WCC Australian Shiraz Blind
Home of Chef Andrew Plummer, East Greenbush, NY
5/25/2017

My regular Albany group met to taste Australian Shiraz blind in the home of the great local chef Andrew Plummer. We have been enjoying Andrew's brilliant food for more than 20 years now, at Cafe Capriccio, at Allegro Cafe, at McGuire's, at Creo, and now with his own catering company, Plummer's Private Dining.

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The menu:


Flight 1: Torbreck Plus One
Norwegian Salmon in Marcona Almond & Chicory Coffee Crust, with Roasted Tomato Coulis, Lime Yogurt, and Veal Glaze.
Off to a great start! Went very well with the big red wines. Also, what a gorgeous presentation.
  1. 2001 Torbreck Shiraz The Factor - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    [Double-decanted for half hour at 6pm.] Big ripe nose of black fruit and tar. Gorgeous silky fruit in the mouth. Wow! We are off to a good start. It has a pinpoint precision to it. (94 points)
  2. 2002 Torbreck Shiraz The Struie - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    [Double-decanted for an hour and a half around 5pm.] Earthy red fruit nose. Silky complex and long. Impressive, esp. for the price. (93 points)
  3. 2003 Torbreck Descendant - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    [Double-decanted for 2 hours around 4pm.] This bottle seemed hot and overripe, just too high in alcohol. Others liked it better than I did, but I think maybe it was mildly corked. (NR)
  4. 2005 Charles Cimicky Shiraz Reserve - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    [(Poorly) decanted at 5:30pm.] Huge ripe stunningly expansive nose. Huge in the mouth, but with great balance. Sadly, my glass was marred by too much sediment. (94 points)


Flight 2: d'Arenberg The Dead Arm
Duck Confit with Arugula & Fennel Stick Salad, Bing Cherry Reduction, and Lotus Chips.
Another killer dish that went perfectly with the wines.
  1. 1998 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
    [Double-decanted for a half hour around 4pm.] I was disappointed when I found out that this was the bottle I brought. It was backward and tannic and not showing enough fruit for the tannin. But it had more fruit when I decanted it. I recommend pop and pour unless my bottle was just an advanced bottle. Still appealing, but not like when I opened it. (92 points)
  2. 2002 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
    [Double-decanted for 3 hours at 3pm.] More complexity with lots of red and black fruit in the nose and mouth. Still bracing tannins, but more fruit than the 1998. (93 points)
  3. 2004 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
    [Double-decanted for an hour at 5pm.] Silky, sweet and elegant. More mature, but with just the right balance of fruit. Surprised to see this was the youngest in the flight. (94 points)

Prepping the lamb chops:


Flight 3: Penfolds Grange
Pistachio Encrusted Rack of Lamb with Braised Brussel Sprout Leaves, Mashed Parsnips, and Minted Demi-Glace.
Not surprisingly, this was delicious and went really well with the wines.
  1. 1991 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
    [Double-decanted around 11am.] Smoky red fruit nose. Long, complex, and soft. Ripe and delicious. (94 points)
  2. 1994 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
    [Double-decanted at 5pm.] Very similar to the first wine (1991 Grange). Smoky, sweet, and delicious with a long complex finish. Impressive wine! (94 points)
  3. 2001 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
    [Double-decanted about 10pm the night before the tasting!]Another terrific wine, quite similar to the first two, but more backward and tight. Maybe the same wine only younger? Still delicious now with really great upside potential. (93-96 points)


Flight 4: Glaetzer Amon-Ra Barossa Valley
Chicken Galantine with Truffle Duxelle, Semolina & Sweet Corn Cake, and Morel Crème.
This was to die for. So yummy.
  1. 2001 Glaetzer Shiraz Amon-Ra Barossa Valley - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    [Double-decanted around 11am.] Nose of Kirsch liqueur. A little hot, but still tasty. Not sure this will get any better. (92 points)
  2. 2003 Glaetzer Shiraz Amon-Ra Barossa Valley - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    [Double-decanted for 3 hours at 3pm.] Almost port. High alcohol, slightly sweet, very ripe and thick. Very tasty though. Should be served with a cheese course. (92 points)
  3. 2013 Glaetzer Shiraz Amon-Ra Barossa Valley - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    [Double-decanted at 10:0am.] Medicinal and bitter. An off bottle? (NR)

Summary

A lot of good, rich, ripe wines, but nothing that really wowed me. The food was terrific as usual.


Notes posted from CellarTracker.


WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

RankPts#Wine
11691994 Penfolds Grange
21112001 Torbreck Shiraz The Factor
3(tie)1042005 Charles Cimicky Shiraz Reserve
3(tie)1081991 Penfolds Grange
5(tie)532003 Torbreck Descendant
5(tie)5102001 Penfolds Grange
74132013 Glaetzer Shiraz Amon-Ra Barossa Valley
8(tie)351998 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm
8(tie)362002 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm
10222002 Torbreck Shiraz The Struie
111112001 Glaetzer Shiraz Amon-Ra Barossa Valley

People Photos

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The After Party

After the others had left, Jared, Matthew and I spent a little time hanging out with Andrew and Sarah.

Andrew and Matthew.

Clearly, Sarah does not want to be seen with Jared.

Sarah and Jared were discussing liqueurs and
got us started on this tasty beverage from Sicily.

Then this, which I didn't like quite as much:

Then these. The Hillrock was my favorite.

 

 

 

All original content © Ken Vastola