The 2006 West Australian Tour Diaries
Chapter Two – Day 3 - Friday in Margaret River
This house agrees with me, it's lovely and quiet and I had a great night's sleep. The problem with wineries in Margaret River is they all lead “bankers’ hours” and cellar doors don't open before 10 a.m. For an early riser like myself, this is a waste of half a day, but it certainly slows down the pace and the amount of wine that a person can cover in a day. As a result, we were in no hurry as we had oodles of time before our 10 o'clock appointment.
Brian thought a bit of exercise
was a good idea, (Brian is always full of good ideas
,) so we hopped in the
car and headed down to Prevelly Beach. Even at 6.30, the place was humming. As
we drove into the car park, we saw a number of boats out checking their lobster
pots and others lined up to use the boat ramp. A strong offshore breeze kept the
waves holding up beautifully, but we were surprised so few surfers were in the
water. A few enthusiastic and intrepid swimmers were smart enough to have worked
out that the space between two lobster pot lines made a perfect, very long
swimming lane and were taking full advantage of it.
Directly behind the beach is a
walking track, and whilst the base is cement or bitumen, there is a solid layer
of fine beach sand on top, but it is an easy surface to walk on. It was relaxing
walking along whilst enjoying the peace and quiet, with the only sound being the
ocean (that's if you discount Brian bashing my ear, but I'm used to not
listening to him, so it was not a problem.
) The scenery was magnificent,
(they were quite a few good-looking woman either walking or jogging) and the
views of the ocean weren't bad either.
You can take the man out of the big smoke...
but you can't take the little out of the boy...
Thirty minutes saw us walk to one end of the track and back; and then we headed home for breakfast. Whilst preparing breakfast, there were two surprises. The first was we found a coffee plunger but unfortunately we did not have any coffee. Brian poured muesli into two bowls and I went to the fridge to get the milk for me, and the orange juice for him. Brian hates milk and douses his muesli in orange juice instead; a practice I thought was bizarre. I pulled out the orange juice and gave it to him but damn - I had forgotten to buy milk yesterday. Beggars can't be choosers and as I was hungry, gave his weird concoction a go. Well l blow me down, it wasn't bad; and as I am not very fond of milk, realised it was a credible, but strange alternative.
As a man cannot survive by muesli alone, we headed into town to get some desperately needed
coffee.
We took pot luck with a cafe and the short blacks were quite respectable.
We still had plenty of time so we took a stroll through town; checked out the bottle shop and then went to the health food shop for some nibbles. Past experience has shown that nuts or something similar are very good for cleansing the palate between wineries. The local health food shop sold something I didn't expect to find as they have been unavailable in the eastern states for ages; oven baked sweet potato chips, and they are healthy as they have no fat. Beauty! We stocked up on them.
Our first appointment of the day was at
Cape Mentelle with Mat Janes
who is their marketing coordinator. The winery is one of the originals, having
first been planted in 1970 by David Hohnen and his family, and since that time
the winery has built an impeccable reputation. They currently have over 180 ha
of vines, so they are not exactly small. The winery is currently owned by Moët
Hennessy, the mob that also owns Cloudy Bay and Domain Chandon. The winery has
four major vineyards planted in the region; the oldest being the home block.
They started planting the 56.8 acre Trinders block in 1998 and the East Chapman
Brook vineyard was planted in 2001, so there is a large variance in the age of
the grapes being used. One of the blocks on the main estate is known as the
“fruit salad block” because that is where many of the experimental varieties
were first planted. As well as their own vineyards which represent about 70% of
their production, they also buy in fruit on long-term contracts. Some of their
growers have been with them for over 20 years. For their large production wines,
The Marmaduke and Georgiana labels that have WA appellations, they buy in fruit
from places like the Swan Valley and Donnybrook.
When we arrived, the place was a
hive of activity. Rows of barrels had been lined up outside the winery, like
ducks in a shooting gallery, but these were being hit with high-pressure
steam/water cleaners instead of BB pellets.
Simon Burnell, the assistant winemaker joined us for a quick tour. Things were humming and the place was a beehive of activity. Forklifts were zooming around like demented dodgem cars and the guys and girls handling the high-pressure hoses looked about as serious and determined as fire fighters trying to put out a major blaze. The din from all this activity rivalled a crowded pub on a Friday night.
