Top Quality Pours at Windows Estate in Margaret River
It was just so serene walking into the Windows Estate cellar door. Immediately all stress was left at the door and you just felt relaxed and caught that catchy laid back beach vibe of Margs. Typically when I visit Margaret River I have a handful of ‘must-visit’ wineries and the rest of the time I like to see what we come across. Windows was on the must-visit list thanks to a number of recommendations.
To be honest it wasn’t the look or feel of the cellar door that turned me into a Windows fan-girl, the wine speaks for itself and is definitely up there with the best of the best in Margs. There wasn’t a wine on the tasting list I could fault, and believe me, I tried them all!
My Dad who also put in 110% effort at the cellar door and tried the full line-up, and he was also absolutely smitten with the quality of the wines in our glasses.
I have to admit I did get a touch distracted so didn’t write a tasting note for all the wines at the time but for the bottles we bought you can find my notes at the bottom of this post.
Windows Cellar Door
I guess it was all the white and blue that waved that beachy Margaret River vibe over me. The high ceilings, the green lawn with giant chess set and lovely big verandah were enticing us to get relaxed and enjoy – we surely did.
At the cellar door you can also find a small gift shop and Yallingup Cheese Company consumes a space. We were so keen to try some cheese and take some back to our apartment but the line up was huge so we missed out, it just goes to show how good the cheeses must be.
I loved the giant chess and board games outside, it had a nice relaxed ‘come and drink some wine and chill’ vibe.
Windows Service
I have to give a shout out to the awesome service we had. The dude who took us through our tasting as well as taking 2 other groups through a tasting at the same time was super attentive and informative, despite his full cellar door audience. We loved hearing the story about the wines and all the extra nuances about each tipple.
Windows Story
Windows was established by a young WA family in 1999, Chris, Jo and Lucas Davies. What started off with only a hectare of Cab and Chenin Blanc under vine has increased to 9 different grape varieties across 6 hectares of vines. Chris is a trained viticulturist, which means his expertise and passion is out in the vineyard and this is the philosophy Windows goes by when making their wines – good wine is grown in the vineyard, rather than being made in the winery.
Due to Chris’s high standards it means he is the only one to work in the vineyard, he may be a bit of perfectionist but I seriously can’t argue with the quality of wine coming out of this boutique winery in Margaret River. The only time others are allowed to touch his precious vines is during harvest to pick the grapes, but other than that it’s just his hands on those vines.
In the winery they take the minimal intervention approach with nearly everything done by hand and basically they let the wines speak for themselves. Top work in my opinion, as Windows produce some super tasty drops.
Windows Wine
I seriously could have bought every wine on the list to take home, however bearing in mind the budget here’s what myself and Dad choose to take back to Perth to consume over the following week/drink before we even left Margs:
Windows Estate 2013 Mousseux
I fell in love with this sparkling Chenin Blanc and the bottle we bought definitely didn’t last very long, I knew it was never going to make it back to Perth with us! Windows call their sparkling wine a Mousseux and it pays homage to the bubbles from the Loire Valley. It’s made the same way as Champagne and only 200 dozen of this 2013 tipple has been produced. On the eye it’s yellow with a slight green tinge and it has a beautiful effervescence in the glass with small dancing bubbles. Refreshing aromas of flowers, citrus and freshly baked biscuits rise from the glass. The palate is downright tasty with a mix of tropical and stone-fruit flavours from white peach to pineapple and kiwi fruit. It’s smooth, refreshing and needs to come in a much bigger bottle!
Windows Estate 2012 Basket Press Shiraz
I can’t recommend visiting Windows Estate Margaret River enough. Lovely sunlit cellar door, exceptional knowledgable laid back service and top quality wines. My Dad & I both fell in love with their basket press Shiraz for $32 per bottle.Purple red colour on the eye with mulberry, raspberry, and white pepper spice on the nose. Super smooth in the mouth with a long juicy finish. Fruity with a sprinkling of savoury peppers and subtle delectable leathery tannins. More please!
Windows Estate 2015 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
We picked this up on our recent trip South at the Windows Estate Margaret River cellar door. There wasn’t a wine I didn’t like here, I was so impressed with the tasty quality of wines from this producer. This 2015 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blend caught my attention straight away with its glistening white colour spiked with a light lemon shade. The nose is creamy yet grassy with hay bale and green capsicum notes. On the palate it’s just so fresh. It’s like a fresh tropical fruit juice with a citrusy oomph of flavour. The perfect aperitif on a hot day. Only 350 cases of this tipple produced so get in quick guys!
Windows Estate 2014 Chardonnay
You know those times when you have your first sip of wine and straight away you fall in love with it? Love at first sip is definitely what happened to me with this Windows Estate Margaret River Chardy. It’s a sandy golden-yellow colour on the eye which has s gold tinsel shimmer to it. On the nose I pick up notes of butterscotch, honeydew melon, vanilla pods, pineapple and citrus. It has the most deliciously vibrant palate and a friendly roundness to it with rich tropical citrus flavours covering every inch of the mouth. The underlying butteriness suggests this Chardy’s richness is going to thrive over the coming years. Absolutely gorgeous.
Visit Windows Estate:
Address: 4 Quininup Rd, Yallingup WA 6282
Phone: (08) 9756 6655
Email: [email protected]
Opening times: Open Daily 10am – 5pm
Wine Styles/Grape Varieties: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec (currently pre-release only)
Wine tasting cost: Free!
Food available: Yes cheese and various little goodies to take away
Kid friendly: No playground but lots of room to run around and giant boardgames
Website: www.windowsestate.com
