The evening was booked out very early in the piece and the Wardroom was set with not two, but three long tables. Clearly an interesting evening was afoot. We were graced with the presence of the WA state manager James Randall and joint chief executive of Leeuwin Estate, Justin Horgan.
The kitchen had a well-prepared menu to present and the wines chosen to accompany were certainly on the mark. The range offered was their middle of the road group, but certain of the selection stood out with their ‘Brut’ to accompany the prawn mousse Amuse as a wonderful start.
The Siblings Sauvignon Blanc probably needed time to warm up a little and once allowed to do so, began to offer the varietal characteristics that a modern-day SB is built to. The offer of Peking Duck Wantons certainly matched the wine.
The Estate Rose on offer was a curious beast as it was neither field nor fowl. Without the characteristics of a French rose, nor made as a sweetie as some of the Portuguese styles can be, it came from a pure Shiraz pressing with the inherent flavours of berries and a nice floral note to the nose . It held the middle of the road well and accompanied the stuffed pumpkin flowers very nicely.
The Steamed Rankin Cod with a black garlic puree was presented just as Justin rose to speak again and we had the time to allow the next wine, a Prelude Chardonnay to warm up a little and release the ethereal flavours that is so promised by the superb climate of Margaret River. It drank superbly and was every bit a fine accompaniment to the cod.
Then to the Prelude Cabernet Sauvignon… a big MR cabernet with a small portion of Malbec to fill out the lurking blind spot that every cabernet sauvignon can carry and indeed we learned of its existence a little later on in the evening. The charred fillet of beef (more a tournedos in size) was a fine offering alongside a finger of potatoes gratin and the well roasted brussels sprouts taught us that the humble veg still has a place in our hearts.
The next course was the surprise; another red. An Art Series Shiraz this time and big, probably good for another fifteen years and listening to the speakers, it wasn’t a surprise to hear that it too had a touch of another varietal to keep to the consistency that Leeuwin Estate wines are famous for. Good on them, as it provided us with a wonderful experience and surprisingly it went well with the choice of dessert offered by Head Chef Andriy, who came out to be congratulated by the assembled guests.
There wasn’t much room left for the pistachio and rosewater cake and the gilded raspberries were nice, but most of us managed to clear our plates.
The games commenced with James leading us into a gentle wine knowledge quiz that very quickly had it down to five people on one table; then he asked how many people attended the first Leeuwin Estate concert. 1,000 or 5,000. Down to two people and a sudden death question had a lucky winner by the name of Sarah Squires.
A great evening with excellent service from Vanessa and her team. Small issues were easily taken care of and we ended the night, table hopping and catching up with people we hadn’t seen for a while. Many thanks to the Leeuwin Estate team and we look forward to the next offering from the club.
Archives Committee
Rick Steuart
