Western wonders: Taste some of the best from the Great Southern region

Western wonders: Taste some of the best from the Great Southern region

West Cape Howe’s Cape To Cape range has always represented excellent drinking value, offering drink-now wines of flavour and complexity sourced from across Western Australia’s Great Southern region,

However, its Single Vineyard series, while costing more, offers possibly even better value, with the range of wines from the Mt Barker and Porongorup regions delivering flavoursome, complex wines with excellent cellaring potential.

All cost about $30, or less if you join the winery’s Corker Wine Club or find them on special at your local bottle shop, but drink well above their price point.

In the most recent release of the range are the 2021 Porongorup Riesling (from an area fast gaining recognition as one of the best in Australia for the variety), 2019 Styx Gully Chardonnay, 2020 Karri Oak Pinot Noir, 2018 Book Ends Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 Two Steps Shiraz, the last four all from vineyards in the Mt Barker region, with several planted 30 to 40 years ago.

It’s hard to nominate a favourite because all appeal to me for different reasons. The Porongorup Riesling, for example, offers wonderfully incise citrus fruit along with a mineral acid backbone that shows immediate attractions but holds the promise of developing deliciously in the bottle.

The shiraz is a medium-bodied example of cooler-climate shiraz, with more red berries and spice than those from warmer regions such as the Barossa or McLaren Vale, with fermentation in new French oak (15 percent) and maturation in French oak barrels (25 percent new) adding complexity without overpowering the fruit. It will easily take another five years in bottle.

Similarly, the cabernet combines French oak fermentation and maturation with cassis and blackcurrant fruit characters and fine tannins to be most approachable already although with the fruit concentration and complexity to ensure rewarding bottle maturation.

The chardonnay is a thoroughly modern style, with emphasis on melon and citrus fruit, with some oak from barrel fermentation but the crisp acid retained by not putting it through malolactic fermentation. Again, a few years in bottle won’t hurt.

Then there’s the pinot noir, not a grape often associated with Western Australia despite quite a few lovely examples being released over the years. This features 20 percent whole bunch fermentation and 20 months maturation in oak barrels, 50 percent new. The result is a delicious medium-bodied red showing dark cherry and strawberry fruit with a lovely savoury character and fine tannins _ just add duck.

The wines are stocked at Dan Murphy’s and other liquor retailers and you can find out more about them, head to www.westcapehowewines.com.au