Simon told us their two basket
presses are critically important in the production of their Shiraz because of
their ability to gently extract the juice whilst maintaining the aromatics they
require. I was to hear the word “aromatics” repeatedly during this visit, so it
is obviously a key objective in the production of Cape Mentelle wines. They used
to utilise hand cranked basket presses but decided to make a major investment
and purchased two gee-whiz-bang pushbutton French machines. These machines which
have stainless steel baskets and were first used in 2003, were in pieces.
Apparently they were waiting for a service person to come out and repair them,
as the stainless steel baskets are rusting; so much for being stainless.
From where I was standing, they were certainly aesthetically pleasing and very impressive looking, even though they looked like a demented schoolboy had been let loose to take them apart, put them back together but had surplus bits left over.
In the old days, the pressings went into one of their cheaper wines, but now they are so good, they can go back into the original wine, so the equipment has proved to be worthwhile. For the technical amongst you, each basket holds approximately four tonnes of crushed fruit and they can complete the process five or six times a day.
According to Simon, the design of them is not particularly good but they do a fantastic job. Tannins in Margaret River can be very firm, so tannin management is a critical aspect in making wine. They feel these basket presses are able to give them softer tannins than the previous methods employed.
In order to ensure as soft as possible tannins, not all wines are made the same way. For example, Cabernet receives a very delicate sprinkler system method for its pump-overs whilst Shiraz uses a more regular pneumatic pump-over. In the Shiraz, whole bunches of berries are left in the ferment because the carbonic maceration in the whole berries provides a different fermentation pathway which produces some lovely spicy cinnamon and nutmeg characters.
As we walked along, we heard the loud and unmistakable clank, clank and knock, knock that could only come from a bottling plant in full swing. They were being sealed with screw caps as 100% of their wine being produced for local consumption does not use cork, however a small percentage of their sales to parts of Europe and Asia are still sealed in cork. When people buy the 2002 and 2003 Cabernet, they will find them sealed under cork, but from 2004 onward they were bottled with screw caps.
After walking through the various buildings and then into the original winery building, it is hard to imagine that it all started in one small room about thirty years ago. The expansion has been amazing but unlike some wineries that have popped up massive edifices seemingly overnight, this winery has been built on the back of a solid customer base.
..................The Original Winery Building
The original winery building is
filled with a number of gigantic old wooden vats that are still highly prized
for their ability to help the young red wines age without oak influence. The
ability of the wood being able to breathe is seen as a distinct advantage over
stainless steel tanks.
Like many of the wineries in the region, the original winery is a rammed earth building, in this case the first one to be built in the area. At this point, I made comment about the wonderful insulation provided by the rammed earth and we then walked into the new Cabernet barrel room behind the cellar door: and in this room there is enough air-conditioning equipment to cool an office building; they certainly do everything possible to keep their Cabernet in perfect condition, storing it at 14°.
After an informative and
interesting tour, it was time to taste some wine (at last.
)
Cape Mentelle 2003 Marmaduke sells for $14 at cellar door and is a Shiraz Grenache Mataro blend, something that is quite unusual in this area. Containing 85% Margaret River fruit, the bouquet is spicy with sweet underlying nuances, chocolate and liquorice scents are also in play. The wine has a terrific intensity of fresh fruit with enough smooth tannins to provide backbone and a supple consistency. Coming in at medium-weight, it would be a knockout with good Italian food and perfect in a bistro situation. Plum, aniseed and spicy pepper are all in the off-sweet flavour spectrum but there is some alcoholic sweetness that contributes to the profile. The one shortcoming is there is nothing on the back palate. Rated as Agreeable with *** for value.
The Cabernet Barrel Room..............
Cape
Mentelle 2004 Marmaduke will be released
around June. The bouquet was brooding and showing darker fruit flavours,
it's richer than the previous vintage with blackberry/blackcurrant and a touch
of coffee. It's a better wine than the 2003 with more fruit and the tannins and
has much better length on the back palate. Fresh plum, coffee, spice and nutmeg,
it finishes fresh and clean. Ample-weight with a supple consistency, solid
structure and more than agreeable complexity, it is very drinkable and a fine
wine for the price. Another one that will compliment food, it is rated as
Recommended with **** for value and can happily be cellared until 2008 and
beyond.
