Doug Govan seems to be another man who nows just about everyone… probably due to the fact that they all eat at his historic pub restaurant ‘The Victory Hotel’ up on top of the hill overlooking the sea to the South of Mclaren Vale. Emmanuelle, the winemaker from Chalk Hill who I had spent the afternoon with, was there with her family – I guess McLaren Vale is a small place!
After my day trekking in the vines I had worked up an apetite, luckily I had been invited for dinner with Doug, which was also a chance to talk to him about the wines he makes from the vines he has around the Victory under the ‘Rudderless’ label. One last wander through the vines as the sun went down was the perfect end to my day – made even more enjoyable by a glass of Billecart Salmon Brut NV (pretty much my favourite Champagne). I was joining Doug and some of his friends Kevin and Helen O’Brien for dinner and after complimenting Helen on her choice of aperitif she insited on getting me a glass!
When he began to plant the vines, it seems Doug called in a few favours, as he has cuttings from some very prestigious vineyards, almost like a fantasy league of vines he liked as he has 6 different varieties taken from 10 different producers all squeezed into his two tiny ‘Rudderless’ vineyards – one to the front and one out the back of the Hotel – only 2 hectares combined.
So this almost seems like more like Doug’s own private viticultural toybox – which he can keep an eye on when the pub is a bit quieter during the day… Once he’s finished playing, he sends his grapes up to Justin McNamee for some more personal care and attention, and with his hands on, and very passionate approach, I can hardly imagine anyone better suited to the job.
We had a chance to sample the 2004 Grenache Shiraz Mataro along with dinner, and we all agreed that the aromatic dusty nose smelled like a ‘Granny in an antique shop’ – a surprisingly pleasant character to find in a wine! – and it went rather well with the beef curry (it was curry night at the Victory).
As well as trying Doug’s Rudderless GSM, we opened a bottle of Kangarilla Road Shiraz Viognier – Kevin and Helen’s winery to the East of McLaren Vale. This was younger, from 2006 and this youth, combined with the fragrant addition of the white variety Viognier gave this wine a vibrant aromatic fruit on the nose which had depth from plenty of oak character. The palate had a rich powdery tannin texture and warm dusty spice which didn’t last as long as expected on the finish, perhaps due to the youth of the wine. I believe this, along with other Kangarilla Road wines are available in Majestic in the UK.
