Margaret River > Singleton Beach
Most people probably wouldn't choose leftover Beef Vindaloo for breakfast, but then again most people probably wouldn't have chosen it for dinner the night before.
Most people would also probably suspect, given the fact that this was our last day in Margaret River, and we planned to be on the road to Singleton Beach by two at the very latest, Hughesy would have been pencilling in a frantic rush around as many wineries as possible.
That's not, however, the way I was thinking.
For a start we needed to pick up some thank you gifts for friends back east, and I'd already decided that we were going to be lunching, if possible, at Cullen Wines. We hadn't booked, but I figured that if we were there early enough (say, around a quarter to twelve) we should be able to snag a table for two.
We also had to do things like fuel the chariot, so I figured we could take our time, lob at Cullen just after eleven, do the tasting bit and be right at the head of the queue for lunch. After that we could possibly visit somewhere, and there was a possible spot on the highway towards Busselton, so it was more or less a matter of filling in time till Cullen time.
The shopping bit took about as long as you'd expect, fuelling the car wasn't a hassle, and just after ten we were on the road. There was, of course, a contingency plan, and as we turned onto Metricup Road I was navigating towards Fermoy Estate, a winery described by Mr Halliday as happy to keep a relatively low profile, however difficult that may be given the quality of the wines. Sounded like my kind of place. There was a possible second fall back in Pierro, but I figured Fermoy would probably do in the pre-Cullen department.
There are times when you pick up a vibe about a place, and Fermoy was one such occasion. Madam dropped me at the Cellar Door, and turned the chariot back along Metricup Road, where she'd noted the presence of a chocolate factory.
Inside, I found a very friendly but rather new to the establishment attendant who I hope they have the sense to hold on to. As indicated, she hadn't been there long, readily admitted to things she wasn't sure of, and still did an excellent job of guiding the interested taster through the range. Professionally, I'd put her on a par with the Cellar Door people at Houghton, Lenton Brae and Stella Bella.
I started with the 2008 Estate Semillon (4.5/5 $22) a nicely lemony little number with great mouthfeel, and while I wasn't as taken with the 2009 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (4/5 $20) picking up the regulation regional nose, it was still an impressive style with a long finish. The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (4/5 $22) was impressive as well, and prompted the usual remarks and shaking of the head over the Kiwi Savalanche.
Yes, I know they do it well over there, but there are a number of Australian operations that produce something that's right in the same ball park.
The Chardonnays were impressive as well, with the 2007 Estate Chardonnay (4.5/5 $22) an understated refined style I really liked and the 2009 Geographe Chardonnay (4/5 $16) as an impressive summery unwooded quaffer that could well be a reorder candidate. We shall see. At $72/case there was no delay in ordering a box of the 2008 Naturaliste Shiraz, (4/5 but outstanding value for money in a lighter style). Thank heaven for cancelled export orders.
The 2009 Geographe Shiraz (4/5 $16) was another one in the lighter mode, which I thought was value for money, and the third Shiraz, the 2008 Fermoy (4.5/5 $22) was a rounded fresh style that ran over the palate very nicely indeed. Another one to remember, as was the 2007 Nebbiolo (4.5/5 $30) a classy balancing act in the lighter style with varietal style and savoury tannins. The 2008 Merlot (5/5 $30) was very much the way Merlot should be but often isn't, while the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (4/5 $20) was, I thought, a bit young but had things in place to improve with age. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (4/5 $30) was also, I thought, on the young side, and I note Mr Halliday rated it a 94 with a drink to 2023. One to give some time if I can generate some space in the wine fridge.
I also tried the 2010 Verdelho, and a Rose, both of which were too sweet for mine and are conspicuous by their absence from both website and printed price list.
While it'd be going a bit too far to suggest that Hughesy was determined to like what he found at Cullen Wines, it's also safe to say I'd been, careful to eliminate any risk factors. I'd taken my time at Fermoy, and was at peace with the world when we rolled into the car park at Cullen Wines.
As one of the pioneers of Margaret River winemaking the place has plenty of historical significance, but that's not going to count for much if the wine isn't up to scratch. I was particularly keen on the place given the fact that they've moved from standard viticulture to organic growing and have subsequently gained biodynamic certification and was the first winery in Australia certified as carbon neutral.