Cape Mentelle 2004 Sangiovese sells for $21.50 and is only available at cellar door or to mail order customers; 400 cases have been produced. Sweet cherry fruit with contrasting leathery notes and sweet vanillin aromas are found on the bouquet. Very well balanced, the tannins are noticeable but unobtrusive and the wine walks a tight rope balance of structural integrity with lots of pure fruit. Sour cherry, chocolate, leather and plums finish with clean acid. Medium-weight with a firm consistency and rock solid structure, it is another good food wine but needs time for complexity to develop. Rated as Recommended with **** for value.
Cape Mentelle 2003 Trinders Cabernet Merlot sells for $26.60 at cellar door. Off-sweet cherry on the take-up, with a touch of sweet fruit on the mid-palate and a clean acid finish, there are some herbaceous characters noticeable and the fruit is not as ripe as desirable. A good, clean, well-made wine, its medium-weight with a firm consistency, solid structure and very agreeable complexity; its rated as Recommended (just) with *** for value. The other wines in the line up were more appealing.
Cape Mentelle 2003 Shiraz sells for $35 at cellar door. An attractive, appealing, crystal clean bouquet fruit-driven bouquet showing chocolate, nutmeg and cardamom. The ultra-smooth tannins and distinct fruit provide a terrific balance and harmony to the wine. The combination of savoury and sweet flavours including plum, nutmeg and cardamom build slowly across the palate, and finish with excellent clean and dry persistence. Ample-weight, the wine is tight, solid and shows positive elegant characteristics, the complexity is well developed and it's a very pleasant change to the South Aust blockbusters. Rated as Recommended with ** for value now, that rating is probably harsh and by 2010 and beyond when it reaches maturity, the rating should be higher and it should look like better value.
Cape Mentelle 2004 Shiraz is due for release around May or June. An intensely black nose showing sweet vanillin oak with a touch of spice and coffee, these flavours together with plum and nutmeg are replicated on the palate and finish clean, with length and persistence. Dusty tannins, deeply seated pure fruit and unobtrusive acid combined to form an ample-weight wine with a firm consistency, and very tight structure; it seems bigger than its predecessor. Although complexity is reasonable now, it should be terrific in a few years time and it is rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value and is worth waiting for; drink from 2010 and beyond.
Cape Mentelle 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon is due for release in March. It's dusty with eucalyptus, blackcurrant, menthol and coffee oak scents on the bouquet. Distinct, pure fruit and fresh acid combine with smooth, very tight, dusty tannins to form an ample-weight, tight as a drum wine, with excellent balance. Blackcurrant and an acceptable level of herbaceous green bean characters are complemented by hints of chocolate and a touch of spice. A well crafted wine that needs time; it is not one of their best under this label, but a reasonable result for the vintage. Rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value, drink from 2010 and beyond.
Cape
Mentelle 2004 Zinfandel sells for $43 at cellar door. The bouquet is
intensely spicy and very black. Pure, deep fruit and unobtrusive silky, but
dusty tannins are perfectly balanced in this full-bodied wine with a firm but
supple consistency, big structure and well-developed complexity. Spices
including cardamom, pepper plum and coffee flavours fill the mouth and slam the
tongue in this big, rich red. Rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it
would be criminal to open one before 2010, preferably longer. Whilst this wine
is very different to the rest of the range, it is still 100% consistent in terms
of winemaking style and quality.
The visit to Cape Mentelle was a good one; we certainly got a wonderful appreciation of what they are doing and what they are striving to achieve. The winemaking is consistent across the range and the house style evident. Whilst 2002 and 2003 were difficult vintages, some of the wines were very credible, and the 2004’s are looking like they are going to be blinders.
Whilst we were there, we observed a lovely tradition. In today's hustle and bustle working environment, actually communicating, as distinct from talking to fellow employees, can be fairly rare. To overcome this problem and try and foster genuine communication between its employees, Cape Mentelle encourages employees to have morning tea together out on the grass which gives them an opportunity for a real cross-pollination of ideas and opens the communication pathways. What a great idea!
As we had a bit of time up our sleeves, we decided to
go from one Cape to another, from Mentelle to Grace.
Cape Grace is a fairly small winery located down the road and not
far from Howard Park.
