For our last dinner of the year, we are inviting you to a sumptuous dinner where we will be showcasing wines from across more than two decades of vintages. Treat yourself to an early Christmas present and start the Holidays on the right foot by feasting on the delectable food of Ehden Kitchen in West End, paired to some of Bordeaux's rarest offerings - including Châteaux Mouton Rothschild, Latour and Margaux!
For all the details and to book tickets, please see below!
THE DINNER
$999 per person
**LIMITED TO 18 GUESTS**
When: Friday 19th of November 2021, 6:30PM sharp
Where: Ehden Bar & Kitchen, 400 Montague Road, West End, 4101
(there's parking in the back if you insist on driving, but for those of you that are used to our dinners, there is a lot of wine poured so we would recommend taking a taxi!)
THE WINES
All the below wines come from temperature controlled cellars in Bordeaux. Most of the wines that we will open on the night are getting pretty scarce, so this is the perfect opportunity to drink some very special bottles and discover beautifully matured Claret!
2019 Château de l'Aubier Blanc - $22 rrp
This Sauvignon Blanc is always a favorite, this one is pale, dry with bright acidity and crisp - stone fruit, white flowers and lovely minerality. It's got a long finish, which will make your tastebuds sing.
2019 Château de France Coquillas Blanc, Pessac-Léognan - $59 rrp
Delicious and affordable Pessac-Léognan. Plenty of ripe pear, apricot, lychee and honey, but elegant and balanced by a crisp acidity and judicious use of oak. Very more-ish!
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1996 Château Haut-Marbuzet, Médoc - $249 rrp
"Good deep ruby-red. Floral, spicy aromas of black raspberry and expensive oak. Dense and rather powerful for Haut-Marbuzet, but pliant and sweet; deep black cherry and black raspberry fruitiness is nicely framed by oak. Finishes very long and ripe, with substantial tannic support. The '98 is not nearly as full as this wine, but then it has barely begun to take up the 100% new oak." - 91 Points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
1996 Château Sociando-Mallet, Médoc - $279 rrp
"The 1996 Sociando-Mallet is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc picked between September 23 and October 8. This was aged 100% in new oak barrels for 12 months, followed by six months in tank. It has a generous, slightly chocolaty nose that I noticed before I realized that this vintage was matured entirely in new oak. I think the élevage rather dominates the aromatics, unlike the 1995, where it feels more integrated. The cohesive palate is medium-bodied with fine definition and perhaps offers a little more depth than the 1995. The finish is nicely sustained and leaves cracked black pepper and tobacco on the aftertaste. Very fine. " - 90 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous, 2019
1996 Château Talbot, Saint-Julien - $429 rrp
"The 1996 Talbot comes from an era when I think this Saint-Julien lost its way a little. It was picked from 16 September until 12 October with intermittent breaks to avoid showers. It has a relatively light bouquet with tertiary black fruit, cedar and incense, gaining a little vigour with aeration although it never fully lets go. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit on the entry, balanced but light in style with a touch of soy and black pepper towards the finish. It is certainly classic in style but it just needs more backbone and stuffing." - 90 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous, 2019
1996 Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan - $450 rrp
"Tasted at the château, the 1996 Haut Bailly is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. It has an attractive bouquet with blackcurrant pastilles, briary, a touch of gravel and dried orange peel. As I commented a few years ago, this is a 1996 that is not as immediate as others, but seems to find its voice with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a soy-tinged opening. This is well balanced and quite rounded in the mouth, quite masculine and perhaps having dispensed with some of the freshness and vitality that it showed in numerous tastings in the previous decade. There is a noticeable salinity here, lending it a marine-like finish with black olive on the aftertaste: a highly enjoyable Haut-Bailly." - 92 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous, 2016
2005 Marojallia, Margaux - $475 rrp
"Billing itself as the first “garage wine” from the appellation of Margaux, this comes from a property owned by Philippe Porcheron. The wine, made with meticulous care by the partnership of Muriel Andraud and Jean-Luc Thunevin, consistently performs well above its pedigree. Still youthful, exuberant and rich, this wine has a dense ruby/purple color and beautiful notes of violets, graphite and crème de cassis as well as some blueberry fruit. It is well-endowed, medium to full-bodied, and stunningly proportioned. This wine should continue to evolve and drink well for another 15 or more years." - 94 Points, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 2015
