Our third and last lunch at a winery in Margaret River is at Leeuwin Estate, to celebrate my birthday. To us as Dutchies it is peculiar to see a winery called “Leeuwin”, because it is a Dutch word (for female lion). The winery has been named after the cape to the south of Margaret River, Cape Leeuwin, which has been named after the Dutch ship that passed here in 1622. We had the six course tasting menu for AU$ 160, with ‘museum’ wine pairing for $115. Museum means older vintages, the pairing with current vintages is $75.

We started with the winery’s sparkling wine, a 2022 of 62% Chardonnay and 38% Pinot Noir. Nicely structered and balanced.

The sparkling was paired with an Albany oyster with finger lime and shallot…

…as well as a canapé with avocado.

We continued with the 2016 Art Series Riesling. Very dry and with a bit of ‘petrol’, but also a bit creamy. This was paired with a dish that I forgot to photograph: raw scallops with crab, kohlrabi, and apple ponzu. The sauce contained a bit of sugar and ‘killed’ the wine, but without the sauce the pairing was OK. The texture of the dish was nice, but the flavor was mostly acidic.

The next wine was the 2024 Art Series Sauvignon Blanc. As this type of Sauvignon Blanc does not age as well, the ‘museum’ pairing included the current release. It had the well-known aromas of Sauvignon Blanc, but in an elegant style.

It was a good pairing for the yellow beetroot with fromage blanc, and desert lime. The wine improved with the dish. I think a goat’s cheese would have been even better.

We continued with the 2015 Art Series Chardonnay, aged for 11 months in new French oak with stirring of the lees, but without malo. Balanced and very nice. I tasted the current release (2021) before lunch, and compared to that the oak in the 2015 has been integrated much better.

The Chardonnay was a very good pairing for the dhufish with a sauce of tomato and lardo, with a salad of cuttlefish, fennel, and mayo. The dhufish had a very nice sear, although I think the fish could have been cooked just a bit less. Otherwise this was a very nice dish.

We continued with the 2013 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon. Compared to the current 2021 release I tasted before lunch, this was much more ‘ready to drink’ with softened tannins.

It was an excellent pairing for the Margaret River wagyu sirloin steak with bearnaise, koji, mushrooms, and kale. The beef was very flavorful and tender. It is interesting to note that in many restaurants the appetizers/starters are the best and then it goes downhill from there, but here the mains (both fish and meat) are definitely the highlight of the meal.

Outside of the pairing I had a glass of German dessert wine, a Rieslaner Auslese.

It was a good pairing for the lemon parfait with honey and chamomile.

We ended our meal with some nice petit fours.

This was a very nice lunch. The food was a bit more expensive than at the other wineries, but of course wagyu isn’t cheap. It is nice to have to get the ‘museum’ vintages, as the current release is often not quite ready to drink. The service was very nice — we were mostly served by a Dutch girl. It is a small world, because it turned out her mother is a friend of the lady who was our first wine teacher back in 2006!