Friday 30th September 2011

A slightly damp evening outside, but within the cosy confines of the Loch Lomond Golf Club we prepared ourselves for a rather special evening. Gaining an invitation to such an intimate dinner with one of wine-makings greatest legends is nothing to be complacent about.

John Duval was for some 29 years a winemaker at Penfolds, now John has the opportunity to concentrate on both his own vineyard and on his project with Martin Krajewski at Songlines Estates.

On paper, tonight sounds something of a mixed bag; with Bordeaux, MacLaren Vale and the Barossa all having a look in. However, when you know the people behind the wines, and indeed, the character and ethos behind the wines it all starts to make delightful sense.

The evening started off with one of our all-time favourites Reserve de Sours Sparkling Rose from Bordeaux a wine that was just born to get a great evening off on the right note. Mix in a few Haggis & Black Pudding Bon Bons and Mushroom Canapes and I could have carried the evening on in this fashion for some time.

Alas dinner was announced and the wines began:

1.       La Source 2008, Chateau de Sours – The accompanying Pork Belly and Pear Beignet I think says something about this wine and its full flavours and complex characteristics. A Sauvignon Semillon blend made in true Pessac style, from Chateau de Sours’ limestone rich vineyards. This terroir really comes through in the rich minerality in the wine. A match I personally would not have thought of but that works so terribly well.

2.       Plexus Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier 2010 – Served alongside some sublime Scallops, this was a match made in heaven. This wine is a true expression of John Duval’s skill as a wine maker with each grape variety interacting and adding another layer to the complexity, structure and texture of the wine rather than just acidic crispness.

3.       La Source Rose 2010 – Blackcurrant lollipop matched this wine again in excellent fashion with the flavours in the wine lifting the dish and the flavours in the dish just exploding the wine. It was a real welcome relief on the rather dreich wet evening outside; summer was truly blooming for us indoors.

4.       Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mouvedre 2008 – The first offering from John Duval’s red selection and the first red of the evening. This 100% barrel matured blend is a real joy. On the surface, this is a real seamless wine readily approachable in its youth but with a capacity to age for some 10 years – truly impressive for a wine of this level.

5.       Songlines Shiraz 2004 – Served from the magnum, these are wines that really do stand up to any of their cousins from the Barossa. A project between Martin Krajewski, David Fatches and John Duval with the single intention of creating the best Shiraz in the MacLaren Vale.  In-house we think that the 2004 is at its prime in the 75cl format and will no doubt carry on delivering for some years yet. In the Magnum, this wine I can see still delivering for another decade. Both wines were served alongside Venison wrapped in Pancetta, with red cabbage and pumpkin.

6.       Eligo Shiraz 2008 - Showing off John Duval’s best Shiraz from the 2008 vintage, Eligo is a real structured expression of power texture and palate length. Speaking personally, this just pipped the Songlines estate as the wine of the evening but only when you consider everything from the quality, to the taste, to the price, to the atmosphere.

7.       Penfolds Grange 2000 – A wine to end the evening off to perfection, sourced by ourselves for the dinner from a private collector stored in bond since it was released and not moved since.  On first inspection this wine exploded in the nose giving off the freshest most intense of fruit flavours giving promise to what was to come. On the palette this intensity gave way to a surprisingly delicate, intriguing but structured flavour one could imagine. It never ceases to surprise me just how much a wine can evolve from youth into its ‘drinking years’.  A wine that will continue to delight for years to come.

We retired from dinner to the sumptuous cottage hidden in the grounds of the Lomond Estate truly satisfied and ready for a comfort just as enjoyable as the evening’s dinner and wine.

Loch Lomond Golf Club, a truly special place and the perfect accompaniment to one of the legends of wine-making.