Last week, I hit the Swan Valley for a behind-the-scenes winery tour with other two wine lovers. We were invited to the prestigious Swan Valley Wines.
The private tour was a fantastic way to see more than your usual cellar door, we went deep into the cellars and tasted wine from barrels.
Bree Lavell and Paul Hoffman were our hosts, and they took us by the hand, like young children enthusiastic about their natural winemaking process and their impressive results.
Of course, we started in the barrel room tasting wine from the barrel. Is there a better way to start the day?
The Rosé made of Tempranillo – Malvasia “Nature” Blend is nothing like anything I’ve tried before. Fruit and balance, yet strength of character.
The Chenin Blanc sec is wild and lively. A complex bouquet of white flowers and dried grass. The winery’s Malbec, a collaboration with his friend Rhys Parker, only two barrel made, so look out for it upon release.
The pungent Mourvedre (Mataro) is fruity and earthy, it has a high intensity of aromas and depth.
We sipped the 2019 Pet-Nat made of Chenin Blanc, overlooking the vines, the estate vineyard is one of the oldest in the region. Their gnarly, dry-farmed, Chenin Blanc, vines look healthy and robust, trained like small bushes. Sure, it’s winter, and the vines are nude, but it actually was great to see the training technique and the strength of the decade-old stalks.
The estate uses no artificial pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers. The vineyards are farmed organically.
Many other old endemic vines grow on site, protecting the original Swan Valley biodiversity.
After such an epiphany, it was time for lunch.
Everything homemade, all fresh. The generous quality of Bree and Paul and their hospitality was as warm as the sunny rays that bathe the vines. Paul & Bree selected six of the wines from their tasting list and worked us through the wines, each one with the mouth-watering flavours.
We finished our visit at the winery’s cellar door. And yes, we tried some more wine. And it’s not just wine that’s impressive here.
A bitter amaro liqueur, to be released this year, is astounding and palate cleansing. Bree and Paul are expert herbalists and botanists. The gentian root gives a particular taste to this liqueur that is hard to describe; it has a very pleasant, luscious bitterness.
I can’t thank enough Paul and Bree for an unforgettable afternoon. Their hospitality, their wine knowledge and their love for natural wines made me, and I think us all, look at wine differently.
Pay them a visit at 261 Haddeill Road, in the Swan Valley and experience, in their own words, natural wines that could come from nowhere else.
