The Cellar Door, supervised by a gentleman of northern European extraction and an accent that may have been German, was an impressive operation. Samples were administered with almost Teutonic efficiency.
We broke halfway through for lunch, and when we returned, we were seamlessly reintegrated into the tasting cycle. As indicated, highly impressive. The wines, on the other hand, were a more mixed bag.
For a start, despite the efficiency behind the counter, I found myself zipping around the order form as I worked my way through the four separate ranges on offer.
Entry-level wines in the Pitchfork range ($17, case price $15) were solid without demanding attention, except for 2009 Pitchfork Pink, a Rose on special at $10 by the case, ideal summer drinking. There's a dozen sitting in the wine rack as I type.
The Hay Shed Hill Vineyard Series was consistently around 4/5. The exception was the 2008 Cabernet Merlot, an easy-drinking style that was pleasant enough but a touch on the light side (3.5/5 $20, case price $18).
The pick of them were the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (5/5 $25/$22) was a classy line that comes out of the glass right into the nose and came through very rounded on the palate and the 2009 Botrytis Riesling (5/5 $22/$29).
My tasting notes labelled the latter, quite simply, as sublime. In between, the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, 2009 Chardonnay and 2008 Shiraz Tempranillo all rated a solid 4/5 at $20/$18.