Cape Mentelle Wine Dinner at the Winery

Last night I went to an awesome wine dinner at the Winery Surry Hills which show cased a number of different wines from Cape Mentelle in the Margaret River. Cape Mentelle is the sister winery of the well known Cloudy Bay and produces wines that are traditionally made in the Bordeaux region of France. Their range of wines include a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot and Shiraz which we tasted at the dinner accompanied with some delicious food.

Morton Bay Bugs & Chardonnay

We started the evening with a glass of the Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2013 which the Chief Wine Maker Rob Mann described as fresh and lively. Generally I am not one for Sauvignon Blanc however the blend with Semillon seems to soften the taste and make it more palatable. Still not my first choice though.

Our first course was Roast Morton Bay Bugs served with a delicious dressing and a 2011 Chardonnay. The wine initially seemed heavy when I sipped it on its own, however when paired with the Morton Bay Bugs and creme fraiche sauce it was simply heavenly. The mixture of the creamy sauce with the medium bodied was just the perfect pair and definitely my pick of the night.

Pork Belly & 2011 Cab Merlot

The second course was slow cooked pork belly with artichoke, eggplant and prunes paired with a 2011 Cabernet Merlot. The food was absolutely delicious but the wine was just too young and tannic for me. What I mean by that is that there was a presence of the flavour like when you bite into a grape and accidentally chew the seed. Over time tannins in big reds soften and create delicious drinking wines that become smooth and fill the entire palate.

The third course was a small portion of seared venison with pancetta, beets and truffle served with a big 2011 Shiraz. Again, the food was delicious but the wine seemed too young to be serving. I am no expert but it seemed to be made of all the stuff of a good wine, just too young.

Rob Mann Senior Wine Maker at Cape Mentelle

I asked the wine maker whether he thought that the reds could benefit from some time in the bottle and he surprised me by saying that they were perfect to drink now. He also said that they had moved entirely to screw cap and that wines don't age as much under screw cap. This seems to be a great shame as they were delicious wines but simply had not had the time to evolve to their potential and seemingly never will.

All in all though we had a fabulous time and had the opportunity to meet some great people. I would definitely recommend checking out some of the wine events at the Winery in Surry Hills.

Until next time, have a glass for me. Alex Mac x