Lexus 40: Mudgee

Issue 40

COOL CONCEPT COUPE THE STUNNING lf-Cc

IN BLOOM R ose B y rne ’ s st a r shines T ropic a l H O L I D AY M A G I C T a hiti ’ s dr a m a tic be a ut y T H E L S 6 0 0 h F S port L u x urious per f orm a nce le x us A U S T R A L I A issue 4 0 2 0 1 3

Print Post Approved PP255003/07431

LEXUS TAKES AN EPICUREAN TOUR OF THE MUDGEE WINE REGION IN THE HEAD TURNING NEW LS 600h F SPORT.

1 LEXUS 28

LEXUS 29

K

irsty Stokes fixes me with a double-dare stare as she holds the flagon, poised in anticipation, over the vintage vegemite glass, already primed with terrified ice cubes.

The glass vessel contains the proprietary cocktail 10/80 and patrons are limited to just two in any single visit.

“10/80 is fox poison isn’t it?” I meekly enquire.

“Yes, it is,” replies Stokes, her eyes widening for theatrical effect. “It’s a secret recipe known only to the owner of Roth’s Wine Bar. It has some white wine, a fortified wine and… maybe something else.”

The dim lighting and speakeasy-style décor adds considerably to the beverage’s mystique.

Historic Roth’s Wine Bar in centrally located Market Street has been a part of Mudgee’s playful underbelly since 1923. The once nefarious establishment still holds what is possibly the last Governor’s liquor licence, an anachronistic certification at the pleasure of the Crown. Founding proprietor Bob Roth quickly found a niche market and expanded his offering to include rooms by the hour. Nowadays heritage-listed Roth’s is a quaint novelty, yet great fun and a perfect place to wind down with live music and a cocktail after dinner.

Our journey to the Mudgee region is anything but old fashioned. Instead we are propelled in state-of-the-artcomfort, cocooned inside the Lexus flagship LS 600h F Sport which, by the time you read this, will have taken pride of place in Lexus showrooms around the country.

It feels almost wasteful to be motoring sedately at 100kmh up the Great Western Highway knowing that a combined 327kW is there on tap the moment you squeeze the throttle.

The notion of rocketing from 0 to 100kmh in just 5.7 seconds barely crosses my mind, although the pure potency of the allwheel-drive and confidence-inspiring Adaptive Variable Air Suspension (AVAS) produces a serene driving experience that allows us to just enjoy the journey without dwelling on the knowledge we are driving the most powerful F Sport model to date.

And with power comes responsibility. This ultrasophisticated sports saloon still delivers economy of around 9.0 L/100 km*, even less if you deploy the fuel-saving ECO option using Drive Mode Select on the electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (E-CVT). The eight-step, clutchless transmission delivers a seamless stream (or torrent) of power on command.

Leaving the busy western route out of the Blue Mountains we head north along the Castlereagh Highway, swinging east past Ilford on the Bylong Valley Way toward the former cement works village of Kandos.

In full swing by the 1920s, Kandos is a delightful Art Deco era town that was served by railway until about 10 years ago. While discussion about the railway continues, the old station has been converted into a quirky coffee and curio shop called Down the Track Café where owner Sue Honeysett serves a killer iced coffee among other tempting treats.

Onward toward historic Rylstone, a decidedly upmarket town established in 1830 yet enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to the arrival of many tree-changers and a renewed interest in local silver mining.

Here at the heritage-listed Bridge View Inn I have an appointment with the august Victor and Leopold.

“Victor is full-bodied yet elegant with a curious cigar box aroma,” says host Richard de Beaurepaire, “while Leopold is a bit more complex, softer and fruity.”

Both of these respected gentlemen represent the sharp end of de Beaurepaire’s highly regarded range of locally grown cold climate premium red wines, while colourful rogue Captain Starlight takes up the slack with chardonnay, semillon sauvignon blanc and carefully crafted blends.

At the opposite end of the historic public house is the 29 Nine 99 Yum Cha and Tea Room where owner/manager, Beijing-born Na Lan serves tasty dumplings and exotic teas while selling little oriental treasures like silk purses and her own original linocut prints. And the name? The Chinese are superstitious about numbers and 29-9-99, besides being Lan’s wedding date, is particularly auspicious.

Rylstone’s tight-knit, proactive community hosts artisan and produce markets every month and a 20-point, self-guided historical walk that you can take at your leisure.

That night we head to the Globe Hotel and its attached restaurant The Shed. Owners Craig and Nicole Chung belong to the local tree-change set who are transforming the once sleepy town into a sophisticated and tasteful outpost. Meals are genuine Aussie pub fare with an extra sprinkle of dinkum.