When we walked in, the cellar door is small so although there were not a lot of people in there, it felt busy. Robert Karri-Davies is a fine showman and was in good form. I understand that Mark Messenger from Juniper Estate is their consultant wine maker, and he certainly knows which way is up. Robert is the viticulturalist and picking up his winemaking knowledge from Mark. According to their web site, “Cape Grace is a work in progress, a long-term commitment to excellence. Its wine is as much about nuance and art as it is skills and passion.”
If you think that sounds quirky, it's about as quirky as the camera display in the entrance to the winery.
Cape Grace 2003 Shiraz sells for $29.50 at cellar door. Controlled blackberry and sawdust notes with a touch of the barnyard characters buried below; there were also hints of iodine on the bouquet. Ample-weight, the consistency was firm to the point of almost being hard; the structure was tight and the complexity agreeable. It's a chewy mouthful, black spectrum palate with blackberry, iodine, dark chocolate and coffee but the wine finishes with a hard edge to the tannins. There are some attractive characteristics, but it doesn't grab me. Rated as Recommended with ** value, a couple of years in the cellar may help.
Cape Grace 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $39.50 at cellar door. The tight, unyielding bouquet with menthol is clean, and the subtle nose also shows spice and liquorice. Smooth dusty tannins and pure fruit are well-balanced and there is some good winemaking at play. Cherry, chocolate, liquorice and some herbaceous capsicum characters that are within reason, finish cleanly to coffee and with good length. Medium-weight, the tight, elegant, solid structure needs time for the wine to show its best. Rated as Recommended with ** for value now, the rating should improve as the wine matures around 2011.
Its early days on this trip, but it is already becoming apparent that 2002 and 2003 were very challenging vintages for most wineries in this region. The Cabernet here was okay, but there is better value to be found elsewhere.
The Pie King of South Australia has been known to say,
“A man is not a camel” and as it was lunchtime, it was time to top up and what
better place to do it than at
Vasse Felix where we had a 1.30 appointment.
One of the unusual features of many wineries in Margaret River is the length of their driveway; some seem to go for ever. It looks like it's a status thing; the longer the driveway the more important they are trying to be, and the more they can charge for the wines. That may sound cynical, but in some cases it probably close to the mark. Vasse Felix certainly does have a long driveway and whilst it is picturesque, it is not a long as some other wineries.
It was a hot day, so when we were
arrived it was great to find a parking spot that was under cover. It was only as
we drove out the Brian noticed the faint paint on the ground that said
"Reserved".
The restaurant is located on the first floor of a building that is made out of timber, brick and abundant glass, and surprise, surprise, there is no rammed earth. It is bright and breezy just perfect for a hot day. When we were seated, although there was only one other table taken, I was surprised they didn't offer as the choice of eating either inside or outside. They just decided to seat us right at the edge of the inside area, with the wide door, opening onto the outside balcony).
The objective was to have a light lunch, but the menu didn't make that easy. I had a charcuterie plate with a parfait of pâté, pork and pistachio terrine, venison rillette, a quail's egg ,and smoked eel salad nicoise; it was accompanied with fresh bread and large crutons -- just delicious. Brian had an Asian style dish - tea smoked duck breast with bean sprouts, coriander; it came with noodles and a very sweet jammy like paste dressing and pancakes: sort of like Peking duck only different. Overall the food was very good and the short black espresso coffee that we had to finish helped kick start the system.
Another feature of many of the
wineries of this region are that some of the cellar doors look more like gift or
clothing shops than wineries. This was typified by one winery, where prior to my
visit, in every single e-mail and phone conversation they referred to their
“cellar door and tourist facility.”
When we walked into the Vasse Felix cellar door, we came in the back way from the restaurant and thought we had walked into a clothing store by mistake, that thought soon changed as we arrived in the wine gift shop, and then finally at the counter. Our appointment was with Elisha Holcroft, a petite and delightful young lady whose bubbly personality and sense of humour certainly made the visit enjoyable.
To put this winery in perspective, Vasse Felix was the first commercial winery to be established in the region; the home block is 35 acres but they do have a further 350 acres and the produce from these vineyards accounts for approximately 80% of the grapes used. As we wandered through the vineyards and up to the winery, Elisha told us that Vasse Felix was not looking to be the largest winery, but they wanted to have the “most premium wine." There is a definite objective of looking for improved quality rather than quantity, and it is probable the quantity produced will reduce slightly. They are currently producing approximately 100,000 cases annually.
