We are now in the Margaret River area, in the south-west of Australia, south of Perth. This area is known for having a Mediterranean climate and its wines. Many wineries have a very good restaurant that offers a tasting menu for lunch with a wine pairing of wines from the estate. The first one we are visiting is Wills Domain. The restaurant offers great views of the vineyards, as well as a signature menu (6 courses for AU$ 189, wine pairing $75), a tasting menu (4 courses for $119, wine $55), as well as à la carte. We opted for the tasting menu.

The first wine was a Blanc de Blanc (sic), 100% Chardonnay and only 3 months of aging of the lees. Therefore a simple sparkling wine, almost like a prosecco but less fruity.

It was accompanied by the chef’s daily snack, melon stuffed with goat cheese.

There was also some nice seed bread with butter served in the shape of a honeycomb, with some actual honey inside, as well as some seeds (seemed like caraway seed to me).

The second wine was the 2024 Eightfold Sauvignon Blanc, balanced and very grassy.

This was an excellent pairing for an outstanding dish: Shark Bay scallops, cured and lightly steamed, with avocado cream, thinly shaved daikon, a bit of wasabi, and a rice tosazu sauce. This dish was amazing, worthy of several Michelin stars. Great elegance, balance, and complexity. The scallops had great texture, almost raw but slightly more firm but very tender and juicy at the same time. There was a smoky element as well. The daikon provided some very gentle crunch. There was just a hint of wasabi. And the wine, which was good by itself, became much better with the dish. Wow.

The next wine was a 2016 single vineyard Semillon. Australian Semillon is known for its aging potential. This wine was wonderful, with a nice creamy texture but still quite fresh.

It was a good pairing for the Margaret River heirloom tomatoes with stracciatella cheese, yellow chili, and frozen green tomato nectar. Because of the frozen nectar the tomatoes were served quite cold, so they were not as flavorful. The chilli brought some nice spiciness that was enhanced a bit by the acidity of the wine. Altogether a very nice dish and pairing.

The final wine of the pairing was the flagship wine of the winery, the Paladin Hill Matrix, 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Petit Verdot in this vintage. The blend changes annually. The wine was nicely balanced and fresh, with smooth but present tannins, and some nice spiciness.

The wine was nice by itself, but even better with the farm house Arkaday lamb fillet (cooked sous vide at 55C/131F) with eggplant mousse, raw zucchini, and sheep yogurt. The lamb was topped with garden herbs (including oregano), which provided a nice contrast in flavor.

The estate does not produce dessert wine and we skipped the optional Espresso Martini. The dessert was a chocolate parfait with chocolate from the local chocolate shop Bahen & Co, with garden mint mousse, and wattle seed.

Our first fine dining experience at a Margaret River winery sets a high standard for the other lunches to follow! Food and wine pairings were excellent, the service very friendly. As we have noticed before, a lot of the serving staff in Australia is ‘imported’ from Italy or France, and this was no exception. The only criticism I could provide is that the irregular pace of the menu; the scallops and Sauvignon arrived too quickly after the sparkling, while later on it slowed down too much, and the coffee arrived well before the dessert.