained the wine was made using wild yeast, was not fined or filtered and had no additives. I asked him why he bothered using a winemaker when all they seemed to do was to strip out the flavour and interest; his home made hooch was far more fun and low in alcohol too!

These sorts of unusual experiences make a trip like this very special and memorable.

The next winery, Dukes boasts an impressive looking brand-new cellar door facility. Duke and his wife Hilde started the winery to give themselves something to do in their retirement. Although I got there reasonably early the wines were a little warm to judge accurately and may have shown a lot better if they were served a little cooler.

Dukes 2001 Shiraz was their first ever vintage of this wine. The nose was a bit volatile, hot and porty but that was probably due to the temperature. The sweet upfront blackcurrant fruit and chocolate was almost Barossa in style. The wine had ample body weight, supple consistency and an agreeable level of complexity. It seemed to be a fairly big wine for this area and was very enjoyable. It should peak around about 2005 and is rated as Recommended with *** for value at $24.

Although I did try the Dukes 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, something didn't grab me about the wine and I think it may have had a flaw. As the wine maker was unavailable and they were concerned about my perception of it, they are sending me another other bottle to try and I will post my tasting notes on this wine at a later date.

The next cellar door is one of those whose wines had never impressed me in the past but I must admit had my perception of Goundrey has now changed. This is not exactly a small or Johnny come lately operation but they have been recently been bought out by Vincor International so they are at now Canadian owned.

Goundrey 2001 Shiraz Cabernet ($13) shows spice and light black spectrum fruit on the nose which comes across the palate as a glass staining medium weight wine with a slightly hard consistency that's a little young but may improve with time. Flavours are chocolate, blackberry fruit, mint, and a touch of pepper. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value, it's pretty good for the price.

Goundrey 2001 Cabernet Merlot ($13.50) is apparently their biggest selling wine. It shows dusty oak and earthy characters on the nose with smooth drying dusty tannins, refreshing acid and medium weight fruit and a palate that is dominated by tannins, blackcurrant fruit and chocolate. To me it seems like pretty ordinary wine that is rated as Acceptable with *** for value there is no accounting for popularity or taste.

Goundrey 1999 Pinot Reserve ($29) did absolutely nothing for me. Tannins were drying and puckering, and whilst the acid was balanced the fruit was so delicate I had to ask myself where was it? It had a lean body weight and supple consistency but the flavours of upfront cardboard with some fruit in the middle and mint on the tail end had me shaking my head. Rated as Barely Drinkable with * for value. And I don't think it was an off bottle!

The next two wines showed what this winery really is capable of producing and both were excellent value.

Goundrey 2000 Reserve Shiraz ($26) was purple in colour with a bright hue. Whilst the body weight was almost lean, the consistency was silky; the structure elegant with a harmonious and developed level of complexity, this wine would be enjoyed by those that appreciate a very well-made refined lighter style of Shiraz with pepper, raspberry, chocolate and liquorice on the palate. This is a technically almost perfect wine without being boring and rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value the rating may improve as the wine peaks around 2006.

Goundrey 1998 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($26) shows cedar, blackcurrant spice and mint. The palate following the nose with the added complexity of the touch of pepper and aniseed thrown into the mix with coffee on the tail end. This wine needs time for the loads of dusty drying powdery tannins to integrate with the obvious fruit that is currently hiding under the oak. It should turn into a refined wine with a long finish as it matures around about 2007. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

From Goundrey it was time to head west again and drive the 80 kilometres to the Frankland River to visit Alkoomi. Bushfires have been a real problem in Australia over the last few years due to the extended drought conditions and Great Southern had suffered a number of lightning strikes over the preceding twenty-four hours from extended electrical storms. This section of the trip had the monotony broken by the smoke which could be seen and smelt miles away.
The flames were something else.

Franklin River is not exactly close to anything so Alkoomi welcomes visitors with open arms. I was lucky enough to spend over an hour with Merv Lange discussing his wines and the industry in general.

Merv is on the board that organises Wine Australia and I am pleased to be able to report the next Plonk Oz will be held in November 2004 at Darling Harbour in Sydney. You read it hear first!

Merv is in touch with industry events and many of the key players. The current industry prediction is the yields will be down by between 10% and 30% in 2003 due to the drought conditions with Merv predicting it will be close to 30% but the fruit that is picked should be pretty good provided psysiologicalological ripeness is achieved. (I might add, this prediction was made prior to the unusual heavy rain that hit much of Australia a few days later.)

Alkoomi 2001 Shiraz ($21) is dark purple in colour with a vibrant hue. The wine has an intense fruit nose showing rich blackcurrant, star anise and spice. Tannins are unobtrusive but drying, the fruit pure strong and persistent with great intensity across the palate without any extraction. It finishes long with flavours of blackcurrant and aniseed. It's a medium bodied wine with supple consistency, a layered structure and harmonious complexity which allows to fruit to speak and is ready to drink now or over the next few years. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value this is most enjoyable drop and suits a fruit lush like me perfectly.

Alkoomi 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon ($24) was only bottled two weeks ago and should be released in about another six weeks. Due to bottle shock, the nose was slightly disjointed with prominent oak (40% new is used) black fruits and mint. Soft dusty drying tannins combined with piquant acid and distinct persistent fruit into a medium bodied package with almost lean, but powerfully intense fruit, showing blackcurrant, liquorice mint and chocolate that manages to finish long and stain the glass. The wine just needs time to settle, it should peak around 2006 and is rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value.

Alkoomi 1999 Blackbutt ($59 but $45 if you know where to buy it) is a Bordeaux varietal blend using the best barrels from the best varieties no matter what the blend, so it changes from year to year. A dark purple wine with a vivid hue and a great nose exhibiting inviting intense aromas. The wine has a complex flavour profile including blackcurrant, blackberry, liquorice and a whole lot more which is provided by the deep strong pure fruit. The flavour profile is further enhanced by the silky drying tannins which add structure and a great mouth feel to the wine. This is a muscular job with firm consistency, a big layered structure and a developed, sophisticated and diverse complexity that should be a great wine when into peaks after 2008. Rated as Excellent now with *** for value I wouldn't be surprised to see the rating increase in time.

There is no doubt this winery makes excellent wines and is one of Western Australia's best kept secrets. They certainly seemed to know what they are doing and over last 30 years have got their act together. It was a wonderful way of finishing off my time in Great Southern. I must admit this region was a very pleasant surprise. The majority of the wines tasted were of a high calibre and reasonably priced. Bad wines were very few and far between and it looks like the wineries in this area mirror Alkoomi and have got their individual acts together. It's just a pity that they are not more freely available in the eastern states.

Bear in mind I hate driving long distances and find it mind numbingly boring, but the drive from Alkoomi in the Frankland River to Pemberton via the dirt and narrow back roads is a wonderfully scenic and enjoyable trip and until I got to Manjimup, a distance of well over 100 kilometres I only passed three cars.

Pemberton
This region is more well-known for its scenic attractions than it is for its wineries but as it is on the way to Margaret