According to Elisha, the downturn has not affected them too badly. Prices have remained stable over the last few years and whilst the winery is not big on increasing prices in the current environment, minor CPI adjustment may need to take place.
As we got near the winery, the importance of OH&S became immediately apparent. Elisha donned a fluorescent vest; there were signs warning people to be on the lookout for forklifts, and the staff were undergoing safety/resuscitation training on a grassed area outside the winery.
........................................Talk about a glowing personality
The barrel room contains approximately 5,000 barrels, which is a heck of a lot to have to move and top up. Vasse Felix is big on innovation and one of the "little things" that was invented here was a barrel turner. Once the barrel is placed on the turner, even someone as petite as Elisha would have no trouble in turning it. The person who invented it at the winery has now gone on to start his own company which manufactures these devices.
The Barrel Turner ... The Barrel Washer................................
They are also big on saving water, what a great idea. They catch and treat all their own water but this means they have to be very conscious of trying to use the least amount of water possible. This resulted in another invention. Rather than just sticking a hose in a barrel and washing it out, which can use vast quantities of water, they have designed a device that gets the barrels perfectly clean, in the least amount of time, using the absolute minimum amount of water possible.
As we walked back to the winery, the subject of the recent change of wine maker, which stunned many people, came up. Clive Otto had been with the winery for well over a decade and was a highly regarded winemaker. According to Elisha, “We were at a stage where everything was changing and Dave was taking on more of the winemaking role anyway; Clive was doing more marketing-orientated work so it was a natural progression. After much discussion, his departure was amicable and made mutually: Otto's departure was not as cut and dried as it was reported in the press and the relationship between him and the winery is still very friendly. The new winemaker David is not so new, he has been with us as assistant winemaker for six years.”
So there you have it, the official story but like all official stories that won't stop speculation, and from my own personal perspective I still have a number of questions but since that time, the other side of the story came out in this interview with Clive; it makes excellent reading. The questions I had have now been answered.
The Water Saving Pumps Set Up for Action ........
And then it was on to the wine tasting.
Vasse
Felix 2003 Cabernet Merlot sells for $20.25 at cellar door. The
bouquet showed very dusty notes with sweet red berry fruit, herbaceous notes and
cigar box. Smooth unobtrusive tannins, piquant acid and pure fruit form a
medium-weight wine with a supple consistency, and open structure and an
agreeable complexity but the acid makes the wine a little disjointed as it
sticks out. Intensely off-sweet with cherry blueberry and an herbaceous finish,
the wine is rated as Agreeable with ** for value.
Vasse Felix 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $30 at cellar door. A touch of VA, with ripe black spectrum fruit, chocolate and mint; these are replicated on the palate with blackberry, chocolate, mint and a touch of herbaceous character which is well within bounds. Medium-weight with a firm consistency, solid structure and an agreeable complexity; this is a very drinkable wine that finishes with clean fresh acid. Rated as Recommended with ** for value, it should peak around 2008 and beyond.
Vasse Felix 2002 Shiraz sells for $38 at cellar door. A dumb nose with blueberry, spice and a touch of varnished spicy oak. Smooth tannins combine with crisp, lively acid and pure deeply seated fruit to form a beautifully balanced and perfectly poised wine. Lovely sweet fruit is offset with crisp drying acid. Blueberry, chocolate, spice and mushroom flavours have terrific length and the finish just keeps on kicking through. Medium-weight with a supple consistency, solid tight structure and well-developed complexity, it is rated as Highly Recommended with ** for value and was my pick of the line up.
......The Water Saving Pumps in Use
.....................Rosé anybody?
Vasse Felix 2002 Heytesbury sells for $65 at cellar door. Their flagship wine which should required no introduction; it is a Cabernet Shiraz blend but on this occasion as 91% Cabernet. The Cabernet characters dominate the bouquet with very dusty notes, cigar box, blueberry and a touch of green bean. Dusty tannins, fresh acid and pure persistent fruit combine to form a medium-weight wine with a firm consistency; the structure is solid, elegant and tight whilst the complexity is harmonious. Green bean, cassis, chocolate and blueberry flavours are well poised. They have backed right off on the oak treatment, which is just as well as the wine couldn't handle the massive amounts of oak that have been used in some previous vintages. The wine is well-made but completely out of style with its predecessors. Rated as Highly Recommended with * for value. (Brian’s comment: I liked it less than Ric; I found it to have simple bright fruit, without much complexity, more like a mid-weight Yarra Cabernet than a top-end MR Cabernet.)