The sight of bikes displaying a variety of flags in the courtyard was followed by a sighting of a French couple inside, and there was evidently some degree of disagreement on the subject of cork closures versus the screw cap. While you try not to tune into neighbouring conversations, there are times when the temptation becomes too great.
Given the care that has obviously gone into the winemaking side of things and the strength of the Cullen campaign against the development of a brewery next door (the yeasts used to brew beer aren’t suited to wine), I would have thought that the decision to go for the screw cap spoke for itself, but there are some people who evidently can’t be convinced.
I was expecting to be impressed and from the starting 2010 Margaret River White (4.5/5 $19) a variation on the traditional Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon with a splash of Chardonnay I wasn’t disappointed. It's an interesting blend for short term with depth on the palate that's remarkable in a wine that registers 12% alc/vol.
The 2008 Mangan Vineyard Semillon (4.5/5 $19), a slightly oaked style came across quite powerfully on the nose and the depth of flavour on the palate matched the bouquet. My notes for the next two, the 2009 Mangan Vineyard Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and the 2009 Cullen Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon (both 5/5 $35) read, respectively Forget the rest. $35 and worth every cent and Hard to say which to prefer. Solution? Buy both. Minerality, citrus notes, and absolutely fantastic.
Then there was the 2008 Kevin John Chardonnay (5/5 $75) which started off rather restrained on the nose and then opened out magnificently. Iconic, with a significant Wow factor. It came as no surprise to learn that it picked up the World's Best Chardonnay gong at the recent Decanter awards. Somehow I suspect the order will be going in too late to pick any up, but at least I've tried it.
Moving on to the reds the 2008 Margaret River Red (4.5/5 $24) was a lovely softer style, eminently drinkable at just 12% while the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (4.5/5 $39) was another softer rounded style, the perfect antidote to Cab Merlot satiety. I'd been going off the blend, but the soft tannins and depth of flavour here brought me right back into the fold. There's a smidgeon of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in there as well.
Then there's the 2008 Mangan, a Merlot, Petit Verdot Malbec blend (5/5 $45) which left me speechless and the 2008 Diana Madeline (5/5 $105), the flagship red. If the Mangan left me speechless, how on earth would I try to describe this one apart from the single word Wonderful. And that's in the absolute sense of full of wonder.
From the Cellar Door we made our way into the restaurant for lunch, and the selections from the daily specials rather than the regular spring menu were simply outstanding.
A potato and leek soup that wasn't quite to die for, but wasn't far off was followed by a roast venison dish that was simply divine. Having paid the bill, as we made our way back to the vehicle Madam inquired whether I felt like going anywhere else.
As indicated above, there were a couple of places I'd filed away as possibilities but after one of the greatest experiences of my tasting life, what was the point?
Predictably, Hughesy spent the first part of the three-and-a-bit hour drive sedately sated, with a diversion for more beach photos before we left Margaret River and a brief leg-stretching pause at the Busselton Jetty.
After Bunbury we parted company with our previous route, heading along the Old Coast Road and enjoying the scenery which was a marked improvement on what was on offer on the freeway. The older road was indelibly etched in Karen's memory banks as well, and we navigated our way into Singleton Beach without incident. Arriving on the doorstep, we found the place deserted, though the front door was unlocked.
A check revealed I'd neglected to turn on the mobile before departure from Margaret River, and when that oversight had been remedied I found a text message from a couple of hours earlier asking for an E.T.A. It took a while to elicit a response, and in the meantime I indulged the imagination in various worst case scenarios while Madam made a photographic excursion to the beach.
The explanation, when it arrived, was predictably prosaic.
Given an errand that needed to be done by five, Elaine had waited for a response to her inquiry, and when it failed to arrive by four had left a note on the front door, and headed off on the errand. The complicating factor was the presence of two front doors. I'd gone to the wrong one, so I hadn't sighted the note.
In any case, that was a minor hiccough, and we spent a relaxed evening after a visit to the local fish and chippery, heading off to the cot at a reasonably early hour before our last full day away.