“Fancy comfort food, I call it,” says Chung, while his wife hurries out to the garden seats with heavy plates of home baked meat pies, thick hand hewn chips and sizzling steaks.

We kip overnight at the blissfully remote Elephant Mountain House at Lue where Julie Lonegan greets us. The House is exactly that (elephantine) and perfect for families or small groups, with beds for 14 guests and set in the scenic rolling hills and pastures, some of which contain the family’s own vineyards that produce their medal-winning shiraz.

Heading toward Mudgee township the next morning we set out on the quiet back roads again, the LS 600h F Sport making a mockery of the undulations, twists and curves with its active stabiliser system front and rear that reduces body roll rates by 40 per cent over standard passive systems.

It almost feels like a guiding hand grips the vehicle, ushering it effortlessly through bends and turns. Should we need to shave off speed in a hurry, the Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management (VDIM) politely informs the class-

* Fuel consumption and emissions will vary depending on driving conditions style, vehicle conditions and options/accessories.

Source of fuel consumption data: ADR81/02 combined (L/100km).

LEXUS 30

3

2 1 On the lawn of Wandobah Cottage with neighbour Sandy Walker and local racehorse Budgee Boy. 2 Russell Conchie checks out the panorama from the porch at Optimiste Wines.

3 Ned Kelly puts the scare up the birds at Robert Stein Winery & Vineyard.

4 Time to wind down and dine by the analogue clock.

5 The Shed’s artisanal meat pie and chips.

6 The LS 600h F Sport eats up the road.

WORDS Rod Eime PHOTOGRAPHY Matt Lowden

6 5 LEXUS 31

4

7

8

leading electro-hydraulic braking system to gently arrest our forward motion. As we roll imperiously into town heads are turning and it’s not just our Olympus OM-D E-M5 that’s capturing the moment. The striking and elegant Lexus limousine lines are bolstered by the subtly aggressive F Sport enhancements like lower (adjustable) ride height and unique F Sport 20-spoke wheels.

If we were trying to blend in, it wasn’t working.

Mudgee fairly bustles on the weekend with an almost carnival atmosphere. There are two farmers and artisans’ markets smack in the middle of town, where delicious pickles, pestos and pastes congregate on festooned trestles while minstrels strum tunes and children attack lollypops.

Surrounding the markets is a bevy of satellite businesses serving the resurgent community with lively and creative offerings like the hip and offbeat Butcher Shop Café, Aaron Cole’s epicurean Market Street Café or Juliet Horsley’s recycled timber lamps and leather goods.

But let’s not ignore the real reason we’re here. The Mudgee region has some of the best cellar doors in the country. That’s a big call, but after jostling for a berth at the tasting benches of Robert Oatley, Bunnamagoo, Optimiste, Skimstone and Robert Stein it’s clear we’ll need another weekend to tick all the boxes on the Mudgee wine circuit.

The region’s unique climatic conditions allow an enormous variety of grapes to be grown. Unusual names such as barbera, voignier and sangiovese sit beside the more familiar shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

Even so, the common reds exhibit their own ‘inland’ character which award-winning Bunnamagoo winemaker Robert Black attributes to “slippery tannins”, a term I’m still getting used to. Standout performers from the weekend’s

rigorous auditions include Skimstone’s Tre-Onde (blend), Oatley’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, Elephant Mountain Shiraz, Bunnamagoo 1827 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Optimiste Semillon. And yes, when you’re behind the wheel of our own standout performer, learn to spit.

Another of Mudgee’s foodie trump cards is the organic produce, which is significant in the winemaking as well as the mouth-watering cheeses, honey and pesto fetta at our Sunday lunch stop, the High Valley Wine & Cheese Co’s French Fork Café. Just down the road Nathan and Helen Williams regaled us with hilarious tales about the set-up of their micro-distillery, Baker Williams.

If the sumptuous butterscotch schnapps and delicate wheat grain vodka are any indication, it was well worth the effort.

While the drive home was a reluctant one, the melancholy of leaving so many stones unturned was mitigated by the knowledge that, while the petrol stations missed out on our custom, the savings were certainly put to a better use.  Mudgee Region Tourism visitmudgeeregion.com.au Elephant Mountain House elephantmountain.com.au Wandobah Cottage wandobah.com Mudgee Farmers Market mudgeefinefoods.com.au

LEXUS 32

9 7 Winemaker Josh Clementson at Skimstone Wines.

8 High Valley Wine & Cheese Co. 9 Another vineyard in the wink of a tail light.