5228 West Swan Road
Caversham, WA 6055
Phone: 9250 6461
Visited: 15 June 2008
Lancaster is one of those smaller wineries that only do cellar door sales and they seem to be doing pretty well. They have a lovely lean-to where you can do your tasting but in the winter it is just too cold and you tend to not concentrate on the wines as much. They also offer cheese tasting along with your wine and that was one of the major drawing points. There were three people behind the counter and they dealt quite well with the variety of people who came to taste, but their patent discomfort in the weather only seemed to underscore the problem of an open-air tasting area.
Verdelho 2007 $14
This is a very crisp and has a pleasant tropical fruit taste . Unfortunately it just didn't work for me.
Chardonnay 2007 $16
This wine was lightly oaked for 6 months and it was an accessible, pleasant wine with a slight taste of grenadilla. Neither a typical, nor a big Chardonnay, but priced to sell
3 Vines 2007 $15
This is an unusual blend of 75% Chardonnay, 18% Verdelho and 7% Voignier and the result is an excellent food wine. It is a smooth blend and the hint of fruit complements it perfectly. What a lovely wine.
Chenin Blanc 2007 $14
The taste of green apples surprised me, and this is definitely a fresh, summery wine. Would go down lovely on a hot summer afternoon.
Cabernet Merlot 2006 $21
Clearly the winemaker at Lancaster loves blending and this wine is no exception. 88% Cabernet, 12% Merlot and what you get is a gorgeous colour and the hint of wet dust. We know that 2006 was a very disappointing year, as opposed to 2008 that should be very good; this Cab Merlot blend does its best, has good colour and a good nose; but the overall taste was disappointing.
9 Rows Cabernet 2007 $24
This wine is made from just 9 rows of cabernet vines. The wine has a delicious hint of chocolate and exotic spice. The colour was a touch light and a watery edge suggested that this is a wine for enjoying sooner rather than later.
Tin Shed Shiraz 2007 $19
Named after the tasting shed, it can be seen in the same light. Sorry guys, a bit of a disappointment - not recommended.
Old Vines 2007 $25
Done in the same, light style. Much better than the Tin Shed Shiraz, this wine would suit someone making the conversion from whites to red.
Late Picked Chenin Blanc 2007 $24
A dessert wine that absolutely surprised and delighted. Very sweet, like a sugar rush and a perfect dessert wine. Wow.
Reserve Liqueur Muscat 2002 $31
This is a beautifully integrated, balanced wine and has the most delightful nose. It reminds me of my Granny's world-famous Grape Jam and has a clean finish and is a strong contender for the best dessert wine I have tasted over the past few years.
Verdict.
Where some wineries are geared for slick commercial exploitation, others are laid back in the traditional Australian fashion. I liked the staff greeting us the moment we stepped out of the car, welcoming us and inviting us to taste. The tasting shack has all too obvious shortcomings on days both cold and rainy (as the day we were there) and hot, fly-ridden ones in summer, but the tasting staff make up for this. Lancaster is not a premium winery, but then, it does not pretend to be one and prices accordingly. One of the joys of wine-tasting is to keep on trying until you find that wine that just suits your taste perfectly, and to be able to buy this at a bargain price. I did not buy anything this time, but we could have parted with our money for either the Reserve Muscat or even the Nine Rows. I will be back to taste the 2008 offerings!
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