The tour of the winery was thoroughly enjoyable but unfortunately I wasn’t blown away by the wine. Vasse Felix’s top wines have never been known as great value drops, but on previous occasions the quality of the wines were better and they seemed like fair value. Much of the disappointment may have something to do with the fact that all the wines tasted were from the 2002 and the 2003 vintages, but a winery of this calibre with access to mature vines should be able to produce better wines in a poor year; certainly a few other wineries managed to do it. One can also wonder if Clive’s departure was in any way related to what we found.
We
again had some time up our sleeve (handy things those sleeves
) and decided to
drop in on
Gralyn Estate. On my last trip to this winery, I was absolutely blown
away by the quality of the wines and have been kicking myself ever since for not
buying any of their product on that trip. Their reserve wines are expensive but
in this case, well worth consideration. The vines were first planted in 1975 by
the Hutton family and they are still actively engaged in all aspects of the
business today.
They are a small operation, and only have about 10 acres of non-irrigated vines. They have three ranges of wines, two of which held little interest. The first category is their “light style wines” and the last category is their “fortified wines.” The stuff in the middle, their full-bodied dry reds is where I fell in lust again.
When we
walked in, Garry Robinson
gave me the beady eye and you could see the grey matter being searched and the
memory wheels clicking over. You could see he wasn't sure, but he knew I had
been there previously, (the joys of having such a forgettable face.
) After
a short conversation and identifying myself, Garry informed us that we should
watch the Royal Sydney Wine Show results which were coming out very soon. I
laughed like hell, and said, "that's exactly what you told me when I was here
three years ago.”
The cellar door at Gralyn is certainly a class act; the driveway isn't 5 km long, in fact you can park right out the front and there is no clothing shop, tourist facility, or wine accessory store; however you will find some damn fine wine in this tasteful, modern air-conditioned building that actually looks like it's there to sell wine.
Gralyn
is on the main road, slap bang in the middle of things, and over the weekend we
had cause to drive past it on numerous occasions. On almost every occurrence we
noticed “young people” (old bangers) cars out front, or young couples strolling
in or out of the place: they must do a roaring trade in fortified wine (and
let's face it, when I was that age I knew what great things fortified wine used
to facilitate.
It brought back fond memories.)
Gralyn the 2003 Old Vine Shiraz sells for $60 at cellar door. Now we're talking, this was a seriously good wine. Cropped at 2.5 tonnes per acre, the bouquet showed various spices, eucalyptus and iodine. Smooth tannins, and fruit that is as pure as the driven snow; it is also strong and concentrated, having a perfect balance and excellent structure. Muscular-weight, the consistency is firm and supple whilst the structure is solid and elegant. Intense blackberry, plum, spice, chocolate and liquorice are fired like a rifle shot straight across the palate and finish with terrific length and intensity. A very classy wine, the wine is rated as Excellent with *** for value and should peak around 2012 and beyond. If only all Shiraz was this good.
Gralyn 2003 Reserve Shiraz sells for $90 at cellar door. The bouquet was brooding, the wine was sulking and was less communicative than Russell Crowe after he threw the infamous telephone. A baby! Vininfanticide! Posh oak treatment has helped create superior, tightly-grained tannins that are finally counterbalanced to deep, strong fruit, and fresh, crisp acid; the balance is bloody perfect. The palate is impeccably poised with plum, blackberry, chocolate, liquorice and coffee flavours. Muscular-weight with a firm consistency, solid structure and well-developed complexity; the wine needs time to show its best, about another eight years should do it. Rated as Excellent with ** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures ….. and I really didn't want to spit this wine.
Gralyn 2002 SBR sells for $90 at cellar door and is a blend of one third Cabernet and two thirds Shiraz. On the bouquet, the Cabernet component is batting above its weight with coffee, spice, and cigar box; there is a lot happening here. Perfectly balanced like a ballerina on tip toes; the ultra-fine tannins, crisp acid and pure, deeply-seated persistent fruit produces a firm but supple consistency. Cassis, cigar box, chocolate and blackberry as well as multiple other flavours just build and casually meander across the palate in an impressive amalgam of flavours. The complexity is harmonious, refined and sophisticated, as one would expect from such a noteworthy drop. Sensational! Rated as Excellent with *** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures around 2012 and beyond. If the Pie King would have been with us, he would have said, "I want to bath in this wine.”
