The reds were, on the other hand, light on numerically but the two I tried impressed greatly. The 2010 No Way Rose (4.5/5 $18), a bone dry style that works stunningly well, could best be described as summer in a glass and is definitely one to throw into the Little House of Concrete summer mix. I was also reasonably taken by the 2009 Cabernet Merlot (4/5 $25), a softer, drink now style and definitely one to look at for summer.
The strength of the recommendation and geographic proximity meant \we didn't have much choice about visiting Woodlands. Subsequent checking on Hughesy's homework revealed the place was a Halliday five-star operation, so while it wasn't on my list of places to visit it could well have been had there been something on the website to spark Hughesy's interest.
As it was, a flying visit, a chat to a very knowledgeable tasting room attendant and a sampling of a very impressive range had me signing up for the mailing list and heading off with a bottle of the 2008 Emily Special Reserve (5/5 $39.50) in tow. It's a small range, but highly impressive, from the entry-level 2009 Cabernet Franc Merlot (4.5/5 $20 or $16.50 in a case) a rich dense style that comes through very late on the palate, and the very similar but slightly more rounded 2008 Cabernet Merlot (4.5/5 $23 or $19 in a case) through to the Reserves, which punch up comfortably into the mid-nineties on the old points range. Definitely an operation that will be featuring in the wine rack for the next few years.
Stop #3 at Brookland Valley might be heading towards the corporate side of things, but Madam is partial to the Verse 1 range, I wanted to try the Estate range, and it was Halliday's 2009 Winery of the Year, so apart from the possibility of using the restaurant as a fallback if we didn't manage to get into Cullen on Friday I guess Brookland Valley was always going to be rated as a must visit.
The restaurant menu didn't seem to be available on the web, so if we were going to be checking that side of things out we might as well do the tasting bit as well.
Like many operations, the setting for the cellar door is spectacular, and the fact that the restaurant isn't open on a Wednesday may have accounted for the fact that when we arrived there wasn't anybody there but us chickens.
Working through the Verse 1 lines ($18/bottle), everything was a solid 4/5, and the Rose was a definite summer possibility ($14.40 a bottle with the discount for bulk buying).
The Estate Range involved a jump in price, kicking in at $30 with the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (4/5), which didn't grab me, but the 2006 Semillon (4.4/5), very impressive at $38 and a quite wonderful 2009 Chardonnay (4.5/5 $40 97 points from Mr Halliday) were outstanding. I didn't mind the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (4.5/5 $45), either. The 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (5/5 $70) was also an impressive long finishing style tI'd be happy to wrap the tonsils around on a more regular basis if I could afford to do so.
A glance at the Restaurant menu revealed arm and a leg territory as far as lunch was concerned, but gave us a backup if needed on Friday.
Since I expect to find the Verse 1 on restaurant wine lists on a regular basis, the visit was worth making, the Estate range impressive, but I doubt that I'll be going out of my way to order, though at $172.80 for a dozen Rose I could well be tempted in the summer drinking department.
The cellar door lady, while she mightn't have been quite as communicative as the previous two was still streets ahead of the pour and leave you to it brigade, and made the very interesting observation that I should ring and talk to place an order rather than shopping on line.