Our third and final lunch at a vineyard in Margaret River is at Leeuwin Property, to have fun my birthday. To us as Dutchies it’s peculiar to see a vineyard known as “Leeuwin”, as a result of it’s a Dutch phrase (for feminine lion). The vineyard has been named after the cape to the south of Margaret River, Cape Leeuwin, which has been named after the Dutch ship that handed right here in 1622. We had the six course tasting menu for AU$ 160, with ‘museum’ wine pairing for $115. Museum means older vintages, the pairing with present vintages is $75.
We began with the vineyard’s glowing wine, a 2022 of 62% Chardonnay and 38% Pinot Noir. Properly structered and balanced.
The glowing was paired with an Albany oyster with finger lime and shallot…
…in addition to a canapé with avocado.
We continued with the 2016 Artwork Collection Riesling. Very dry and with a little bit of ‘petrol’, but additionally a bit creamy. This was paired with a dish that I forgot to {photograph}: uncooked scallops with crab, kohlrabi, and apple ponzu. The sauce contained a little bit of sugar and ‘killed’ the wine, however with out the sauce the pairing was OK. The feel of the dish was good, however the taste was largely acidic.
The subsequent wine was the 2024 Artwork Collection Sauvignon Blanc. As one of these Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t age as effectively, the ‘museum’ pairing included the present launch. It had the well-known aromas of Sauvignon Blanc, however in a chic model.
It was an excellent pairing for the yellow beetroot with fromage blanc, and desert lime. The wine improved with the dish. I feel a goat’s cheese would have been even higher.
We continued with the 2015 Artwork Collection Chardonnay, aged for 11 months in new French oak with stirring of the lees, however with out malo. Balanced and really good. I tasted the present launch (2021) earlier than lunch, and in comparison with that the oak within the 2015 has been built-in a lot better.
The Chardonnay was an excellent pairing for the dhufish with a sauce of tomato and lardo, with a salad of cuttlefish, fennel, and mayo. The dhufish had a really good sear, though I feel the fish might have been cooked only a bit much less. In any other case this was a really good dish.
We continued with the 2013 Artwork Collection Cabernet Sauvignon. In comparison with the present 2021 launch I tasted earlier than lunch, this was way more ‘able to drink’ with softened tannins.
It was a superb pairing for the Margaret River wagyu sirloin steak with bearnaise, koji, mushrooms, and kale. The meat was very flavorful and tender. It’s fascinating to notice that in lots of eating places the appetizers/starters are the very best after which it goes downhill from there, however right here the mains (each fish and meat) are undoubtedly the spotlight of the meal.
Exterior of the pairing I had a glass of German dessert wine, a Rieslaner Auslese.
It was an excellent pairing for the lemon parfait with honey and chamomile.
We ended our meal with some good petit fours.
This was a really good lunch. The meals was a bit costlier than on the different wineries, however in fact wagyu isn’t low cost. It’s good to need to get the ‘museum’ vintages, as the present launch is usually not fairly able to drink. The service was very good — we have been largely served by a Dutch lady. It’s a small world, as a result of it turned out her mom is a buddy of the woman who was our first wine trainer again in 2006!