Gralyn 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon sells for
$90 at cellar door. A fresh bottle had just been opened and whilst it was locked
tighter than a wheel locking nut, it was a truly varietal Cabernet with sweet
fruit, and perfumed violet notes. Sensational fruit, perfection itself; it is
impeccably balanced to the ultra tightly-grained tannins which build slowly
across the palate and keep going through to a substantially authoritative
finish. Blackcurrant, blackberry, loads of mint, eucalyptus, coffee, chocolate
and heaps more flavours are beautifully focused. A muscular-weight wine with a
firm but supple consistency, it is rated as Excellent with *** for value and the
rating should improve as the wine matures around 2012 and beyond.
One
could go broke buying wine in this place, it would be so easy to be carried away
by these magnificent wines. Decisions, decisions! What to buy? I was very torn.
After much thought and a quick call to my bank manager,
I ordered the three
bottles of SBR and three bottles of the Cabernet. What made the decision much
more palatable was the bin of wines that were on special for $72 each because
they had slightly imperfect labels. So if you intend ordering the wine from
Gralyn, ask if there are any of these available; if not you can get 10% discount
for dozen purchases.
Wow, this was a sensational tasting. Brian and I walked out feeling better than if we had just had two excellent cups of short black espresso coffee; but then Brian didn't spit all the wines either. Brian having more willpower than I, only bought one bottle of each from the “bargain bin” but he is waiting impatiently for his credit card to cool down so he can place an order.
The next appointment was not far away at one of the anchor, prestige wineries of the region, Moss Wood. The winery doesn't have a cellar door as such, but it is open by appointment for tours and tasting of barrel samples. Our appointment was with the wine maker, Ian Bell.
We met
Ian in their cellar. As you can see from the pictures, this is where their
museum stock is stored. They have put down five cases from each release and now
have approximately 20,000 bottles; it very quickly adds up.
Whilst we were trying the finished wines, we had a good chin wag about all sorts of subjects ranging from vintage conditions through to viticultural techniques, and everything in between.
Prior to 1996, Moss Wood made two premium Cabernets, their normal Cabernet and their Reserve Cabernet. In 1996 the decision was made to scrap the Reserve Cabernet and only have one top end wine. That was a good move but it also meant a delay of 12 months before they would be able to release the bulk of their red production, and that was going to be very hard on the cash flow.
The
decision was made to buy in some grapes, and by coincidence, or possibly not
coincidence, the Mugfords decided to purchase grapes from Ian Bell’s property.
The result was the first release of the Moss Wood Glenmore Vineyard Cabernet
which took place in 1997; that continued until 2001. In 2002, Ian released his
own "Glenmore" label for the first time. So, to avoid confusion between the two
wines, the Moss Wood product was given a new name - "Amy's Vineyard", in honour
of Ian's grandmother, Glenmore farm owner and Yallingup legend, Amy Beers.
In 2003 it became "The Amy's Blend" because we sourced extra fruit from the
"Montgomery Brothers" vineyard (located in Cowaramup) to add to the "Glenmore
Vineyard" grapes. (The "Glenmore" component at this stage made up about
two-thirds of the blend.) Moss Wood decided to simplify it to "Amy's" in 2004
(and onwards,) and at this point about 70% of the fruit comea from the
Montgomery Brothers vineyard.
Ian is leaving in July to concentrate on making his own wine, but the winery
will be in good hands because their young assistant winemaker,
Josh Bahen has been there for years; he is very talented and is
champing at the bit to be thrown in at the deep end.
It's just as well the gauge doesn't work or the wine would be a bit too cold to drink!..
Moss Wood has been able to reduce the alcohol in their wine and at the same time still manage to reach physiological ripeness; quite a feat. This has been achieved through canopy management. In a cool year like 2006, the secret is in the Scott Henry trellising system and includes the removal of almost all the leaf cover from the fruit. Although it is “not textbook viticulture” it works here, but it may well not work in hotter regions like the Barossa and Rutherglen, however there are bound too be other viticultural solutions which will enable wineries to get the desired ripeness without the excessive alcohol level that many wineries are producing today.
