Hackersley Estate Wines & Restaurant, Ferguson Valley
Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Han Sen Hau
Everyone we asked about Ferguson Valley mentioned Hackersley as THE place to dine. The Geographe wine region is lesser known than its well-established southern sister, Margaret River, yet there is much to love here; boutique vineyards, pristine nature, good-looking farms and a thriving local food scene. If a cliché were ever true, it’s that Ferguson Valley within The Geographe in Australia’s South West is a hidden gem.
The sheer beauty of the place is worthy of a detour, and then there’s tasty food, wine and incredibly friendly hospitality to match. Hackersley’s restaurant, a corrugated iron-clad establishment and deck, looks up to undulating hills that transform from shades of straw to lush green over the seasons. Vineyards and olive trees are to the right, a dam to the left and enough lawn to make gardeners wish for a robot mower or some sheep assistance.
While the winery changed hands about four years back, Hackersley restaurant has been run by Aaron and Adrie Devitt since 2002! Continued success is certainly a testament to the quality of the experience. With an increased focus on boutique wine production from present owners Murray Tognela and Lucy Nankervis, things don’t look like they are slowing down.
Murray and Lucy, recognising the need to diversify and with a true passion for not just producing a sellable product but one that is truly exceptional, have shifted the emphasis of the vineyard. Besides the well-established grapes grown in the region, they are evolving to include more lesser-known varietals. They’re also lifting the game with increased refinement of the product, investing more into creating premium boutique wines.
Hackersley Menu
Ordering is easy at Hackersley. A three-course lunch (AUD 88) changes every couple of months with the choice of adding sweets or a cheese platter. You can order wine by the glass or bottle or let the team decide with a tasting flight.
Today’s lunch begins with Thai Chicken Eggplant with sweet potato and coconut. I’m pretty sure I will love it before it’s even arrived. Sweet potato? Coconut? Yes, please! Wedges of deep-fried eggplant are crowned with a tangle of shredded potato chips. To the side, there’s a puddle of spiced yoghurt centred with an egg and sweet potato custard dome. Diced and roasted sweet potato shows the root veg in a different texture, but it’s the tom kha gai sauce that pulls the flavours altogether. It’s finished off with a lengthy sprig of asparagus contrasting all of that orange with a stripe of green.
The middle course follows with Atlantic Salmon with Red Emperor. I’m also convinced that this is going to be another winner with orange sauce, pesto-topped cauliflower, sliced grapes, lime, almonds and pilaf rice. Additionally, a sweet sesame cone is pumped with salmon mousse and crowned with cured salmon. French beans with garlic and shallots add texture. A lot is going on in this dish, but it works. The fish is cooked flawlessly – flaky while maintaining moisture.
We come to the peak of the meal with the Sparkling Beef Fillet. I don’t often see Champagne sauce with red meat, but this chef knows what he’s doing, and it’s a surprisingly flawless mate. The beef is topped with a refreshing parsley gremolata, which breaks up the meat’s richness. Just like the preceding fish dish, there’s lots to keep up interest on this plate. A Shark Bay scallop is tender, and with a golden-seared top, sauteed mushrooms and spinach add some earthiness, a beetroot and fetta salad contributes colour, baked baby chickpeas give some crunch, and a potato ring filled with red onion jam balances with a little sweetness.
You could choose to stop here, perhaps end with coffee or plump for dessert.
Hackersley Wine List
Perhaps one of the most unique wine pairings I’ve come across recently is Hackersley’s serving of ALL of their wines in one flight (AUD 28)! You can go in moderation and try just the whites and rosé (AUD 14) or just the red (AUD 14), but hey, we’re here to discover what the Ferguson Valley has to offer, so leap right in for it all.
Whites
Sparkling Brut 2022 is pleasantly zesty! It’s a lightly sparkling Sauvignon Blanc with secondary fermentation in the bottle. Its elegance and fine mousse make a great start.
Summer stone fruits come to the nose of the Verdelho 2020 and tropical fruit follows through in the mouth. It’s a great summer wine with a dry conclusion.
Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2022 expresses the typical nose of passion fruit, pear and stone fruit. It carries a little more body than the previous two whites, and a similar finish.
Next, we try Semillon 2022 as a single varietal and get a more rounded palate with some faint vanilla and a whisper of creaminess from barrel maturation.
Our last white is a Late Harvest Semillon 2023, showing what can be done with additional time on the vine. It’s ripe and full, and fruity sweet. It would do well to temper the spice in some heaty Thai or Indian cuisine.
Rosé
We transition from white to red with a rosé, the Stella Rosa, with a lovely story behind it. Named after the matriarch of the family, who at one stage was head of the Country Women’s Association (CWA), it’s a beloved wine and fondly consumed by Lucy, who announces it her fave on a warm afternoon. It’s French in style, dry and crisp, with a citrusy twist at the end.
Hackersley Estate Reds
I’m intrigued to try the Mondeuse 2022, a rare find in Australia. The perfumed nose is full of berries, while the palate continues with bright, fresh fruit. It’s clean and light, great Aussie summer drinking.
Merlot 2020 is reminiscent of Christmas pudding, plummy with a thread of chocolate, juicy, fruity, and ending with some grippy tannins. This one might benefit from more time in the bottle.
Tempranillo 2020 has been given a good aging in oak for 18 months, helping to integrate the flavours and tannins and balance the acidity. Dark fruits in the bouquet, a round full palate, and a long finish make it an excellent mate to the beef.
Widely grown in this area, Shiraz 2022 offers a warm nose of black fruits and thread of spice. It’s dark and mysterious, following through to a lengthy conclusion.
We were up at the vineyards before the meal and tasted the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes straight from the vine. They’ll be ready to pick within the week, and with the memory of the fresh fruit so close, we feel we can taste the more intense flavours in the 2022. Blackberry, mulberries and a long savoury finish with green capsicum freshness.
We’re pleasantly surprised once again, this time with a single varietal production of Petit Verdot 2021. Often, this grape is only used in a blend, so we’re excited to try it all on its own today. Purple flowers, dark berries and a light herbaceous character join in a well-integrated palate that is sure to only get better over time. It’s bone dry and best with food.
All of what we’ve drank today has been pretty young, but ask, and there are several older bottles available that have benefited from patience and the process of time. The 2004 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon is a fine example showing elegance with integrated flavours and refinement that only come with age.
Just as I’m sipping the last drops of my wine, taking in the upbeat vibes and admiring the energy this place has on a Sunday afternoon, I eavesdrop on the table behind us, thinking the same thing. “This place is in the middle of nowhere, and look!” Conversations are lively, tables are full, and the intimate space is abuzz. Murray jokes that it’s a bit like Hotel California – you can check in anytime you like, but you never leave …
Reasons to visit Hackersley, Ferguson Valley: beautiful location, small intimate restaurant, an easy three-course menu that takes the pain out of decision making; come for a meal or a wine flight or coffee and cake; happening vibes and a good-time community spirit.
Hackersley
1133 Ferguson Road, Ferguson
Dardanup 6236, Western Australia
Link to Hackersley on Google Maps
+61 (0)8 9728 3033
hackersley@westnet.com.au
@hackersleyestate
Hackersley Hours
Thursday to Sunday: 10 am – 4 pm
Find more gourmet travel tips for Western Australia here and stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in KL’s food and beverage scene with The Yum List on Instagram and The Yum List on Facebook.