Paul Nelson Wines – Denmark’s Oldest Vineyard
You’re going to want to visit the Paul Nelson cellar door in WA’s Great Southern region after reading about Naomi’s visit – trust me!
Wow! Wow! Wow!
What a venue and a delicious assortment of wines!
I wasn’t aware of Paul Nelson Wines before my trip to Denmark. It was only after doing some intensive wine research and seeing what cellar doors were available in the region that the winery made its way onto my radar.
And boy was I glad that I got to visit this wonderful winery.
As soon as we were driving up the road beside the winery, I was jealous that this property wasn’t mine!
Other cellar doors I had visited in the region almost seemed tiny in size compared to the towering Karri trees, but not at the Paul Nelson Winery. And it wouldn’t be until we walked inside the cellar door that we truly appreciated the sheer size of the structure and the work that would have been involved to build it.
Once parked up, we were greeted and escorted by resident-friendly doggo Ellie and later, once we made our way inside the cellar door, we also met Angus.
Just be mindful, if you’re thinking of bringing along your fur-baby, Paul Nelson wines do ask that you don’t bring them inside with you.
About Paul Nelson Wines
Paul Nelson Wines is a small family-owned and operated wine producer just off Denmark’s Scotsdale Road.
The label is named after owner and winemaker, Paul Nelson.
Paul was first introduced to the winemaking process on his family’s Denmark farm and label, Nelson Touch. Paul and his family are obviously very proud of their products if they’re willing to attach their name right there on the label.
Paul then went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and oenology at Curtin University (Western Australia) and has a resume of employers and vintages that include Houghtons in the Swan Valley, Goundrey Wines in Mount Barker, Santa Ynez in California, South Africa, Rheinhessen, Cyprus, and working with a large Indian winemaker in Mumbai.
This rich and valuable international experience has meant that when you explore Paul’s wines, you will find some varied and interesting varieties and winemaking techniques.
The first wine under the Paul Nelson label was a 2009 Fume-Blanc.
In addition to producing wine, Paul and wife Bianca also offer cyder called Black Pig Cyder, and they have an assortment of apple trees planted ready to offer a wide range of cyder. Make sure to keep an eye out for that one!
The Cellar Door Experience
What a grand building. I was completely blown away by the sheer size of the cellar door.
The height of the ceilings, the size of the logs (they would have come from a BIG tree!), and the concrete floors just made this room look and feel so grand.
In the centre of the room, there is even a spiral staircase that takes you down to an under cellar door cellar. Unfortunately, guests aren’t permitted to go down the stairs, but it looks uber interesting from up above!
The building also has a verandah that overlooks the vines and the new plantings of the apple trees.
I could easily imagine spending hours just hanging out on the verandah.
Paul has been making his own wines since 2002 and in 2013 Paul and Bianca bought the oldest vineyard and cellar door in Denmark.
If you know the region well, you may recognise the property as Karriview, Denmark’s oldest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyard.
While at the cellar door, you will be treated to much more than just Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
But What About The Wine?
Behind the cellar door counter, we were greeted by Bianca, who was more than happy to take us through the full range of wines they had on offer.
Up on the board, there were a bunch of old favourites like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc and there were some more interesting grape varieties such as Gamay, Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo, Arneis, and Viognier.
What Did I Taste And What Did I Love?
There were quite a few surprises on the board, and we soon learned that Paul and Bianca source their grapes from a variety of locations within the Great Southern and WA’s Geographe wine regions to make their wines, as well as their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes which are grown on their property.
I knew straight away that I needed to try the Fume-Blanc, the Arneis and the Gamay.
The Fume-Blanc was lovely, but it was the Arneis and the Gamay that stole the show for me.
I found the Arneis and the Gamay to be super interesting, so I bought a bottle of each. I made sure to hold onto both wines to share with the Travelling Corkscrew. Even Bryce got in on the tasting notes action, where he picked up smokey hickory on the nose from the Gamay.
This drop didn’t last 2-seconds in my glass and I was craving more!
Casey recently popped her notes up on the blog and I just loved Paul’s comment on the Instagram post; Arn-yay!
I might just adopt this myself 😉
Want To Find Out More?
Paul Nelson Wines
Address: 14 Roberts Road, Denmark
Opening Hours: School and public holidays or by appointment only, 11am – 5pm
Phone: 0406 495 066
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