1996 Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac - $2500 rrp
"The last time I tasted the 1996 Mouton Rothschild (maybe a couple of years ago?), I recall it was a bit broody and closed. This showing was anything but! Deep garnet in color, it sashays out of the glass with lavishly dressed, gregarious crème de cassis, baked blackberries and plum pudding scents plus touches of menthol, fenugreek, star anise and sandalwood with fleeting glimpses at dried rose petals and oolong tea. The full-bodied palate is richly fruited, opulent and oh-so seductive, with bags of youthful black fruit and lovely finely grained tannins, finishing with fantastic freshness and length." - 97+ Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, 2019
1996 Château Latour, Pauillac - $3400 rrp
"A hot, dry August produced very concentrated grapes in 1996. However, it turned a bit rainy in mid-September through early October, making the vintage less consistent on the Right Bank and in Graves. But as the weather turned glorious from early October on, it was an amazing year for later-harvested Cabernet in the Médoc. There was new ownership at Latour by this time, and a new vat room was completed just prior to the harvest this year. The 1996 Latour is medium to deep garnet in color with a profound earthy, meaty, gamey nose with hints of blueberry preserves, crème de cassis and pencil shavings. The palate is full-bodied, concentrated and packed with muscular fruit, with a firm, ripe, grainy backbone and epically long finish. Showing much more youthfully than the 2000 tasted on the same day and still possessing bags of youthful fruit in the mid-palate, this beauty is going to go on and on!" - 99 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, 2019
2001 Château Margaux, Margaux - $2300 rrp
"The 2001 Chateau Margaux continues to evolve in impressive fashion. The nose feels sensual, veering towards red rather than black fruit, with disarming purity and perhaps showing more floral/violet character than the 1999. Both display tremendous precision and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied, edgy and tensile with crisp acidity, so fresh and vital in the mouth. Tasted next to the 1996 Château Margaux, it is clear to see that the 2001 is several steps behind, yet the way it fans out with such confidence and brio on the finish assures that this has a prosperous future." - 94 Points, Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, 2016
1959 Domaine La Sobilane Rivesaltes - $450 rrp
"The 1959 Rivesaltes from Domaine La Sobilane has a lively nose with scents of smoked walnut, mandarin, dried orange peel and sandalwood, all well-defined and never declining in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with good presence, the acidity nicely judged and any volatile acidity kept in check. Ginger, orange zest marmalade and a hint of curry powder lace the finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a beautiful old Rivesaltes." - 92 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous
THE MENU
We chose Ehden Kitchen for this function for two reasons - first off, the food is delicious, plentiful and varied to match all the complex flavours of the many different wines we'll be opening on the night. Secondly, the space that we have secured for the night is absolutely gorgeous - we will be drinking and dining in their beautiful garden area!
Oysters
Natural
Beer battered - wasabi aioli
Kilpatrick - smokey bacon + worcestershire + ketchup + tabasco
Mezze
Fried olives - feta stuffed crumbed olives + confit garlic aioli
Gravlax - gin cured salmon + kipflers potato + fennel + red onion + wasabi salad
Nabati - roasted eggplant + black grapes + chickpeas + garlic dip + lavosh
Makulat - chargrilled mooloolaba tiger prawns + chermoula + lemon
Mains
Pappardelle - little acre wild mushrooms + truffle + baby spinach + Parmesan + garlic butter
Pulpo - chargrilled wa octopus + lemon kipfler potato + Kalamata olives + mojo verde
Market fish - TBC, day's catch
Dijaj - lebanese pan roasted chicken + currant spiced israeli couscous + preserved lemon yoghurt
350g Wagyu rib eye - blue cheese & caramelised onion rosti + wild mushrooms + english spinach + port jus
Sides
Roasted pumpkin - heirloom carrots + sweet potato + goat’s curd + chickpeas
Greek salad - heirloom tomato + olives + cucumber + red onion + feta + oregano
Arugula - rocket - fennel + red onion + lemon dressing
To book this event please use the link above - it is the easiest way to secure your seats. For any questions or concerns, please get in touch with Phil Stanton on 07 3252 1117 or phil@thewineemporium.com.au