Moss Woods "exposed" grapes - not text book but it works!
(Theirs were purple, everyone else's were still green)
Over the next few days, as we wanted throughout the region we had a close look at trellising systems, the amount of exposed fruit and other viticultural aspects of which we know little about, in an endeavour to increase our knowledge and compare what Moss Wood is doing with other successful producers. Unfortunately it is not a simple subject, there is no one right or wrong answer; the only thing that is important is what works for each individual winery.
Moss Wood 2004 Amy 's vineyard Cabernet sells for $29 at the winery. Bright, floral fruit dominates the bouquet; it's ripe but shows some spice too. Pure, strong fruit is intense and drives the wine whilst delivering black cherry, milk spectrum chocolate and mint; it has a clean acid finish and whilst it is very drinkable now it will improve. Ample-weight, the consistency is firm, the structure solid and the complexity very agreeable. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, this was one of the more enjoyable wines at this price point.
Moss Wood 2003 Ribbon Vale Cabernet Merlot sells for $37 at the winery. The bouquet was brooding and didn't want to reveal its charms; it's a very youthful wine that needs time and finishes with reasonable persistence. Ample-weight, the consistency is firm, the complexity plain and the structure a little disjointed because of the angular tannins and lively acid which are still prominent. Rated as Agreeable with ** for value.
....Ian Bell explains to Brian where he is in the world
Once we had finished tasting the complete wines, we wandered out of the cellar and into the barrel storage rooms. We waded through a large number of barrel samples, some good, some terrific and some that were technically interesting. The samples of the 2004 and 2005 Moss Wood Cabernet were both very good and both vintages should be worth waiting for.
Moss Wood looks after their visitors differently. Unlike other wineries which line up samples of all their current releases, Moss Wood normally shows people only a very limited number of completed wines, but they do spend a lot of time with visitors taking them through numerous barrel samples and spending as much time with them as required. This is a big time commitment by the winery and an excellent way of looking after their customers; it is an almost unique experience for most winery visitors who would normally never have the chance to experience this sort of tour. Well done Moss Wood.
That was the end of the days of formal proceedings and we headed back to Maison Bleu.
The main advantage of having substantial lunch was so that we would not have to sit down in a restaurant and could have a lighter than normal dinner for a change. Pizza would have been the ideal option, however caution was needed; the last time I ate pizza in Margaret River it was, without doubt, the worst pizza in my entire life and I didn't want to repeat the experience.
Earlier that morning when we were having our power walk, we saw a sign for Gourmet Pizza at the Sea Garden Café at Prevelly Beach and decided that at least it was very close to home and worth a try. That night, when we got down there we couldn't believe it; the joint was rocking. Every outside table was packed with happy locals with children and dogs in tow and even those inside, although they were limited in number, were taken.
Seen at Vasse Felix - it looks like a well known Melbourne wine e-tailer..
is now in the glass business with their own exclusive
label
...
I had to laugh, when I asked how
big the pizzas were, instead of saying we have three sizes, x inches y inches
and z inches, we were told the small pizza had six slices and the medium eight.
But
how big are the bloody slices?
We ordered our pizzas and expected a long delay, but take-away must get priority as we only had to wait about 10 -15 minutes.
I had a medium-sized supreme pizza and it was absolutely delicious, one of the best I've ever eaten. Brian had a Mexicana and he enjoyed his just as much. These medium pizzas were a substantial size and we were unable to finish them. My problem was that I ordered the pizza automatically without realising that I didn't have to share it with my three dogs. I don't know what Brian's excuse was but I can guess that he is used to having Andrea saying I don't want any more, and then snaffling a few slices. The remnants went in the fridge for a suitable occasion; Brian thought that would be breakfast, but there is no way you will ever get me eating pizza for breakfast.
I checked my e-mails and there was
good news; well it was good news as far as I was concerned. Davo had decided to
let the moths out of his wallet and rent a car as apparently it was going to
take about 10 days for his car to be repaired and he couldn't do without one for
that long. It's always fun having Davo along because you never know what he's
going to say, even if it is frequently embarrassing.
After a fairly long and hectic day and we decided to have an early night and I was asleep shortly after nine o'clock. And so ends another day and another chapter. There's heaps more in store but you'll have to wait until next week.
Copyright © Ric Einstein 2006