O’leary Walker
Star Cellar Door
(08) 8843 0022
olearywalkerwines.com
The drive into the Clare Valley is always lovely, leaving behind the broadacre farmland and continuing through the rolling hills and vines of the valley proper. It’s when you enter the Leasingham subregion, just before the township itself, that you make the turn to the hilltop cellar door of O’Leary Walker with its majestic panorama of the surrounding vineyards. It’s a modern-looking affair, all sleek lines and angles blended beautifully with the organic touch of ironstone and timber. There’s plenty of space so you’re not in a rugby scrum to get a taste of wine. As you’d expect, the rieslings are the strong suit, but Clare Valley reds are often underappreciated and the selection here is bang on. For those in need of refuelling, excellent coffee and hearty platters of local produce make sure you get through the day. Relax on the verandah or lawn, looking out over the undulating vineyards, it’s really quite special. DAVID BROOKES
OUTSTANDING WINE: 2010 O’Leary Walker Claire Reserve Shiraz, A$90